OCPS Education

Public Boating Class (ABC3course)

Start Date:      TBD, at 1900    (8 weeks)

Instructor:       various instructors from Old Colony Power Squadron

Location:          Town River Yacht Club, Quincy, MA

Register:         contact Asst SEO John Gardner, JN @508-378-7028 or email him captnjgard@comcast.net or OldColonyPS@comcast.net

The Squadron Boating Course is a traditional civic service of the United States Power Squadrons organization. Since 1914 local squadrons have presented the course to anyone who wished to attend. Learning to boat safely is important and the increased knowledge will enhance your safety on the water and your enjoyment of the sport no matter if you are a sail or power boater. The course is for all boaters including skippers of a family cruiser, sailing enthusiasts, personal watercraft (PWC) operators, hunters or fishermen operating an outboard utility boat, canoes and kayak paddlers.   It covers the basics you need to know by not only qualified instructors but also veteran boaters on how to safely and legally operate your boat, such as basic boating terminology, boat handling, water sports safety, PWCs, legally required equipment and other boating laws and regulations, right-of-way rules between boats, and marine radio operation. The course is meant to be of interest to the whole family, and we encourage your family to attend as a group and every course is geared to not only the safety of boating but also concerns that the students may have around boating.   Beyond the basic safety material, additional material covers the fundamentals of reading nautical charts, of using a chart to plot and follow a safe course, and the basics of using a Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation.   In addition to practice charts and plotting tools, the materials supplied with the course also include a CD-ROM containing Maptech's Chart Navigator computer program, allowing the student to learn about this exciting new electronic technology.   The Squadron Boating Course that the Old Colony Power Squadron offers is taught in (10) weeks, two hours each night. The course with its proctored examination meets the requirements of National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) so that you can get your safety certificate in those states that require one to operate a power driven vessel.   The cost of the course remains at $60.00 per person .

Typical Course Outline includes the following topics:

1.      Introduction, radio use, boat terms, and types.

2.      Aids to navigation, chart work, latitude & longitude

3.      Boat handling, piloting, compass, plotting a course.

4.      Government regulations, calculating distance, speed, & time.

5.      Navigation and navigation rules.

6.      Adverse conditions, techniques of trailering a boat, Massachusetts Environmental Police and Massachusetts Regulations

7.      Review

8.      Final Exam USPS and State Exam (see Special Note).

SPECIAL NOTE: Twelve to sixteen year olds passing the exam with a grade of 80 or better on the overall exam and a grade of 80 or better on the State portion will be eligible to obtain a State Boating Certificate as well as the USPS Certificate

Engine Maintenance

Start Date:    TBD

Instructor:       Henry Clark, S

Location:          at the Hanson Fire Station

Register:         contact Henry Clark @ 508-942-2478 or John Gardner @ 508-378-7928.

The Engine Maintenance course will familiarize you with today's marine propulsion systems based on modern internal combustion engines. You will gain an understanding of engine construction; the fuel, lubrication, and cooling systems for inboard and outboard engines, both gasoline and diesel; steering mechanisms; and shafts and propellers. You will learn the mechanical details, electrical and electronic features, and basic equipment associated with these engines. When you complete the course, you should be able to diagnose troubles afloat, make simple repairs, do preventive maintenance, and discuss major repairs with qualified mechanics.

Topics Include:

Marine Propulsion Systems               Basic Engine Principles

Cooling and Exhaust                            Lubrication

Fuel and Air Induction Systems        Ignition

Electrical and Starting Systems          Power Trains

Steering, Instruments, and Alarms     Maintenance, Adjustments, and Repairs

Trouble Shooting                                 Emergency Repairs Afloat

Winter Storage and Spring Service

Seamanship

Start Date:         Thursday February 7, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

End Date:

Instructor:             P/C , AP James Emo, Paul Nugent, Rick Peterson

Prerequisite:         cost of this course will be $40.00 for members and $80.00 for non-members

Prerequisite To:    Advanced Piloting

Location:                 Town River Yacht Club, Quincy, MA

Register:                 contact or John Gardner @ 508-378-7928 or oldcolonyps@comcast.net

Seamanship examines many new areas of boating knowledge. It expands on most of the material introduced in the USPS Boating Course. Building on the basics of recreational boating presented in the public boating courses, Seamanship adds foundational information for continuing boater education. The course contents should facilitate knowledge development for increased safe operation of recreational boats and provide the basis for completion of USCG licensing examination. Emphasis within the course has been placed on higher level boating skills, rules of the road, and marlinspike. This course is your first major stepping stone to a mastery of future courses which concentrate on coastal navigation (Piloting and Advanced Piloting) and offshore navigation (Junior Navigation and Navigation). The cost of this course is $40.00 for members and $80.00 for non-members.

