Weather

Don't let bad weather ruin your day! Understand the specifics of a forecast and anticipate how the weather will impact you. Learn about meteorological systems, how weather is created, and signs of impending poor or dangerous weather.
Our newly revised weather course covers the profound changes in the ways weather forecasts are produced and disseminated including how supercomputers make forecasts more accurate and how boaters have many choices in getting them while onboard via internet, satellite communications, and smart phones.

What's included?

• What causes weather
• Why winds blow, fog forms and precipitation falls
• How storms form, behave and move
• What clouds can tell us
• How modern weather forecasts are produced
• How to get them using computers, smart phones, radios and satellite communications

Sail

Learn about basic sailboat designs and nomenclature, rigging, and safety from experienced USPS sailors. Then tackle the physical aspects of sailing forces, techniques, sail applications, marlinespike, helmsmanship, and handling of difficult sailing conditions. This course will benefit non-sailors as well as novice and experienced sailors.

What's included?

• Types of sailboat rigs and hull shapes, including sail configurations and standing rigging
• Wind and water forces affecting sailboat stability and balance
• Sail shape and tuning the standing rig
• Steering and helmsmanship
• Sailing upwind, downwind and spinnaker handling

Course completion is usually accomplished in nine two-hour sessions, followed by a closed book exam.

Find a Course Near You

Cruising Under Power and Sail

 Ever dream of cruising to exotic destinations, chartering in foreign waters, or gunk holing in quiet backwaters? Learn what you need to confidently plan your boat trip and go cruising. Gain the self-reliance and practical skills needed to explore ports and coves for a weekend or weeks at a time. Take Cruising and Cruise Planning and join your fellow boaters for raft-ups and rendezvous up the river, down the bay, and along the coast.

What's included?

• Cruise preparation and planning
• Cruising boats and equipment
• Engines and electrical systems
• Safety gear and equipment
• Crew selection, training, and comfort
• Provisioning and meal planning
• Communications
• Navigation
• Anchoring and mooring
• Weather information sources and uses
• Storm watches, warnings, and advisories
• Chartering
• Cruising outside the United States
• Emergencies

Welcome aboard America’s Boating Club^®!

Your boating home on the water.

As an avid angler, you most likely don’t think of yourself as a boater first. But in order to enjoy your sport and find that favorite “honey hole”, many times you need a boat to get you there. Whether you are a freshwater, saltwater, or deep-sea fisherman, America’s Boating Club^® will help you get there and back safely and in time to filet those fish for dinner. As an angler who uses a boat, you owe it to yourself and your fellow passengers to be knowledgeable and prepared for the unexpected events you’re likely to experience on the water.

At America’s Boating Club, you’ll find a course or seminar designed to build your boating skills for where you do your fishing, whether freshwater lakes and rivers or coastal and offshore waters. If you are a beginning boater, we’ll help you get certification to operate your boat that is accepted in most States. We can teach you how to dock and operate your boat easily and safely. If you are ready to learn more, we can help you learn about things like weather, engine maintenance, GPS, and other electronic navigation devices, how to use a VHF radio to communicate and call for emergency assistance, avoid larger traffic and hazards in coastal waters, and much more. And these courses may qualify you for boat insurance discounts as well!

Click on the links below to find courses and seminars that are either online or available at a local club/squadron near you.

COURSES FOR FISHING

SEMINARS FOR FISHING

ONLINE BOATING EDUCATION

EDUCATION OVERVIEW

Welcome aboard America’s Boating Club^®!

Your boating home on the water.

Regardless of where you operate your sailboat, whether you are a beginner, a liveaboard, or an old salt, America’s Boating Club^® has a course or seminar created just for you! If you just want to drop your hook for lunch at your local lake or if you want to follow the stars and sail the ocean blue, our goal is to help you build your sailing, boat handling, and navigation skills to make your time on the water not only fun but also safe and rewarding.

At America’s Boating Club, you’ll find a course or seminar designed to build the sailing and navigation skills for where you do your sailing, whether freshwater lakes and rivers or coastal and offshore waters. If you are a beginning boater, we’ll help you get certification to operate your boat that is accepted in most States. If you are ready to learn more, we can help you learn about things like advanced and celestial navigation, weather, tides and currents, engine maintenance, GPS and other electronic navigation devices, proper knots for securing and tying up, how to use a VHF or single sideband radio to communicate and call for emergency assistance, plan a cruise, and much more. And these courses may qualify you for boat insurance discounts as well!

Click on the links below to find courses and seminars that are either online or available at a local club/squadron near you.

COURSES FOR SAILING

SEMINARS FOR SAILING

ONLINE BOATING EDUCATION

EDUCATION OVERVIEW

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Welcome aboard America’s Boating Club^®!

Your boating home on the water.

As an avid paddler, you most likely think of yourself as an outdoor enthusiast or social adventurer rather than a boater first. But in order to enjoy your sport, commune with nature, and find that favorite beach, wildlife refuge, or campsite, you need additional boating knowledge to get you there. Whether you are a freshwater or ocean kayaker, canoeist, or paddle boarder, America’s Boating Club^® will help you get there and back safely.

At America’s Boating Club, we offer a wide range of courses and seminars from beginning boating and certification to advanced boat handling. And these courses may qualify you for boat insurance discounts as well!

Click on the links below to find courses and seminars that are either online or available at a local club/squadron near you.

COURSES FOR PADDLING

SEMINARS FOR PADDLING

ONLINE BOATING EDUCATION

EDUCATION OVERVIEW