The USPS® Boating Course

Public Safe Boating Course Learn More About United States Power Squadron® (click this link to visit our national site and obtain a wealth of information!)

The USPS Boating Course is a traditional civic service of the United States Power Squadrons® organization. Since 1914 local squadrons have presented the course to anyone who wished to attend - to date more than 3 million people. Learning to boat safely is important and the increased knowledge will enhance your safety on the water and your enjoyment of the sport. There are now two courses, The Squadron Boating Course and The Boat Smart Course, designed to be useful to all boaters, from the fisherman in an outboard to the skipper of a large cruiser or sailboat. All boaters are subject to nautical rules and regulations. Skippers should learn and respect traditional boating courtesies. The courses are meant to be of interest to the entire family; older children are welcome. We encourage your family to attend as a group.

The Squadron Boating Course contains six chapters. The Boat Smart Course contains three chapters. There are homework questions at the end of each section to assist retention of the information presented.

The Squadron Boating Course covers subjects in greater depth than the Boat Smart Course and cover additional topics such as an introduction to reading charts and plotting courses.

Additional USPS Educational Materials are available to the public.

Public Seminars

(from our National website) USPS has a series of short seminars covering specific topics of interest to boaters.  The first four are available now and cover GPS, chart reading, VHF radio usage (including the Digital Selective Calling feature found on all new radios), and on-board weather forecasting.  These seminars are usually taught in a single two-hour class.   A student note book is included, along with a take-away guide or other items that are useful on your boat. Seminars on other topics are now being completed, and will be released in the near future. Get more information on USPS™ public seminars.

Click here or on photo to visit Paddle Smart A Guide for Paddlers, Row Boaters, Kayaks, and other Small Watercraft... This site will open in its own browser window.