If you are interested in an exciting, in-depth boating safety course, check out America's Boating Course.

Many boat insurance companies will offer discounts on boating insurance to boaters who successfully complete America's Boating Course. And, this beginner boating class will give you the knowledge needed to obtain a boat license or safety certification in many states.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: Next class starts March 01, 2017 from 7-9 pm at the West Springfield Middle School. To view the course poster, click here.

The Piloting course is the first in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation, covering the basics of coastal and inland navigation.

This course focuses on navigation as it is done on recreational boats today and embraces GPS as a primary navigation tool. The course covers enough of the traditional navigation techniques so the student will be able to find his/her way even if their GPS fails. The course includes many in-class exercises, developing the student's skills through hands-on practice and learning.

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; converting between True and Magnetic north; the use of typical GPS displays and information they provide; setting up waypoints and routes to stay 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; and the "Seaman's Eye" - simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: Next class starts March 01, 2017 from 7-9 pm at the West Springfield Middle School. To view the course poster, click here.

Advanced Piloting is the second in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation. It continues to build coastal and inland navigation skill, allowing the student to take on more challenging conditions in unfamiliar waters, limited visibility, and extended cruises. GPS is embraced as a primary navigation tool while adding radar, chartplotters, and other electronic navigation tools. As with Piloting, the course includes many in-class exercises, advancing the student’s skills through hands-on practice and learning. Ten classes of two hours each normally are scheduled for presentation of this course. In addition the students have seven days to complete the open book exam.

Topics covered include: review of skills learned in Piloting; advanced positioning techniques such as advancing a line of position; other electronics: radar, depth sounders, autopilots, chartplotters, laptop computer software, etc.; hazard avoidance techniques using electronics (e.g., keep out zones in GPS); collision avoidance using radar and GPS; working with tides: clearances, depth, effects of current; piloting with wind and currents; the Seaman’s Eye simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: This course is a follow-on to the Piloting course and will be offered in the Fall.

The Seamanship course is the next step after completing America's Boating Course (ABC3), taking the knowledge and skills learned there and expanding and extending them with this newly updated edition. Or make Seamanship the first step into building boating confidence and competence for safe and fun on-the-water adventures. Seamanship 2012 presents material applicable to both power and sail, covering such topics as the construction and functioning of a boat, the skipper's responsibilities, preparing the boat for use, handling and maneuvering a vessel under various conditions in close quarters and on the open water, rules of the road, anchoring, emergencies, and marlinespike/basic knots. The Appendices cover boating into the waters of Canada and Mexico, the effects of weather on the boater's health, and general information on obtaining a US Coast Guard captain's license.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: Next class starts March 01, 2017 from 7-9 pm at the West Springfield Middle School. To view the course poster, click here.

Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation, followed by the Navigation course. It is designed as a practical course.

Topics covered include: precise time determination, use of the Nautical Almanac, taking sextant sights of the sun, reducing sights to establish lines of position, special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation, offshore navigational routines for recreational craft, electronic and computerized offshore navigation.

In Junior Navigation, the student will continue to use GPS as the primary position sensor, as they learned to do in Piloting and Advanced Piloting. However, the offshore environment poses many different elements for consideration by the Navigator. Ocean currents, wind, and sea state all affect a vessel's performance over the longer passages. Also, visible terrestrial landmarks are no longer available to the navigator as reference points. In the Junior Navigation course, the student will learn to substitute celestial objects such as the sun as reference points. The course begins with the study of celestial navigation, teaching the student to take sights on the sun with a marine sextant and derive a line of position from that observation. Next, the student will apply the principles learned in Advanced Piloting, and plot a running fix from two sun sights taken about four hours apart. Once the student has learned the basics of celestial sight reduction, the course continues with planning, positioning, and checking ones position in the offshore environment, using both electronic and celestial tools.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: Next class starts March 15, 2017 from 7-9 pm at the CT Fire Academy Training Building, 34 Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT. To view the course poster, click here.

Unlike other USPS courses, the Instructor Development course is not designed to enhance boating skills. Rather, its emphasis is on enhancing presentation techniques and 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 three presentations to their peers utilizing a variety of teaching aids and presentation skills. The instructor may assign a topic for these presentations or you may use material and PowerPoint slides from existing USPS courses, and they may build on one another.

Contact Education Officer Kevin Abbey Email

STATUS: The next Instructor Development Course will be held in January of 2018.