If you're interested in an exciting and highly interactive online boating safety course, check out America's Boating Course.  ABC can be completed either on the Internet with a book supplement, or you can purchase a shrink-wrapped combination of the book and a CD.  Purchasing the CD version. you can take the course with you anywhere you go, with or without Internet access.  The course is fun and it's very comprehensive.  By following the link above, you'll be taken to a Web site that fully explains the course contents and how you can participate.  America's Boating Course is a joint project between The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons.  In addition, the course has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.

Topics include:

• INTRODUCTION TO BOATING -- types of boats; different uses of boats; outboard, stern-drive, and inboard engines; and jet drives.
• BOATING LAWS -- boat registration; hull identification number; required safety equipment; operating safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment; Federal boating laws; and Personal Watercraft (PWCs).
• PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT -- personal flotation devices ("life jackets"); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices; visual-distress signals; first aid kit; anchor; safety equipment and PWC.
• SAFE BOAT HANDLING -- bow riding; substance abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and permanent tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking and mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking equipment, fuel, weather, and tide; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; and safe PWC handling.
• NAVIGATION -- the U.S. Aids to Navigation system; types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules; avoiding collisions; sound signals; and PWC "tunnel vision."
• BOATING PROBLEMS -- hypothermia; boating accidents and rescues; capsizing; running aground; emergency radio calls; engine problems; boating problems: and PWC.
• 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, WATERSKIING, AND RIVER BOATING -- carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat; waterskiing safety guidelines and hand signals; waterskiing with a PWC; and navigating rivers.

   

  

Many insurance companies offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete boating courses such as this.  Click on the graphic at the left to visit the ABC course web site.

Last updated: February 10, 2008