Boating Education

Basic Course

America's Boating Course - Topics covered include boating safety, navigation rules and basic operating skills. Successful completion of the class will result in the Florida Boating Safety ID required for boaters born after January 1, 1988.

We will offer this class again in the Spring of 2025.

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If you need a class sooner there is and online version of the class which will fill the needs of boaters for a Safety ID in Florida. Go to https://www.americasboatingcourse.com. You can enroll on that page.

Advanced Grades

Marine Navigation (Piloting)- This class is an introduction to plotting onshore and near shore courses using both dead reckoning and GPS. The student learns the use of latitude and longitude in determining a position on the earth and how to plot the location onto a nautical chart. Dead reckoning is determined by a compass reading allowing for variation, speed and distance travelled by the boat in a set amount of time. This information as well as GPS locations, are plotted using standard plotting rules.

Start Date	Time	Location	To register for Course
January 8, 2025	5 PM	Hobbs Pharisee	EMail SEO@cbsps.org if interested

Advanced Marine Navigation(Advanced Piloting) - Building on the basics of Marine Navigation, the students move onto more complex situations that include wind drift, tidal influences, adaptation to water height for bridge clearance, danger avoidance plotting and much more. The use of GPS and radar as a navigation tool are covered.

Offshore Navigation (Junior Navigation) - The ultimate off-shore navigation challenge is learning the art of celestial navigation. Students are instructed in the use of the Sextant and taught to reduce sights into meaningful locations on a chart. GPS skills are also incorporated. This class will test your skills and will lead to a sense of accomplishment as no other USPS class has done before.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
TBD

Celestial Navigation (Navigation) Having mastered the use of the Sextant and offshore plotting, this advanced class takes the student further into the complexities of celestial navigation. Using stars and planets and adapting the element of time, the student charts his course with the added assistance of downloaded GPS.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Contact the education officer if you are interested in this class. We will see if we can get enough students to hold it

Elective Courses

Cruising and Cruise Planning - Want to take a "road trip" on the water? Gain the confidence and practical skills needed to explore unknown ports and coves for weeks or months 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. Our instructor is a Great Loop and Little Loop veteran.

When	Time	Location	Register for Course
		Class complete

Sail- From the basics of the sailing vocabulary to the specifics of handling a boat in all types of weather conditions, this class delves into the art of sailing in Florida waters. In addition, students learn advanced marlinspike skills. Instructors are experienced sailors with onshore, offshore and racing experience.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Not scheduled

Engine Maintenance -This course stresses the diagnosis of modern systems while teaching the basics of engine layout and operation. Students are taught the aspects of how gasoline inboards, outboards and diesel engines work. The class teaches how to diagnose problems and those “do-it-yourself” repairs that are possible in today’s sophisticated engines.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Class complete

Marine Electrical Systems-This class first covers the basic theory of electricity both AC and DC then moves onto the the practical use of multimeters and how to use them to trouble shoot basic electrical problems on your boat. It also looks at galvanic corrosion and lightning protection.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Not scheduled

Marine Communication Systems - This is an in-depth review of communication systems available for the recreational boater. An understanding of radio circuits also includes trouble shooting techniques. Among the topics covered are the FCC Rules, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), High Seas radio and Family Radio transceiver.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Class complete

Marine Electronic Navigation - This course introduces GPS technology from the basic receiver to chart plotter systems for on board navigation. The process of planning a cruise using this technology is based upon non-specific GPS units. Special attention to apps for tablets and smart phones are included. A basic knowledge of course plotting is required for this course.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Not scheduled

Weather-Understanding and predicting weather is a challenging undertaking. This course deals with the basic principles of meteorology, the science of the atmosphere. Students learn about weather systems and their interactions which can lead to making predictions as to what the boater can expect when planning a weekend outing.

Start Date	Time	Location	Register for Course
Not scheduled