Showing 1–16 of 25 results
Don’t drift! Understand the issues and problems involving anchoring, such as anchor types and sizes. Learn proper anchoring techniques for your area. By understanding anchoring conditions and situations, you’ll protect your boat and get a good night’s sleep on the water. The kit includes the Anchoring Quick Guide and Anchoring Seminar booklet.
Are the winds too strong? What is a small craft advisory? The safety and comfort of those who venture out on the water have always been weather dependent. This seminar, a must for boaters who have never taken a weather course, will help you answer these questions and gain an understanding of the forces acting on your boat. Understand the forecast and know what to expect, whether you’re in a kayak, trawler, sailboat, or schooner. This seminar presents a complex subject in a way that is both understandable and useful.
Each seminar participant receives a waterproof McGraw Hill Captain’s QuickGuide – Onboard Weather Forecasting – designed for onboard and field use, along with a Student Guide with slide images and complete notes written especially for the seminar.
Basic Weather and Forecasting may be taken in a squadron-run session or as a fully interactive online learning experience titled Weather for Boaters. Either way, this comprehensive seminar can be completed in 2-4 hours.
Want to take a “road trip” on the water? Gain the confidence and practical skills needed to explore ports and coves for a weekend or weeks at a time. Take Cruising and Cruise Planning and join your fellow boaters for raft-ups and rendezvous up the river, down the bay, and along the coast.
Learn the ins and outs of your boat’s navigation systems. Gain the confidence in understanding Global Positioning Systems (GPS), chart plotters, programming, using computers and tablets, and readily available software on the market today. There is also a section devoted to the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Enroll in this course today.
Every skipper needs to understand the fundamentals of gas and diesel engines to perform basic maintenance and diagnose problems under way. Learn about transmissions, propellers, and steering. Get the knowledge you need to keep your boat in tiptop shape.
Whether you’re planning a cruise, going fishing, or traveling to a local marina, knowing how to read and use nautical charts is essential to safe boating. Charts include must-have information, including bottom contours, hazards, and aids to navigation, to help you travel safely. Each student receives a waterproof flip-fold Chart Symbols and On-the-Water Guide to take along on the boat with you, as well as a Student Guide for the seminar.
When a named storm threatens, you need to be prepared and protect your boat. In this short seminar, you’ll learn how to select a location from which to weather the storm and prepare your boat for a hurricane. The kit includes Student Notes with copies of the slides.
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.
Will run for 4 consecutive Mondays
Today, electronics have radically changed navigation, but understanding the basics helps you gain confidence in your equipment and your own skills.
In this seminar you’ll learn practical techniques to plan, navigate, and check your progress on the water. You will develop situational awareness skills using your eyes and navigation tools to quickly point to your position on a chart, and be able to use backup techniques when the electronics become suspect. This seminar will help both captain and crew to navigate safely and comfortably.
The seminar kit contains The Weekend Navigator textbook, a Seminar Notes booklet, and Maptech’s Chart Navigator Training CD, which includes software and digital charts to gain familiarity with this new technology.
Become a better boater by mastering your radio in the digital age. Learn voice communications and the use of digital selective calling (DSC), and get the skills you need for a day sail or offshore adventure. Learn from experienced instructors in an interactive classroom environment.
Learn the ins and outs of your boat’s electrical systems. Gain the confidence to tackle direct current, shore power and communications installations. Ensure the safety and reliability of your vessel; enroll in this course today.
This course is usually completed in nine two-hour sessions, followed by an exam.
Don’t leave the dock without knowing the rules of the road. This seminar simplifies the sometimes complex U.S. Inland Rules and International Rules, or COLREGS, for the recreational boater. Through examples, you’ll discover how to avoid collisions in various situations, the differences between power and sailboat rules, and the special rules for fishing vessel. This seminar includes McGraw-Hill’s The One Minute Guide to the Nautical Rules of the Road by Charlie Wing, as well as Student Notes with slides. This seminar is also a starting point for study preparation for the USCG License examination.
Encompassing everything from canoes, kayaks and paddle boats make boating affordable and accessible for everyone. USPS training helps you do it safely. Based on a compendium of information from the paddling community, this seminar prepares you to boat safely on small lakes, streams, and rivers. The seminar kit includes an attendee workbook for note-taking and reference and “The Complete Sea Kayaker’s Handbook” by Shelly Johnson. Included as a bonus is“Introduction to Paddling – canoeing basics for lakes and rivers” by the American Canoe Association.
Are you a crew member or passenger who has no idea what’s going on during a boat trip? Learn the essential skills you will need to help the skipper safely operate a recreational boat, including how to respond in an emergency. You’ll become an asset on board with Partner in Command.
The Partner in Command seminar includes an introduction to boating, understanding anchoring, docking, and navigation, preparing for bad weather, first aid and on-board emergencies, and more.
Partner in Command may be taken in a squadron-run session or as a fully interactive online learning experience. Either way, this comprehensive seminar can be completed in 2-4 hours and comes with a full color Student Guide for the seminar.
This seminar covers RADAR functions, RADAR selection, and operation of RADAR under various conditions including setting of controls, display interpretation, basic navigation, and collision avoidance using RADAR.
Learn about basic sailboat designs and nomenclature, rigging, and safety from experienced USPS sailors. Then tackle the physical aspects of sailing forces and techniques, sail applications, marlinespike, helmsmanship, and handling of difficult sailing conditions. This course will benefit non-sailors as well as novice and experienced sailors.