USPS®'s The Squadron Boating Course
The
Squadron Boating Course is a traditional civic service of the United
States Power Squadrons organization. Since 1914 local squadrons have presented
the course to anyone who wished to attend - to date more than 3 million people.
Learning to boat safely is important and the increased knowledge will enhance
your safety on the water and your enjoyment of the sport.
The Squadron Boating Course designed to be useful to all boaters, from the fisherman in an outboard to the skipper of a large cruiser or sailboat. All boaters are subject to nautical rules and regulations. Skippers should learn and respect traditional boating courtesies. The courses are meant to be of interest to the entire family; older children are welcome. We encourage your family to attend as a group.
The Squadron Boating Course contains sixteen sections. There are homework questions at the end of each section to assist retention of the information presented.
The Squadron Boating Course covers additional topics such as an introduction to reading charts and plotting courses. The major revision within The Squadron Boating Course 2004 edition is the introduction of Using Digital Charts. The student manual comes with a CD-ROM, which includes the Maptech Chart Navigator software, a sampling of digital charts and maps across the country.