Conference unifix::sailing

    
    Re:
    
    >  opinions on the CG Power Squadron courses.

    I don't know if you meant to combine them or not but there are
    two, very distinct organizations:
    
      -  Coast Guard Auxiliary
      -  US Power Squadron
    
    Each provide instructional programs which are standardized at their
    national level. But there's no way to compare, or grade them on that
    basis. The quality of the courses is mostly dependent on the interest,
    expertise, enthusiasm, qualifications, etc  of the individual local
    organizations.
    
    In either case you will find that:
    
      a.) They both require that you become a member, after completion
          of a basic boating safety course, before you can take other
          courses.
    
          and
    
      b.) There is a pre-requisite structure to many courses which
          doesn't take into consideration any prior experience or
          knowledge you may have.
    
    For example, even if you felt qualified, you couldn't simply enroll
    in a USPS course on celestial navigation without having previously
    taken courses on seamanship, piloting, advanced piloting.

    Recent decisions regarding the role of the CG and CG Aux in non-life
    threatening boating rescue situations has dealt a serious blow to
    CG Aux morale. This is expected to have a negative effect on CG
    Aux membership and indirectly on their courses.

    John_R

Quite a few people I know have taken the USPS Basic Boating course before 
or just after they first got boats.  All have said it was worthwhile, and
the price is very reasonable.  While USPS members tend more toward
powercraft than sail, most of the information is generic enough for that
not to matter at all.  And another benefit many discover:  Some reduction
on marine insurance premiums for proof of successful course completion. 

John.

I can add to what John has said about the US Power Squadrons.  About 
half their membership nationaly is sail;  this may vary somewhat at 
each local Squadron.  

Their courses, each about 12 wks long (2 hrs/wk), are:  
Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigator, Navigator.
(They also offer to members other non-navigation courses in Weather,
    Engine Maint., etc)
    
The first three are for coastal navigation, the last two are celestial.
Although each is a prerequisite for the next as John says, I was able to
just take the exams for the first two based on my experience and other
classroom education and get right into Advanced Piloting.  Each Squadron 
may treat this differently, however.

I have gotten a tremendous amount of learning out of the Squadron courses
I have taken;  your milage may vary, due to the volunteer, non-profit
nature of the organization as John has noted.

Other alternatives to consider are adult ed courses at either high school,
voc ed, or colleges in your area.  Commercial courses are also available,
some by correspondence.

I have no first hand knowledge of the US Coast Guard Auxilliary, but my
understanding of the difference between it and USPS is that USPS is
oriented to education, primarily in the classroom, and that USCGA is
oriented toward public service, mostly on the water.

Hope this helps.

    Travis

    I took the USPS Boating course from Amoskeag Power Squadron (Manchester
    N.H.; some (most?) years they have had classes other places, like
    Concord N.H. 
    
    I took it spring of '84. It was definitely time well spent for me
    as a new boat owner. The USPS Boating course is pretty generic with
    respect to power vs. sail. Some stuff on motoring. There is a 3
    week sailing suppliment after the regualr (was it 10 week?) course
    for those who wanted it. After discussing what was covered with
    the instructor, I elected to skip that, given my time conflicts
    and my sailing knowledge. If you have the time, go for it. I don't
    know of anyone who thought it a waste of time.
    
    Bill
    

    You wouldn't have the phone number of the Amoskeag Power Sqadron,
    would you??  Can't find it in the phone book.
    

    As a graduate of both the USPS and Coast Guard Aux courses over
    the past 20 years I would strongly recommend the USPS (with the
    Sailing supplement, if you can find it).  I agree with all the previous
    comments about quality, but the USPS bases its' course on Chapman's,
    "Piloting, Seamanship, and small Boat Handling".  This is an excellent
    book and one that covers all forms of boat handling.  My current
    corespondence course for my Captain's license highly recommends
    Champman as their "SOURCE".
    
    The Coast Guard Sailing course is very rudimentary and probaly good for
    someone just getting into boating, but not good for anyone with
    experience (unless you want to catch up on sleep).  They have their
    own manual which is good, but cannot be compared to Chapman's.
    
    MY ADVICE:  Shop around for a USPS Squadron that is mostly sailors.
    
