Member Courses
Be sure to check the current
schedule to see what's available at this time.
ADVANCED
GRADES
SEAMANSHIP: Building on the basics
learned in Boating, the Seamanship course is an important foundation for other
"advanced grade" courses. The student learns; basic marlinspike, hull design,
navigation rules, operation under normal and adverse conditions,
responsibilities of the skipper, basic first aid, common courtesies on the
water, boat care, nautical customs and flag etiquette.
PILOTING: This course is the first of a two-part program studying inland and coastal navigation. Its focus is on the fundamentals of piloting-keeping track of a boat's movements, determining one's position at any time and laying out courses to a planned destination. Included are subjects such as; charts and their use, aids to navigation, the mariner's compass, variation and deviation of the compass, plotting and steering courses, dead reckoning, plotting and labeling charts.
ADVANCED PILOTING: This is the final part of the inland and coastal navigation series. Its emphasis is on the use of modern electronic navigation systems and other advanced techniques for finding position, Seamanship and Piloting are prerequisites. Among topics covered are: tides and currents and their effect on piloting, finding position using bearings and angles, simple use of the mariner's sextant, electronic navigation: Radar, Loran, GPS, etc.
JUNIOR NAVIGATION: Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation. It is designed as a practical "how to" course. Advanced Piloting is a prerequisite. Subject matter includes: taking sextant sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars, precise time determination, use of the Nautical Almanac, reducing sights to establish lines of position, special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation, offshore navigational routines for recreational craft.
NAVIGATION: This course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing the student's understanding of celestial navigation theory. Junior Navigation is a prerequisite. The course covers: additional sight-reduction techniques, honing skills in sight taking and positioning, orderly methods for navigator's day's work at sea, navigating with minimal resources, as in a lifeboat.
ELECTIVE
COURSES
CRUISE PLANNING: This course is
designed for members who plan to cruise for just a weekend or for a year, in
either a sail or power boat. It covers such topics as; planning a voyage,
financing a voyage, managing commitments back home, how to equip a cruising
boat, crew selection, provisioning, voyage management, entering and clearing
foreign ports, emergencies afloat, security measures.
ENGINE MAINTENANCE: This course attempts to make students more self-reliant afloat, with trouble-diagnosis and temporary remedies given special emphasis. It covers both marine gasoline and diesel engines, including concepts of operation, maintenance and repair of their cooling, electrical, fuel, and lubricating systems, power train components, ancillary propulsion components.
MARINE ELECTRONICS: This course teaches essential knowledge about a boat's electrical and electronic systems. Topics covered include proper wiring, grounding, corrosion and electrolysis control, batteries and their maintenance, depth finders, marine radiotelephones, Radar, Loran, GPS, and other electronic positioning systems.
SAIL: The sail course provides a thorough study of the terminology and dynamics of sailing. It includes; types of hulls and rigs, running and standing rigging and their adjustment, hull and water forces caused by wind and waves, forces vs. balance, the theory of sailing, points of sailing, sail handling, sailing under various wind conditions, navigation rules unique to sailing vessels.
WEATHER: The weather course is designed to teach a student how to make weather observations and predictions for more enjoyable boating Topics include; awareness of weather phenomena, how to read a weather map and the sky, how to understand and anticipate weather developments, structure and characteristics of the atmosphere, factors considered in weather forecasting, sources and use of weather reports and forecasts, instrument and visual observations the skipper can make.
INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATION: Unlike other USPS courses, this one is not designed to enhance boating skills. Rather, it deals with effective communication for the speaker and teacher; a quality that benefits the individual in all walks of life. It offers practical instruction in preparing for teaching assignments, preparing for meeting presentations, effective teaching techniques, conducting efficient meetings, and the selection and use of audio-visual aids.
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