Boating safety

If you boat in the NYC area, you need a "license," meaning a certificate from an approved boating safety course. One of the courses that meets that standard is the USCG Auxiliary's "America's Boating Course," and you can take this condensed class this month if you act now. Here's the key information:

Total time commitment: 2 days, 8 hours

Location: Offered at the USCG Building, 2 South Street (Directly next to Staten Island Ferry at eastern end of Battery Park). Enter through parking lot. Class will be held on second deck in the wardroom (second floor conference room in lubber-speak).

Dates and Times: July 16 and 17 from 6PM-9:45PM

Cost: $50 for non-USCG. Discounts are available for USCG and affiliated organizations.

Please confirm registration by contacting the lead instructor, John Gallagher. To do that, click the "Contact" link above, and choose "July Boating Course" from the subject menu.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own food and beverages.

Almost a year ago, the Coast Guard publicly pondered pulling the plug on its high-frequency (HF) weather broadcasts. They called for comments, and the boating public answered loudly. From those comments, the Coast Guard prepared a business case analysis report, which you can download here. For those who don't want to wade through the whole report, the bottom line is:

The responding public collectively perceives that the USCG HF broadcasts are essential to their safety. There is no viable alternative to the USCG HF broadcasts because present alternatives are perceived by the public to be out of financial reach. Also, marine weather forecasts available through these alternative sources may not guarantee the same level of accuracy, timeliness, and/or sufficiency as provided by the USCG HF broadcasts.

The Coast Guard still has to scrap many of its HF services because of budget constraints, but they'll keep the weather forecasts on the air. In fact, they're now planning to upgrade the weather broadcast stations so they can keep sending out their lifesaving bulletins into the forseeable future.

Starting 8 January, and continuing for 12 consecutive Tuesdays from 7pm-10pm, Flotilla 5-10 will be teaching Coastal Navigation. This is an excellent course to take after your introductory Boating Skills and Seamanship class, if you want a solid grounding in the art and science of navigation.The course will be taught at the USCG Battery Park building, next door to the Staten Island Ferry terminal and convenient to all of the city's major transit systems. To register for this or other Flotilla 5-10 classes, simply visit SmartTix and follow the onscreen instructions. Coastal Navigation, incidentally, is free for Coast Guard Auxiliarists.

For details on our upcoming safe boating course at the New York Boat Show, please check out the new press release. Passing this course fulfills the minimum legal requirements for boat operator training in the tri-state area. The $35 course fee includes free admission to the boat show.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer a basic boating course at the 2008 New York Boat Show that meets requirements for recreational boat operators under most state laws.

"America’s Boating Course" is designed both for newcomers to boating and more experienced boaters who might welcome a refresher session. It emphasizes practical skills like basic seamanship, safety on the water and nautical rules of the road.

The New York Boat Show runs from December 29, 2007-January 6, 2008 at the Javits Convention Center.

The course is divided into two four hour sessions:
Part 1 is offered Wednesday or Thursday, January 2nd or 3rd, from 3:00-7:00 PM.
Part 2 and the final exam is Saturday, January 5th, from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM.

Certificates for successful completion will be given at the end of the course. Such a certificate also is required for anyone operating a boat or jet ski in New Jersey or New York. The course is taught by certified instructors from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, 1st District, Southern Region. The cost is $35 and includes the “America’s Boating Course” book and free admission to the Boat Show. Advance registration is recommended as space is limited. Contact Helen Cohen by email, or call John Howell at 646.642.0737.