Several flotillas of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer classes for boaters this season. The courses are designed for a variety of experience.

The Boating Skills and Seamanship course is for more advanced power boaters and covers choosing the right boat and equipment; trailering and handling; “highway” signs and rules of the nautical road; inland boating; boating safety; an introduction to navigation; powering your boat; lines and knots; weather and boating; and using your boat’s radio.

The About Boating Safely class is for beginning boaters, hunters and fishermen and covers what to consider before getting underway; navigating the waterways; safe operation; legal requirements; what to do in an emergency, and using your boat for water sports.

The Advanced Coastal Navigation course is for the experienced boater. It covers navigation, including use of the magnetic compass, deviation, variation and calculation of corrections, charts and plotting positions; piloting, including dead reckoning, lines of position, fixes, running fixes and danger bearings; currents, the use of the “maneuvering board”, vector triangles, tides and tidal currents; radio navigation including Loran, radar, and GPS; and publications – Coast Pilot, Light Lists and Notice to Mariners; fuel and voyage planning.

The Personal Watercraft Safety course is a very basic, one-hour introduction to the safety issues involved when operating a PWC.

GPS for Mariners is for persons who already own hand-held GPS units as well as those who don’t. Participants will learn how to use a GPS for practical recreational boating.