Catalog of All Courses

America's Boating Course provides you with basic boating knowledge to decide what type and size boat you need, what to do when meeting another boat in a crowded waterway, and how to recognize and handle hazards.

Many boat insurance companies will offer discounts on boating insurance to boaters who successfully complete America's Boating Course. This course also provides a sound basis for continuing your recreational boating education.

This is the place to learn the laws and rules for safe boating in Canada. Successful completion of the class awards a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) that should always be aboard and accessible when traveling in Canadian waters.

A PCOC card is required for boaters who will be staying in Canadian waters longer than 45 days, regardless of whether they have a NASBLA approved card.

Boat Handling is the first of the Advanced Grade courses and presents material applicable to both power and sail, covering such topics as the construction and functioning of a boat, the skipper’s responsibilities, preparing the boat for use, handling and maneuvering a vessel under various conditions in close quarters and on the open water, rules of the road, anchoring, emergencies, and marlinespike/basic knots.

This course is presented as six separate units, which can be taken in any order. Each unit is available in our Seminars catalog.

Advanced Piloting is the third of our Advanced Grade courses. It continues to build coastal and inland navigation skill, allowing the student to take on more challenging conditions – unfamiliar waters, limited visibility, and extended cruises. GPS is embraced as a primary navigation tool while adding radar, chart plotters, and other electronic navigation tools. As with Piloting, the course includes many in-class exercises, advancing the student’s skills through hands-on practice and learning.

In Offshore Navigation, students will learn the skills needed to successfully navigate the open ocean. This course continues to use GPS as the primary position sensor. However, the offshore environment poses many different elements for consideration by the Navigator. Ocean currents, wind, and sea state all affect a vessel's performance over the longer passages.

This course does not include a focus on celestial navigation skills.

Celestial Navigation expands the student's navigational skills with an understanding of celestial navigation and its theory.

This course deals with learning celestial positioning using the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Students will learn to reduce these sights by the Law of Cosines method, as well as the Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction (NASR) method. Students will also learn about sight planning techniques. With that knowledge, students will have the tools to take sights and complete a Celestial Navigation Sight Folder, which serves as the sole exam for this course.

While an understanding of marine navigational skills will certainly be helpful to students, this course does not have any prerequisite courses.

Want to take a "road trip" on the water? Gain the confidence and practical skills needed to explore ports and coves for a weekend or weeks at a time. Take Cruising Under Power and Sail and join your fellow boaters for raft-ups and rendezvous up the river, down the bay, and along the coast.

Every skipper needs to understand the fundamentals of gas and diesel engines to perform basic maintenance and diagnose problems under way. Learn about transmissions, propellers, and steering. Get the knowledge you need to keep your boat in tiptop shape.

Marine Communications Systems is an in-depth review of those systems available to the recreational boater. Radio history and spectrum definitions are presented along with definitions of radio circuits that the student should learn, to choose the best communications method for his/her situation. Chapters cover Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), FCC Rules and regulations, operating procedures (both voice and digital messaging are covered), High Seas radio (MF/HF and satellite communications), and other systems such as Family Radio Service transceivers. There is also a chapter on troubleshooting of radio installations.

Learn about basic sailboat designs and nomenclature, rigging, and safety from experienced USPS sailors. Then tackle the physical aspects of sailing forces and techniques, sail applications, marlinespike, helmsmanship, and handling of difficult sailing conditions. This course will benefit non-sailors as well as novice and experienced sailors.