Classroom or Home Study:
America's Boating Course - Third Edition

is a complete classroom or home study program covering the basics of recreational boating. The course is designed for boaters using all types of watercraft. The course material includes four main chapters, which cover:

·   Boat Education: General information about boats and personal watercraft, and their maintenance

·   Boating Safety: How to make your boating safer and more comfortable

·   Boating Law and Regulation: Laws and regulations that you must  follow.

A fifth optional chapter provides an introduction to navigation, which covers:

·   GPS waypoint navigation

·   Classical dead reckoning principles

America's Boating Course includes:

·   A full-color 244-page boating safety course manual, and

·   A boating instruction CD, a digital charting CD, and

·   An online boating course with PIN number, and

·   Personal contact with United States Power Squadron members.

America’s Boating Course is recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard and has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.

Both the boater education course manual and the CD provide review questions so that you can show that you truly understand the material. In addition to the lessons, this safe boating course includes resources which will come in handy long after you have completed the course: printable forms (such as checklists, accident reports, float plans, etc.) and links to documents such as the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Rules, which can help you with any specific boating rule. You will receive both the boater safety printed course manual and the CD when you sign up.

When you purchase America's Boating Course over the Internet, you will also receive a PIN (Personal Identification Number) that provides you with Internet access to our boating web site. Learn the basics of boating online at your own pace, at home or away. In addition to the boating course material, a fellow boater in your area from USPS will contact you and offer to explain boat training, state regulations, taking a final safe boater exam, or answer any other questions you may have. The United States Power Squadrons is on call at any time to help you.

While the content of the ABC3 student manual serves as the basis for this course, it will also serve as a reference book in basic boating long after the course work is completed. USPS believes that the more educated a boater becomes, the more likely that boater will be a safe boater. Your instructor can give you information about advanced courses and seminars.

Additional USPS Educational Materials are available to the public. There are also advanced courses for our members.

Click here to register for the next ABC3 class on September 24 at the South Beach Harbor in San Francisco.

Click here to enroll in America's Boating Course Home Study Program.