Other Courses

Boat Handling (Standalone seminars): Rules of the Road, Confidence in Docking and Undocking, Boating with Confidence, Anchoring with Assurance, Emergencies on Board, Knots and Line Handling

Marine Navigation: Charts and their interpretation, Navigation aids and how they point to safe water, Plotting courses and determining direction and distance, The mariner’s compass and converting between True and Magnetic, Use of GPS – typical GPS displays and information they provide, setting up waypoints and routes, staying on a GPS route, Pre-planning safe courses and entering them into the GPS, Monitoring progress and determining position by both GPS and traditional techniques such as bearings and dead reckoning, and The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Advanced Marine Navigation (Under revision): Review of skills learned in Marine Navigation and Piloting, Advanced positioning techniques such as advancing a line of position, Other electronics: radar, depth sounders, autopilots, chartplotters, laptop computer software, etc., Hazard avoidance techniques using electronics (e.g., “keep out” zones in GPS), Collision avoidance using radar and GPS, Working with tides: clearances, depth, effects of current, Piloting with wind and currents, and The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Offshore Navigation: Route Planning, Review Practice Cruise, Offshore Environment, Introduce Pilot Charts & VPP2 Software, Electronic Equipment, Navigational Software, Review OpenCPN and Vector Charts, Advance Preparations, Review Plotting Rules, Underway, Introduce Plotting Sheets, Chartwork by Calculator, Trigonometry Review and the Sailing Triangle, Emergency Navigation, Classroom Problem, and Arrival, Complete Practice Cruise.

Elective courses: Cruising Under Power and Sail, Engine Maintenance, Marine Electrical Systems, Marine Communication Systems, Radar for Boaters, Sail, and Weather.

Seminars: AIS Electronics for Boaters, All About VHF/DSC Marine Radio, Boating on Rivers, Locks and Lakes, Fuel and Boating, How to Use GPS, Introduction to Marine Batteries, Man Overboard, Partner in Command, Propane Systems on Your Boat, and Trailering Your Boat.