Loki
04-28-2008, 11:58 AM
Boating safety courses, certifications, and other education
Many states require a certification to operate a vessel within state waters these days. Depending on your age and the state you live in, you may not need this certificate. But participating in a form of recreation that has such a high rate of fatal accidents, it makes sense to review safety information from time to time anyway. Think about how many other boat operators you cross paths with on the water don't know the rules of the road.
Boat certification regulations by state: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/stateregs.htm
US Coast Guard Auxiliary course location website: http://nws.cgaux.org/visitors/pe_vis...der/index.html (http://nws.cgaux.org/visitors/pe_visitor/class_finder/index.html)
The Coast Guard Auxiliary has a vast array of courses offered, and you don't need to be a member to take advantage. They have the basic safety course called America's Boating Course, known as "ABC", but they have more advanced titles such as Advanced Coastal Navigation, Boating Skills and Seamanship, and even Ropes Lines Knots. Take a look at what they have to offer, I'll be signing up for a few of these this season.
United States Power Squadron education website: http://www.usps.org/cgi-bin-nat/eddept/cfind.cgi?S
The Power Squadron also has additional education such as How to Read a Chart, and Using GPS.
New York State boating education: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/boating/edu_boat.asp
BoatEd.com: http://www.boat-ed.com/
The BoatEd website is a commercial site, they provide online safety training courses and charge you to take their test and obtain a certificate. But the great thing is that you don't need to pay to go through the courseware, you can review the material for free. Not every state allows you to take an online course, for example New York requires a classroom course. In this case simply select the online course for a neighboring state and although some regulations may be different, the safety information and all federal information is the same. (moderators, please remove this link if you feel it is overly commercial)
US Coast Guard List of other resources: http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/courses.htm
Many states require a certification to operate a vessel within state waters these days. Depending on your age and the state you live in, you may not need this certificate. But participating in a form of recreation that has such a high rate of fatal accidents, it makes sense to review safety information from time to time anyway. Think about how many other boat operators you cross paths with on the water don't know the rules of the road.
Boat certification regulations by state: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/stateregs.htm
US Coast Guard Auxiliary course location website: http://nws.cgaux.org/visitors/pe_vis...der/index.html (http://nws.cgaux.org/visitors/pe_visitor/class_finder/index.html)
The Coast Guard Auxiliary has a vast array of courses offered, and you don't need to be a member to take advantage. They have the basic safety course called America's Boating Course, known as "ABC", but they have more advanced titles such as Advanced Coastal Navigation, Boating Skills and Seamanship, and even Ropes Lines Knots. Take a look at what they have to offer, I'll be signing up for a few of these this season.
United States Power Squadron education website: http://www.usps.org/cgi-bin-nat/eddept/cfind.cgi?S
The Power Squadron also has additional education such as How to Read a Chart, and Using GPS.
New York State boating education: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/boating/edu_boat.asp
BoatEd.com: http://www.boat-ed.com/
The BoatEd website is a commercial site, they provide online safety training courses and charge you to take their test and obtain a certificate. But the great thing is that you don't need to pay to go through the courseware, you can review the material for free. Not every state allows you to take an online course, for example New York requires a classroom course. In this case simply select the online course for a neighboring state and although some regulations may be different, the safety information and all federal information is the same. (moderators, please remove this link if you feel it is overly commercial)
US Coast Guard List of other resources: http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/courses.htm