Advanced Grade and Elective courses are available through any Squadron.  Members wishing to enroll must be in good standing (dues paid), and satisfy any prerequisites.

Enrolling

Santa Clara Power Squadron

Advanced Grade & Elective

Member Only Courses for 2007

Please contact the person shown to register for the course or for more information

Advanced Grade Courses

Seamanship (S)

This course is the recommended first course for new members, both power boaters and sailors.  The student learns basic deck seamanship and boat operation and maintenance:  navigation rules, hull design and performance, responsibilities of the skipper, boat care, operating a boat under normal and abnormal conditions, what to do in various emergencies and weather conditions, ropes, knots and anchoring, nautical customs and common courtesy on the water. 

Piloting (P)

This course introduces the fundamentals of coastal and inland navigation -- marine charts, buoys, use of the compass, planning and plotting courses, and use of both electronic and traditional techniques for finding one’s way on the water.

Advanced Piloting (AP)

This course builds Piloting to teach how to navigate safely in coastal waters – use of GPS, radar, and other electronics to safely navigate and avoid hazards, prediction of tides and tidal currents and their impact on boat position, and advanced positioning techniques.

Junior Navigation (JN)

This course begins the study of offshore (open-ocean) navigation – planning passages with special open-ocean charts and tracking progress using both traditional celestial navigation and electronics.

Navigation (N)

This course advances of celestial navigation skills and understanding for offshore navigation.

Elective Courses

Engine Maintenance

This course covers the general construction, operating principles, maintenance and repair of marine gasoline and diesel engines, including cooling, electrical, fuel, and lubricating systems.  Engine trouble diagnosis and temporary remedies are emphasized along with safety measures as a way to help the student become more self-reliant afloat.

Marine Electronics

This course covers essential knowledge about your boat's electrical and electronic systems is studied in this course.  Proper wiring, grounding, electrolysis control, and batteries and their maintenance are covered, as is all sorts of marine electronics: depth finders, marine radio telephones, radar, loran, GPS, and advanced systems for electronic navigation.

Weather

This course focuses on all aspects of the weather, especially as it impacts boaters.  Topics covered include different weather phenomena, understanding weather maps, reading clouds and the sky, understanding and anticipating weather changes to make for safer and more pleasurable boating. 

Cruise Planning

This course covers preparation for a cruise, whether the cruise is for a day, a week, a month or longer.  Topics discussed include: planning the voyage, equipping the boat, crew selection, provisioning, voyage management, entering and clearing foreign and domestic ports, communications, anchors and anchoring, emergencies afloat, medical emergencies and security.

Sail

This course covers the knowledge needed to become an expert sailor – everything from basic sailing terminology and sailboat rigs to how to effectively sail at all points of the wind, to docking and anchoring under sail, marlinespike seamanship, navigation rules for sailboats, to advanced topics such as optimizing sail shape, rig tuning, spinnaker handling, heavy weather sailing, and sailboat racing.

Instructor Development

This course helps with development of practical skills and methods in preparing for both classroom and meeting presentations.  The course includes practice assignments in preparation and delivery of presentations in the classroom, including effective use of visual and other aids.