USPS Member Courses

   

 

One of our main goals is "boating safety through education" - we believe that an educated boater is a safer boater.  In addition to our public education program, we teach a series of outstanding members-only courses that cover advanced seamanship, navigational techniques, and boat handling, maintenance, and enhancement topics.  

 

There are currently three major divisions in the USPS Member's Educational Program:

 

·       Advanced Grades:

 

                Five Advanced Grade courses are offered.  They are designed to be taken in sequence because each builds on skills taught in the previous course.

 

·       Elective Courses:

 

               Six Elective Courses are offered.  They cover separate and independent topics and therefore may be taken in any order according to a member's interests and time.  

 

       Supplemental Programs:

 

               A collection of short, home-study guides on special subjects

 

 

For more information, to sign up for, or to request a member-only class, contact the Squadron Education Officer, Lt/C Bill Schwieder, at education@vbsps.org. 

 

 

Advanced Grades

 

 

Seamanship (S)  

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Building on the Basics of recreational boating presented in the public boating courses, Seamanship adds foundational information for continuing boater education.  The course contents should facilitate knowledge development for increased safe operation of recreational boats.  Emphasis within the course has been placed on higher level boating skills, rules of the road, and marlinspike.

 

 

 

 

Piloting (P)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Piloting course is the first in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation, covering the basics of coastal and inland navigation.  This all-new course focuses on navigation as it is done on recreational boats today and embraces GPS as a primary navigation tool while covering traditional techniques enough to allow the student to find his/her way, even if their GPS fails.  The course includes many in-class exercises, developing the student's skills through hands-on practice and learning. 
 

 

Topics covered include:

 

·        Charts:  interpretation and use 

·        Aids to navigation:  how to stay in safe water 

·        The mariner's compass: True and Magnetic courses, variation and deviation

·        Plotting and labeling courses and determining direction and distance

.    Use of GPS - typical GPS displays and information they provide.

.    Pre-planning safe courses and entering waypoints and routes into the GPS 

·        Dead reckoning and bearings as traditional techniques

 

 

 

Advanced Piloting (AP)

 

 

 

 

 

This all-new course 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, chartplotters, 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.  Seamanship and Piloting are prerequisites for this course.  Topics covered include:

 

.    Review of skills learned in Piloting

.    Advanced position techniques such as advancing a line of position (LOP)

.    Other electronics:  radar, depth sounders, chartplotters, laptop computer software

.    Hazard avoidance techniques using electronics (e.g., "keep out" zones in GPS

.    Collision avoidance using radar and GPS

.    Working with tides:  clearances, depth, effects of current

.    Piloting with wind and currents

 


 

Junior Navigation (JN) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation, followed by the Navigation course.  It is designed as a practical "how to" course. Advanced Piloting is a prerequisite. Subject matter includes -- 

 

·        Taking sextant sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars 

·        Precise time determination 

·        Use of the Nautical Almanac 

·        Reducing sights to establish lines of position 

·        Special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation 

·        Offshore navigational routines for recreational craft 

 

 

Navigation (N)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing the student's understanding of celestial navigation theory.  Junior Navigation is a prerequisite. The course covers -- 

 

·        Additional sight-reduction techniques 

·        Honing skills in sight taking and positioning 

·        Orderly methods for navigator's day's work at sea 

·        Navigating with minimal resources, as in a lifeboat 

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Elective Courses

   

Cruise Planning

 

This course is designed for members who plan to cruise for just a weekend or for a year -- in either a sail or powerboat - and covers such topics as --

 

·        Planning a voyage

·        Financing a voyage

·        Managing commitments back home

·        How to equip a cruising boat

·        Crew selection

·        Provisioning

·        Voyage management

·        Entering and clearing foreign ports

·        Emergencies afloat

·        Security measures 

 

 

 

Engine Maintenance

 

The new Engine Maintenance course 2007 has been put into one ten-chapter course that stresses the diagnosis of modern systems, while also teaching the basics of engine layout and operation.  Gasoline inboards, outboards, and diesel engines are taught in a way that reinforces the common aspects of how engines work.  This new course is complete in one book with one exam.

 

Modern engines offer high reliability and good performance through the use of computerized systems for fuel delivery and engine timing.  Most of these systems are "black boxes" that can no longer be serviced by weekend mechanics with ordinary tools.  The EM course covers those repairs that do-it-yourselfers can still perform, teaches how to diagnose problems that might be beyond your ability to fix, and how to share information with your mechanic so the right repairs get performed.  The new EM 2007 also covers basic mechanical systems such as drive systems (props), steering systems, and engine controls.  The last chapter discusses solutions you might use to problems that could occur while afloat and away from a repair facility.  Gasoline, diesel, and outboard engines are treated independently in this chapter.

 

 

 

Instructor Development

 

Unlike other USPS courses, the Instructor Development course is not designed to enhance boating skills.  Rather, its emphasis is on enhancing instructor skills.  The course has been designed to demonstrate interactive teaching methods focused on adult learning.  Students are required to prepare lesson plans and give four presentations to their peers utilizing a variety of teaching aids and presentation skills.  each presentation is to be given on a topic from one of the public boating classes with the intent that upon completion of the course every student will be qualified to teach or proctor at a squadron boating course. 

 

 

 

Marine Electronics

 

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.

 

ME 101:  Boat Electrical Systems, provides information about properties of electricity, electrical power requirements and wiring practices, direct current power, alternating current power, galvanic and stray-current corrosion, lightning protection, and electrical interference.

 

ME 102:  Marine Radio Communications, delves into radio waves and transmitters, receivers and transceivers, antennas and transmission lines, FCC Rules and Regulations, communication services (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), Digital Selective Calling (DSC), Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), and satellite communications, amateur radio, and more).

 

ME 103:  Marine Electronics for Navigation, presents information on depth sounders, RADAR, LORAN-C, GPS Navigation, and two new chapters:  Electronic Charting, and Computer-Assisted Navigation (CAN).  Members may take this module independent of any other ME module.  

 

 

 

Sail 101 and 102 

 

Sail 101, Basic Sail covers:  Sailboat Rigs, Sail Plans, Goat Design and Hull Types, Sails, Standing Rigging, Running Rigging, Wind, Preparing to Sail, Sailing Upwind, Sailing Downwind, Docking and Anchoring, Marlinspike Seamanship, and Navigation Rules I.

 

Sail 102, Advanced Sail covers:  Wind Forces, Stability, Balance, Sail Shape, Tuning the Rig, Steering and Helmsmanship, Spinnaker Handling, Heavy Weather Sailing, Storm Conditions, Sailing Safety, Sailboat Racing, Race Management, and Navigation Rules II. 

 

 

 

Weather 101 and 102

 

The Weather 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 a weather map and the 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 forecasts 

·        Instrument and visual observations the skipper can make 

 

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Supplemental Programs

 

Supplemental educational programs have been developed to provide in-depth information in many boating-related fields. Subjects have been selected in areas about which members have expressed interest. These presently include --