Topics Include:

Marline Seamanship                     Hull Design & Performance

Skipper's Responsibilities            Boating under Normal Conditions

Emergencies                                   Marine Environment

Living Aboard a Boat                   How to Care for a Boat

Nautical Etiquette & Customs

Piloting

Start Date:      Monday January 14th, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

End Date:         Depends on the Pace of the course typically 8-10 weeks

Instructor:         John Grasso, AP

Prerequisite:

Prerequisite To:    Advanced Piloting

Location:          Old Hanson Fire House, Rt 27, Hanson, MA (by the Hanson T station)

Register:    contact Asst SEO John Gardner, JN @508-378-7028 or email him captnjgard@comcast.net or OldColonyPS@comcast.net

Piloting is the first of the navigational classes focusing on techniques for piloting a boat in coastal and inland conditions. The course emphasizes planning and checking along with the use of GPS for determining position, and introduces digital charting along with traditional charting, compass and dead reckoning skills. Plotting, labeling, use of the compass, aids to navigation and a host of related topics are included in this all-new approach to coastal and inland piloting. The fee for the course will be $70.00 for members and $140.00 for non-members. Topics covered include:

Charts and their interpretation

Navigation aids and how they point to safe water

Plotting courses and determining direction and distance

The mariner’s compass and converting between True and Magnetic

Use of GPS – typical GPS displays and information they provide, setting up waypoints and routes, staying on a GPS route.

Pre-planning safe courses and entering them into the GPS

Monitoring progress and determining position by both GPS and traditional techniques such as bearings and dead reckoning

The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Advanced Piloting

Start Date:       TBD

End Date:

Instructor:           John Gardner

Prerequisite:        Seamanship & Piloting

Prerequisite To:    Junior Navigator

Location:               Old Hanson Fire House, Rt 27, Hanson, MA (by the Hanson T station)

Register:             contact John Gardiner, JN @508-378-7928 cell # 781-727-0434 or email him @ captnjgard@comcast.net

Advanced Piloting is the final USPS inland and coastal navigation course. When you have successfully completed AP, you should have the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate anywhere within near sight of land. The concepts presented in this course involve precise methods in piloting that are standard practice for safe operation of recreational vessels. This course is open to all members and non-members. The cost for members is $46.00 if you require the Weekend Navigator manual, $30.00 if you already have it. Non-members will be charged $56.00 for the course.

Topics Include:

Basic Piloting Review                  Electronic Coastal Navigation

Adv Positioning Techniques     Positioning with Current Effects

Tides & Tidal Currents                Predicting Height of Tide

Predicting Tidal Currents            The 1210 (training chart) Cruise

Weather

Start Date:     TBD. .

End Date:

Instructor:       John Gardner

Prerequisite:

Prerequisite To:    n/a

Location:

Register:                 contact John Gardiner, JN @508-378-7928 cell # 781-727-0434 or email him @ captnjgard@comcast.net

Weather (Wx) 101 & 102

This weather course will furnish basic weather knowledge for safer and more enjoyable boating. The student will learn to make weather predictions based upon observations of the sky, upon barometer and wind information, as well as weather data provided by maps, satellite images, and radio and TV broadcasts.   Wx 101 and Wx 102 use a USPS supplement manual together with The Weather Book from USA Today (second edition, 1997) as the textbook.

Wx 101-Basic Weather- topics include: Effects of Heat and Cold; Wind and Pressure; Storms and Fronts; Rain, Humidity, and Fog; and Floods, Droughts, and Winter Precipitation.

Wx 102- Advanced Weather- topics include: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes; Tropical Weather; Atmosphere and Clouds; Forecasting; and
Climate.

Basic Weather Seminar (1day)

Start Date:     Monday February 25, 2013 @ 1900 hrs with registration at 1830 hrs. .

End Date:

Instructor:       John Gardner

Prerequisite:    cost of this course is $40.00 for members and $69.00 for non-members.

Prerequisite To:    n/a

Location:         Sea School Boating and Rental facility located at 433 Washington St., Duxbury, MA

Register:                 contact John Gardiner, JN @508-378-7928 cell # 781-727-0434 or email him @ captnjgard@comcast.net

Basic Weather and Forecasting
“A veering wind will clear the sky;
A backing wind says storms are nigh.”

All boaters have heard this mariners’ proverb or similar ones. They have a salty flavor that takes us back to the era of sailing ships. In this seminar students will learn the meteorological basis for them.

The safety and comfort of those who venture out-on-the-water have always been weather dependent. This seminar is a must for boaters who have never taken a weather course. The complex subject of weather is presented in a way that is both understandable and useful. Topics include:

Air Masses and Fronts;
Winds;
Storms;
Clouds and Thunderstorms;
Fog; and
Forecasting
Each seminar participant receives a waterproof McGraw Hill Captain’s QuickGuide – Onboard Weather Forecasting – designed for onboard and field use. Each participant also receives a full color Student Guide with slide images and complete notes written especially for the seminar.