Come for the Boating Education...Stay for the FriendsSM  Fort Worth Sail & Power Squadron

FWSPS Education Page

USPS Public Courses

• America's Boating Course is our primary offering to the public. It qualifies under the Texas boating requirements for minors.  Most insurance companies offer a discount on boat insurance upon completion.

  We teach this course in a classroom setting, but have an online version of the course and it is also available on CD-ROM.

  
             America's Boating Course

  The course covers topics such as:

  	Boat Handling and Elementary Seamanship		Boat Types and Terms
  	Marlinespike (Knots)		Registration and Equipment
  	State and Local Boating Regulations		Marine Radiotelephone (VHF)
  	Trailering		Charts and Aids to Navigation
  	Navigation Rules		Basic Navigation
  	Piloting		Engine Troubleshooting
  	Sailing Fundamentals		Weather
  	Regional Boating		Personal Watercraft Operation

   

• Additionally, the USPS offers several Learning Guides to the public. These are short courses on subjects such as GPS, Loran-C, Compass Adjusting, Sailing, etc. These can be ordered directly from USPS.

Member Course Information

Sign up for a class at the monthly meetings or contact the Squadron Educational Officer, Lt/C Glenn Snell, SN.

Descriptions of the courses available can be found at these web sites:

Advanced Grade Courses
(Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigation, Navigation)

These are usually taken in order as each one builds on the knowledge gained in the previous course. 
Completion of a course (and its prerequisites) earns the corresponding grade.

  Elective Courses
(Cruise Planning, Engine Maintenance, Instructor Development, Marine Electronics, Sail, Weather)

These are independent topics to enhance boating skills and can be taken in any order.
Marine Electronics is broken into three parts: Marine Electrical Systems, Marine Communication Systems, and Electronic Navigation.

Completion of Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, and three electives earns the Educational Profiency Award.
Completion of all advanced grade and elective courses earns the Educational Achiement Award and the grade of Senior Navigator.

The Sou'wester will have the latest information on upcoming classes.

Last Updated 13 October 2015

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