
Boat Safer...Sign Up for
America's Boating Course
Lake Murray Power Squadron will offer America's Boating Course to
residents, family and friends of specific communities and neighborhoods as part
of its Safe Boating Outreach Program. This eight-hour course can be held at your
local club house; just call and let us know you want to learn to be a safe
boater.
America's
Boating Course is a joint project between the United States Power Squadrons and
the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition, the course has been
approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and
meets boating license and safety certification requirements in South Carolina.
Cost of the course is $25. An online registration form is
offered once this course has been scheduled.
For more information, contact Lake Murray Power Squadron member
Mack McGahee at 803.234.5985 or
victorialynn@att.net.
Course topics to be covered in America's Boating Course include:
 | Introduction to Boating: types of power boats;
sailboats; outboards; paddle boats; houseboats; different uses of boats;
various power boating engines; jet drives; family boating basics. |
 | Boating Law: boat registration; boating
regulation; hull identification number; required boat safety equipment;
operating safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment;
Federal boat law; state boating laws; personal watercraft requirements.
|
 | Boat Safety Equipment: personal flotation
devices ("life jackets"); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices;
visual-distress signals; dock lines and rope; first aid kit; anchors and
anchor lines; other boating safety equipment. |
 | Safe Boating: bow riding; alcohol and drug
abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and
permanent tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking, undocking and
mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking equipment, fuel, weather and
tides; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; safe PWC handling;
general water safety. |
 | Navigation: the U.S. Aids to Navigation system;
types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules (sometimes referred to as
right-of-way rules); avoiding collisions; sound signals; PWC "tunnel
vision." |
 | Boating Problems: hypothermia; boating
accidents and rescues; man overboard recovery; capsizing; running aground;
river hazards; strainers: emergency radio calls; engine problems; equipment
failures; carbon monoxide (CO); other boating and PWC problems. |
 | Trailering, Storing and Protecting Your Boat:
types of trailers; trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings;
loading, balancing, and towing a trailer; towing (and backing) a trailer;
boat launching and retrieving; boat storage and theft protection; launching,
retrieving and storing a PWC. |
 | Hunting and Fishing, Water-skiing and River Boating:
carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat;
water-skiing safety guidelines and hand signals; water-skiing with a PWC;
navigating rivers, and other boating tips. |