Courses
The WCSPS, in conjunction with the USPS®, offers three types of courses to squadron members: advanced grades, electives, and supplemental courses. The advanced grades are designed to be taken in sequence progressing through to Navigation.
Enrollment: Course enrollment is open to all USPS members: any member - active, additional active, family, life, or associate - can take a course with any squadron. Prompt enrollment helps the course chairmen have enough materials on hand for all students.
Dates & Times: We have fall and spring semesters. Courses are usually held once a week on a weekday evening from 1900 - 2100 (7:00 - 9:00 PM). Most courses are planned to be completed within a 8-12 week semester.
Locations: Courses are held at several different locations in the Worcester area. Some of our class spaces are generously provided by members who allow us to use their business facilities after hours.
Fees: The course fees cover course materials and examination and processing costs, and they are payable at registration.
Exams: Please note, the USPS issues exams by membership number. This means that although you may register for and attend a course, USPS will not issue an exam for you until your membership is current and any prerequisite requirements have been fulfilled. If you have any questions about your membership status, please contact the WCSPS secretary to verify your eligibility. All final examinations are returned to the USPS for correction. Each member is notified of his or her results by mail. If a student should fail an exam, the instructor will help him or her to arrange a reexamination.
Advanced Boating Courses
Seamanship (S)
The fundamentals of boat handling: docking techniques, spring lines, docking under adverse conditions, propeller action, marlinespike seamanship, and trailering. Includes types of power and sail boats, construction materials and handling characteristics. It also reviews safety, required equipment, rules of the road, aids to navigation, nautical customs and courtesy. (no prerequisites)
Piloting (P)
Continues the chartwork introduced in Boating with types of charts and practical instruction in position determination based on plotting courses and dead reckoning. Covers compass installation, adjustment and use. Reviews required equipment and navigational rules. (no prerequisites)
Advanced Piloting (AP)
Teaches the elements of piloting within the limits of the 100 fathom curve; topics introduced in Piloting are elaborated on with the addition of tides, currents, light lists and piloting with electronic aids. Students learn how to apply the effects of tide and current by charting a course-long "paper" cruise. (prerequisites: both Seamanship and Piloting)
Junior Navigation (JN)
An introduction to celestial navigation. This course involves the basic techniques of celestial navigation - the earth as a sphere and how this is reflectedThe Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron on various types of charts, time, time zones, celestial bodies and locating them, the nautical almanac, the sextant and its use and plotting "sights" taken by the student. (prerequisites: Advanced Piloting)
Navigation (N)
Advanced celestial navigation, with more emphasis placed on finding one's position through the use of celestial bodies. Fundamental principles are expanded upon, computations and methods are practiced, and the day's work of the navigator is performed. A paper cruise is made which includes all aspects of JN and N. (prerequisites: Junior Navigation)
Elective Courses
Cruise Planning (CP)
Apply the information from all of the USPS courses you have taken to planning for and actually going on a cruise. New material is provided which assists the boatman with practical approaches to long-range cruising.
Engine Maintenance (EM)
Learn about the basic design and construction, operating principles, maintenance and repair of gasoline and diesel engines. Various systems - fuel, electrical, cooling and lubrication - are studied. The purpose is to make the student more resourceful - not a mechanic.
Instructor Development (ID)
Unlike other USPS courses, the Instructor Development course is not designed to enhance boating skills. Rather, its emphasis is on enhancing instructor skills. The course has been designed to demonstrate interactive teaching methods focused on adult learning. Students are required to prepare lesson plans and give four presentations to their peers utilizing a variety of teaching aids and presentation skills. Each presentation is to be given on a topic from one of the public boating classes with the intent that upon completion of the course every student will be qualified to teach or proctor at a squadron boating class.
Marine Electronics (ME)
Essential knowledge about a boat's electrical and electronic systems, including wiring, grounding, electrolysis, batteries, and their care. Also covered are depth finders, marine radio telephones, radar, Loran, SATNAV, GPS and advanced systems for electronic navigation.
Operations Training (OT)
Learn how the USPS operates at the national, district, and squadron levels. Includes Roberts Rules for meetings and tips for delegating tasks. (required for officers)
Sail (Sa)
Sailing terminology, types of rigs and hulls, signals and rules of the road, theory of sailing, balance of hull and sails, stability, true and apparent wind, points of sailing, handling, anchoring, mooring and docking, laying up and fitting out.
Weather (Wx)
Have a new awareness of weather phenomena, how to read a weather map and the sky, and how to understand and anticipate weather developments. The atmosphere and its characteristics, global weather, and other factors that affect forecasting are studied, as well as clouds, air masses, fronts storms and fog.
