Further Educational Opportunites Available To USPS® Members

United States Power Squadrons and US SAILING  Most Recent Educational Resources

The boating safety course when completed provides you a wealth of information to make your boating safer and more fun. But it is surely obvious to you that this course just scratched the surface of boating knowledge. What’s your next step? As your instructors mentioned throughout the course you just took, USPS offers a wide spectrum of advanced and specialty courses for members only. If you choose to become a member of Point Wilson Sail and Power Squadron, these outstanding educational opportunities all become available to you.

USPS currently offers 11 courses for its members. Most run 10 to 12 weeks, one evening per week – a few are shorter, a few are longer. All are now being restructured into modules of about 6 weeks each to give squadrons and members maximum scheduling flexibility. Only a few of the advanced topics have any prerequisite courses. All of the rest will be available to you as soon as you join USPS and whenever they are offered by your local squadron or another squadron nearby.

The first five courses described below comprise a series called Advanced Grades. They should be taken in the order listed. The next six are termed Elective Courses and may be taken in any order.

Advanced Grades

SEAMANSHIP covers basic knowledge every prudent skipper wants even before leaving port – practical marlinspike, hull design and performance, boat care, skipper’s responsibilities, boating under normal and abnormal conditions, emergencies afloat, and more.

PILOTING introduces you to the critical study of marine charts, aids to navigation, adjustment and use of the mariner’s compass, dead reckoning, planning and plotting courses, and taking bearings to determine your on-the-water position.

ADVANCED PILOTING builds on the knowledge gained in Piloting to teach you how to navigate in coastal waters, predict tides and tidal currents, navigate safely with radar, loran C, and GPS, and optimize course planning.

JUNIOR NAVIGATION begins your study of offshore navigation. Learn to use integrated electronic positioning systems, sight taking on celestial bodies with a mariner’s sextant, and positioning & passage planning with special open-ocean charts.

More Advanced Classes for Members....