Educational Opportunities
In keeping with the long held USPS philosophy of boating safety through education, the Santa Barbara Power and Sail Squadron offers education opportunities to both members and the general public.
| Public Boating Courses | Test Your Boating Knowledge | Member-Only Courses |
The USPS Boating Course is a traditional civic service
of the United States Power Squadrons organization. These courses are open to
the general public. 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.
Public Boating Courses Offered by SBPS
The USPS® Boating Courses
The Squadron Boating Course (also called Basic Boating) is designed to be useful to all boaters, from the fisherman in an outboard to the skipper of a large cruiser or sailboat to jet skiers. The Squadron Boating Course is also available on video tape for home study. 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. There are homework questions at the end of each section to assist retention of the information presented. The Squadron Boating Course covers topics such as an introduction to reading charts and plotting courses.
For information on other USPS public courses near you, call 1-800-SEA-SKIL the California Nevada USPS Connection
Seamanship
Piloting
Advanced Piloting
Junior Navigation
Navigation
The following Elective Courses are also offered to members:
Cruise Planning
Engine Maintenance
Instructor Development
Marine Electronics
Sail
Weather
Public Seminars
A new and evolving education program called the USPS University now consists of a series of 2-hour seminars on various topics. Each of these seminars is “stand alone” covering timely topics. It is planned that completion of various seminars along with regular squadron courses and on-the-water tests of boat handling ability will lead to operator certification. This certification program may have direct effect with insurance rates and ability to charter boats or operate your boat in foreign waters. As the program develops our newsletter THE SIGNAL HOIST will present the latest information.
The Power Squadron also offers a series of short seminars covering specific topics of interest to boaters. Some of these may require a small fee to non-members. Current topics include:
GPS
VHF/DSC radio
How to read a chart
On the water weather
Boat handling under power
Sail trim and rig tuning
Paddle smart
In addition, as part of the USPS University, a program includes boat operator certification to insure boater proficiency. Holding this may have a positive effect on your insurance rates. As this program develops more information will be available here.
There are also supplemental self-study courses available to both members and the general public. The subjects are: