Basic Boating Safety Courses
[Open to members & the public, no boating experience needed]
[Advanced courses below, click here for them]
[For available information about education offered nearby, click here]
America's Boating Course 3rd Edition
This course offers a basis of safe boating knowledge. It is NASBLA approved & meets/exceeds NY state requirements for certification for Personal Watercraft (PWC) operation. It also meets the educational requirement for membership in USPS. Click here for details.
Current offering: 2 Classes were scheduled, being taught at Lockport High School. 1st class started 8 May 12, is complete, 6 students passed exam. 2nd class started 17 May, 6:30-9:30PM, for 3 successive Thursdays, with 7 students registered.
Future offerings planned: April, May, June 2013, April, May(2) 2014.
2012 Seminar Series
A series of 4 seminars, described below, will be presented at Tuscarora Yacht Club (Wilson, NY). Each will be 2 hours, 7 – 9 PM, with registration starting at 6:30 PM. The cost for each student attending and getting all seminar materials is $40 per seminar. Other family members can attend, sharing materials, for $5 per person per seminar. To allow space planning and preprinting of certificates, please pre-register by email (Click here) or by phone 716-773-0953.
9 May - Basic Weather and Forecasting (completed, with 4 students)- The safety and comfort of those who venture out-on-the-water have always been weather dependent. The complex subject of weather is presented in a way that is both understandable and useful.
23 May - How to use a chart (completed, with 4 students)- Even with GPS and electronic navigation, the chart is needed to tell you what is around you and between you and your intended destination. A system of symbols is used by cartographers to tell you what lies below the surface of the water and the depths of water, as well as visible landmarks and navigation aids.
6 June - Mariner's Compass - This seminar explains how to select, install, calibrate and use your compass on board your boat. You will learn important features and what will work best for you, how to deal with variation between true and magnetic north, and how to adjust your compass to remove most of the deviation caused by local magnetic influences.
20 June - Mastering the Rules of the Road - This seminar provides an explanation, with examples, of the 37 Rules of the Road for both the U.S. Inland Rules and the International Rules (COLREGS). It simplifies the sometimes complex law relating to boat operation for the recreational boater. It is a starting point for study preparation for the USCG License examination.
Past course offerings are listed in the Archives.
