A Welcome Message From Commander Mark M Medakovich, AP

Hello, and welcome to Swiftwater Power Squadron. The fact that you logged on to this site tells me that you have some interest in Boating Education, but, like many people, you may be wondering what the Power Squadron is.

Swiftwater Power Squadron is a division of the United States Power Squadrons®. USPS® has approximately 48,000 members Nationally. It is divided into Districts and each District is further divided into Squadrons. Swiftwater is one of 18 Squadrons in District 6.

The Power Squadrons main function is education. We provide courses that range from the basic Public Safe Boating course, through our Public seminar series to very advanced Navigation for members. We also provide courses such as Sail, Marine Electronics, Weather, Marine Engine Maintenance, and Cruise Planning, just to name a few. Look at our list of courses to see all that we offer.

Our organizations' voyage over the past 85 years has seen many changes to the sport of recreational boating. We have kept pace by offering continually updated and expanded educational courses to the public and our members to include the latest electronic technology, safety requirements, new water craft or boat designs, (like PWC's), and general equipment. Additionally we have adapted our yearly spring safe boating course to be youth friendly for the students 12 to 16.

If you have an interest in improving your boating skills beyond the basic boating course, whether you own a boat or not, you may benefit from becoming a member of USPS.

The requirements for membership are that you have previously passed, recently or within the past 10 years and can provide documentation for, the USPS, Coast Guard Auxiliary, or another NY State approved Safe Boating course recently offered across the US. You must also be recommended by a current member, and we always have our arms wide open!

In addition to educational opportunities, members enjoy boating activities including cruises, rafting, rendezvous', navigation contests, predicted log contests and more. Activities during the off season include parties, dinner dances, National, District, and Squadron meetings and conferences. See our photo album, or our calendar of activities for some examples of the fun you could be part of soon.

    Now, there's education, and then there's education! Getting to know other like-minded boaters is the best benefit, sharing some great knowledge, and of course enjoying the best of boating safely. It's a great resource for avoiding errors, solving problems, and the general "Has anybody been to .... ?, Where do I find .... ?, What should I do about .... ?, because chances are, somebody has been there, done that and is glad to help you skip through the rough spots.

    We want to make everyone a safe boater for our own peace of mind and for yours. Learning to boat safely could save your life, the lives of your loved ones and those of boaters on the water with you.

Boat Safe!    Boat Smart!