Ahoy Matey! - A Beginners Class on Boats, Navigation, and Seamanship

As the holder of a 100 Gross Ton Master Near Coastal License issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, and with over 30 years of experience as a ferry, water taxi, and fishing boat captain, I will use standard USCG rules and diagrams accented with PowerPoints, props, and real-world examples and clear explanations to introduce boating. No experience will be required or expected to take this class.

The class will be divided as follows :

Day 1 - A short history of boat design
             Boat terminology  - Port, Starboard, Freeboard, Forward, Aft, Stern, Bow, Beam, Draft, Hull, Keel, Gunwale, Transome, and 
             waterline along with basic navigation lights.
             Differences in use design and use of Inboard, IO, and Outboard Engines
             Maritime Terminology as it applies to ships such as Fathoms, Beaufort Scale, Wave Height, Fetch, Wavelength, Crest,
            Trough, Abeam, Abaft, and others.

Day 2 - Charts, Chart Symbols, Chart Reading, and Navigating with Charts.

Day 3 - Basic Rules of the Road, Lights, Day Shapes, and Horn Signals

Day 4 - Boating Dynamics, Lines, Tying Up and Anchoring, Electronics.

Boating is fun!  Boating safely is a must. Clear, concise, and engaging lessons will make the student understand and appreciate boating.