Community Corner
Learn the Ropes of Seamanship
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 79 offers classes designed for anyone with an interest in boating.
From U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 79:
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's nationally-recognized Boating Skills and Seamanship course continues this spring at the Gandy Boat Ramp in South Tampa.
The course allows boat operators at all experience levels to learn the skills needed to protect themselves, their passengers and their vessels while on the water.
Find out what's happening in Tampawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The course is designed for anyone with an interest in boating, including boat owners, jet ski operators, spouses of boat owners, those planning a boat purchase, families with boats, anglers, waterborne hunters, kayakers and canoeists. Kids as young as 10 can easily navigate the course.
One of the most comprehensive and hands-on boating safety presentations available to the public, the course is presented in 12 easily-digestible classes with topics of vital importance to all boaters:
Find out what's happening in Tampawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Boat Equipment - Required operating/safety items; BUI/substance abuse; PFDs; First Aid.
- Boat Handling - Heavy weather handling; anchoring/docking; man overboard retrieval.
- 'Highway' Signs - Buoyage systems; chart symbols/reading; electronic navigation.
- Rules of the Nautical Road - Inland/International rules; stand-on/give-way, restricted visibility and nighttime boating issues.
- Navigation - Plotting; chart use; GPS technology; speed-time-distance calculations.
- Marine Radios - Operation; distress/urgency/safety call procedures.
The course is held every Wednesday, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and runs on a looping basis - boaters can begin any Wednesday and continue until all chapters are complete.
The course is held at Auxiliary Flotilla 79 headquarters, 5108 W. Gandy Blvd.
Course cost is $60 and includes textbook, certificate, instructional videos, hands-on safety equipment demos, boatloads of helpful publications and a free one-year membership in BoatUS, the nation's foremost boating advocacy group.
Those completing the course may be eligible for boat insurance discounts. Discounts are available for families or groups of two or more.
For more information or to sign up, visit wow.uscgaux.info or call 813-835-4118.
Founded in 1939, the Auxiliary is the civilian, all-volunteer arm of the U.S. Coast Guard, providing boating education and Coast Guard mission support.
