Summer Is Just Around
The Corner...
And a USCG Auxiliary Boating Course May Just Be The Ticket
By Wayne Spivak, Branch Chief - National Press Corps, National
Marketing and Public Affairs Department, U.S.C.G. Auxiliary
Warm
weather days like the one's some of us have been having make all of us
think about getting our boats ready. We start thinking of all the chores
involved in making our craft seaworthy for the upcoming season. But of
all the tasks that we have on our list, the one that never seems to make
its way toward the top is EDUCATION.
The
art and science of what we call "boating" changes with each new
technological advance. Just look at the boating bible, Chapman's
Piloting Seamanship & Small Boat Handling. Through the years,
sections have grown and shrunk, been added and deleted.
Skills you may have learned have grown rusty, new gadgets have changed
the way we apply our skills. But unless we update our skill sets, we may
not be as safe a boater as we might be. Educational seminar and courses
are the answer.
The
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, with its 34,000 members, provides
the boating public with fair number of boating courses. These courses
range from Boating Fun - Adventure on the Water for the
kindergarten child to the 3rd grader; to Navigating with GPS, for
the adult who like his toys.
Here
are some of the courses offered by the USCG Auxiliary:
Seminar Courses
Boating Fun -
Adventure on the Water - to teach the basic safety concepts to
children in grades K-3.
Waypoints - A Guide
to Boating Safely - for older children and youths in grades 4-6.
Personal Watercraft
- for those who want a brief, very basic introduction to the safety
issues involved when operating a PWC.
Navigating with GPS
- for those who want a brief, very basic "introduction to navigating
with GPS."
Multi-Lesson Courses
ABC -America's
Boating Course - oriented toward hunters, anglers, and beginning
boaters who need to do home study.
Boating Safely -
oriented toward hunters, anglers, skiers and operators of PWCs.
Boating Skills and
Seamanship - for both beginning and experienced power boaters.
Sailing Fundamentals
- for both beginning and experienced sailors (also known as "Sailing and
Seamanship").
Basic Coastal
Navigation - an introduction to coastal piloting.
Advanced Coastal
Navigation - for serious boaters who want to learn piloting
techniques.
Not all courses are given at all
locations or all the time. The courses offered depend on your area, and
the volunteers that make up the Auxiliary. Check with your local
Auxiliary Flotilla or check the national website at
http://cgaux.org.
The American Boating Association
PO Box 882196 Port St. Lucie, FL 34988 Tel: 614-497-4088