Course starting dates and other pertinent information is available
from the
course instructor. If a course is offered by our squadron on a day that
is a conflict, contact the Educational Officer who will check nearby
squadrons for their dates. A USPS member may take a USPS course in ANY
squadron, if space is available.
USPS currently offers eleven courses to its members. These average
ten to twelve weeks in duration. A few courses are longer than this and
a few shorter. For a few courses, the advanced nature of the course
content necessitates completing a prerequisite course. Your Squadron
Educational Officer can explain these to you. (See your Roster for the
name and phone number of your Squadron Educational Officer.) The
remainder become immediately available to you.
The courses offered are described below. The first five courses
comprise a series called "Advanced Grades." They should be taken in the
order listed, since each course builds upon the knowledge gained in the
previous one. The next six courses are termed "Elective Courses" and may
be taken in any order.
Seamanship takes up where the public boating safety course left off. It
covers basic knowledge that every skipper wants to know even before
leaving port. It includes practical marlinspike, hull design and
performance, boat care, the skipper's responsibilities, boating under
both normal and abnormal conditions, handling emergencies afloat, and
much more.
This course introduces you
to the important topics of marine charts, aids to navigation, use and
adjustment of the mariner's compass, planning and plotting a course,
using the "dead reckoning" method of keeping track of your position, and
taking compass bearings to determine your boat's position on the water,
tides and currents and other aspects of piloting.
Instructor
This course builds on the
knowledge gained in Piloting to teach you how to navigate in coastal
waters, how to predict and correct your course plots for tides and
currents, how to navigate safely with electronic devices such as radar,
loran C, and GPS, and how to optimize course planning. The course will
start following the completion of the Piloting Course so the Piloting
students can move on to Advanced Piloting
While Piloting and Advanced
Piloting train you to effectively navigate in coastal waters within
sight of land and visible navigation aids, Junior Navigation begins your
study of offshore navigation. You will learn to use integrated
electronic positioning systems, how to take sights on celestial bodies
with a mariner's sextant, and how to use special open-ocean charts to
plan your passage and determine your position.
This course further develops
your understanding of celestial navigation theory and your skills in
taking and "reducing" sights. You will also learn to navigate with only
minimal survival gear in the event of a disabling boat accident.
This course will teach you
how to troubleshoot most common engine problems and "jury rig" many
repairs. The course covers outboard motors, inboard gasoline and diesel
engines, power trains, and related mechanical systems. This course won't
turn you into an expert mechanic, but can save you time and money.
This course offers you
essential information about boat electrical and electronic systems in
non-technical terms. You will learn about proper wiring and power
systems, corrosion and electrolysis, and electronic navigation,
communications, and safety systems.
This course is designed to
help you prepare for voyaging in your boat, whether it's just a weekend
or a multi-month cruise. You'll learn the essentials of equipping and
provisioning your boat, selecting a crew, financing the trip, entering
and clearing foreign ports, handling emergencies afloat, and boat
security.
Sail guides you through the
special terminology and dynamics of sailing, hulls and rigging, wind and
water forces and balance, points of sail, sail handling, and navigation
rules unique to sailing and much more. It is in two modules, Basic Sail
101, and Advanced Sail 102. Each module runs six to seven weeks.
Instructor:
This course teaches you the
basic structures and characteristics of our atmosphere, how to interpret
weather maps and reports, and how to make your own skilled observations.
It's all geared to helping you predict and anticipate weather
developments affecting your boating.
Instructor Development
provides you with the practical knowledge and training in techniques of
making effective presentations, whether as a course instructor, meeting
chair, public speaker, or everyday conversationalist Instructor: