BOATING CLASSES OFFERED BY
GAINESVILLE SAIL & POWER SQUADRON
For
further information contact:
Jib Davidson @ jib@columbiatimber.com
David Teiss @ teis3700@bellsouth.net
   
Public
Courses
SEMINAR
SERIES
The United States Power Squadron’s local chapter, the Gainesville Sail
and Power Squadron, in conjunction with Santa Fe College’s Community
Education program, is offering a new one-evening boating seminar
series. These seminars are designed to explore relevant boating topics
to help members of the North Florida boating community learn more about
a specific skill. Anyone interested in the boating topics are welcome
to attend some or all of the seminars. Each seminar participant will
receive an in-depth textbook along with other classroom aids such as an
accompanying waterproof summaries or a CD ROM. Those participants who
attend the seminars on a somewhat regular basis will, upon completion,
receive a USPS Boat Operator
Certification.
The certification should help lower boating insurance rates, simplify
renting boats even in foreign countries, and will help boaters comply
with the new US Coast Guard’s Standards of Proficiency for
Recreational Boaters. For further information call Jib
Davidson at 352-375-1473.
Want to know
about USPS
University
and what it means to you? Existing courses are being rewritten, new
courses are being added, special interest seminars are being developed,
a boat operator certification program is coming, and more.
Click here to go to the USPS University
Seminars
| Course | Date | Time | Location | Registration | | Marine Electronics | September 2010 | TBA
12 weeks | TBA | members only
register now | | | | | |
.
Members
only Courses
ADVANCED
GRADES COURSES
Seamanship
(S)
|
No
prerequisite |
| Building on the basics taught in the Safe
Boating Course, Seamanship is the recommended first course for new
members, both power boaters and sailors. Students learn practical
marlinespike, navigation rules, hull design and performance,
responsibilities of the skipper, boat care, operating a boat under
normal and abnormal conditions, what to do in various emergencies, and
weather conditions, nautical customs and common courtesy on the water.
This course provides a needed introduction to the USPS Educational
Program and a strong foundation for members going on to other Advanced
Grades Courses and/or Cruise Planning or Sail. |
Piloting
(P)
|
No
prerequisite |
|
Piloting is the first of a two-part program studying inland and coastal
navigation. It focuses on the fundamentals of piloting — keeping track
of a boat’s movements, determining your position at any time and laying
out courses to a planned destination. Included are such subjects as:
GPS, charts and their use; aids to navigation; the mariner’s compass;
variation and deviation of the compass; plotting and steering courses;
dead reckoning; and plotting and labeling charts. |
Advanced
Piloting (AP)
|
prerequisites:
Seamanship & Piloting |
|
This is the final part of the inland and coastal navigation series. It
emphasizes the use of modern electronic navigation systems and other
advanced techniques for finding position. Among topics covered are: how
to predict tides and tidal currents and their effects on piloting;
finding position using bearings and angles; simple use of the mariner’s
sextant; and electronic navigation — radar, loran, GPS, etc. |
Junior
Navigation (JN)
|
Prerequisites:
Advanced Piloting |
|
Junior Navigation is the first of a two-part program of study in
offshore (open ocean) navigation. It is designed as a practical, how-to
course, leaving the theoretical and more advanced techniques for the
Navigation Course. Subject matter includes: basic concepts of celestial
navigation; how to use the mariner’s sextant to take sights of the sun,
moon, planets and stars; the importance and techniques of accurate time
determination; use of the Nautical Almanac; bow to reduce sights to
establish lines of position (LOPs); and the use of special charts,
plotting sheets and other navigational data for offshore positioning
and passage planning. |
Navigation
(N)
|
Prerequisites:
Junior Navigation |
|
This is the second part of the study of offshore navigation. It further
develops the student’s understanding of celestial theory. The student
is introduced to additional sight reduction techniques and develops
greater skill and precision in sight taking, positioning and the
orderly methods of carrying on the day’s work of a navigator at sea. Of
particular interest and importance is the study of offshore navigation
using minimal data and/or equipment, such as when on a disabled vessel
or lifeboat. |
ELECTIVE COURSES
Cruise
Planning (CP)
|
| Designed for
members who plan to cruise for just a day or for a year — in either a
sail or powerboat — Cruise Planning covers such topics as: planning a
voyage; financing a voyage; managing commitments back home; equipping a
cruising boat; selecting the crew; provisioning; managing a voyage;
entering and clearing foreign ports; emergencies afloat; and security
measures. |
Engine
Maintenance (EM)
|
| This course
attempts to make students more self-reliant afloat, with
trouble-diagnosis and temporary remedies given special emphasis. It
covers both marine gasoline and diesel engines, including concepts of
operation, maintenance and repair. It covers such topics as: cooling
systems; electrical systems; fuel systems; lubricating systems; power
train components; and ancillary propulsion components. |
Instructor
Qualification (IQ)
|
| Unlike other USPS
courses, this one isn’t designed to enhance boating skills. Rather, it
deals with effective communications for the speaker and teacher — a
quality that benefits the individual in all walks of life. It offers
practical instruction in: preparing for teaching assignments; preparing
for meeting presentations; effective teaching techniques; conducting
efficient meetings; and selecting and using audiovisual aids. |
Marine
Electronics (ME)
|
| This course
teaches essential knowledge about a boat’s electrical and electronic
systems including: proper wiring; grounding; corrosion and electrolysis
control; batteries and their maintenance; depth finders; marine
radiotelephones; radar; and loran, GPS and other electronic positioning
systems. The Marine Electronics course consists of three modules: ME 101, Boat
Electrical
Systems, ME 102, Marine Radio Communications, and ME 103, Marine
Electronics
for Navigation. There are no prerequisites for any of these modules:
however,
it is
suggested that a member take ME 101 before taking ME 102. All three
modules
must be successfully completed to receive credit for Marine
Electronics. |
Sail (Sa)
|
| A thorough study
of the terminology and dynamics of sailing, this course covers: types
of hulls and rigs; running and standing rigging and their adjustment;
hull and water forces caused by wind and waves; forces versus balance;
the theory of sailing; points of sail; sail handling; sailing under
various wind conditions; and navigation rules unique to sailboats. |
Weather
(W)
|
| This course is designed to teach a student
how to make weather observations and predictions for more enjoyable
boating. Topics include: awareness of weather phenomena; how to read
the weather map and sky; how to understand and anticipate weather
developments; structure and characteristics of the atmosphere; factors
considered in weather forecasting; sources and use of weather reports
and forecasting; and instruments and visual observations the skipper
can make. |
LEARNING GUIDES
USPS Leaning
Guides are self-study handbooks on specialized boating-related subjects
of interest to amateur skippers and navigators. Topics range from GPS
to Knots, Bends, & Hitches; from Amateur Radio to Oceanography,
from Boat Design & Construction to Navigational Astronomy and
How to Fly Flags.
|