    In general, they are few and far between, but worth the search.
    I was member of Pequosette in Watertown and then went to Great Blue
    Hill in Milton.  Neither one had a large contingent of sailors.
    A friend of mine is in the Boston PS and teaches the Navigator course.
     He has sailed from Cape Town, S.A., to Boston and done other feats
    on sailboats, but is now into Trawlers.
    
    SECOND OPINION:  Find a good Sailloft course.
    
    Hood, Ulmer, North, etc. all preach good sailing and racing courses.
    Be careful, though, they have their own ideas which sails are best
    (mostly their own which they are more than willing to sell you).
    
    THIRD OPINION:  A good correspondence course.

    Coast Navigation in Annapolis has some great correspondence courses
    on any subjsect you could ask for.  BOAT/US also has a few.  Check
    them out.  
    
    Good luck,
    Jeff
    
    

I'm not surprised that you can't find the Amoskeag Power Squadron in
    the Phone book. I believe that it is an all volunteer organization.
    The class I took was at the Congregational Church in West Manchester.
    
    The head instructor for my course was a DECie. His name is Jim Boselli
    and he works in MK02 DTN=264-0552. Maybe he can tell you if he is
    still active. I can probably scrape up some other names from 4 years
    ago if you cant locate him.
    

    The Commander of the Amoskeag Power Squadron is Ron Adams, 1164
    N. River Street, Manahester, NH 03104 (sorry, no phone number).
    He can direct anyone to the right person for information on joining,
    courses, etc.

re .6,.8

I agree with .6's recommendation to find a power squadron that has a lot of
sailors and, based on my experience, the Amoskeag Power Squadron (Manchester,
NH) is a sail oriented group. When I took the course two years ago it was
taught by a offshore sailor and I know Ron Adams (ref .8) is also a sailor.

When I took the course, it was offered in Manchester and Nashua. I suggest any
area sailor looking for a USPS course call Amoskeag. If they are still running
multiple sessions, you might ask if one location might be more sail oriented
than the other. 

- Bob

	GOOD STUFF !!

	Well sounds like majority agree on USPS as source. Do any of you
	have information about what may be available in the central Mass
	area? (I know its not a great sea-shore area, but long distance
	driving in the winter is not my favorite passtime.)

		Thanks again!
			Greg

    Good Timing!  Tonight I am taking the final exam for the Basic
    Boating Course taught by the USPS (the free one).  The course
    has lasted 10 weeks.  I have been happy to be a part of it.
    I bought my daysailer 3 years ago and wish I hadn't waited so
    long to learn more about seamanship, basic navigation, and
    rules of the road.
    
    The 2 hour weekly lecture has been fun.  I have personally
    enjoyed the instructors (different each week) talking about
    their personal experiences more than the material to be
    covered.  Actually if you get their book and a Chapmans and
    study a bit, you can almost skip the classes, but the stories are
    fun and educational.
    
    The costs are cheap      $10 for USPS book
                              15 for Chapmans (New Edition)
                               4 for Quick course plotter
                               4 for dividers
    
    I didn't learn much about sailing, but did learn alot about
    boating in general, and how to avoid disaster, and how to
    watch out for the other guy.
    
    I suspect that their advanced courses are excellent, but you
    do have to join the USPS to take these.  The local chapter
    has about 40% sailing membership.
    
    Whether your experienced or not, I recommend it.  It's fun and
    you'll probably learn something!
    
    Keith

.10 >>>	Well sounds like majority agree on USPS as source. Do any of you
.10 >>>	have information about what may be available in the central Mass
.10 >>>	area?

If you consider Worcester "central Mass" (the Boston TV stations seem to think
of Framingham as central Mass), the Worcester County Power Squadron offers the
Basic Boating course as part of the Night Life Adult Education program held in
Worcester.  A majority of the members of this squadron are sailors but the 
prevalent attitudes are safety and good boating regardless of your vessel 
preference.

If you wish further details please send me mail or call.

	Ric Haskins OBLIO::HASKINS BXB2-1/G13 DTN 293-5924

Cheers,

Ric Haskins

USPS advertises in several boating mags (Cruising World, for instance, I 
think is one), and they give a number you can call to find out the names 
of all the units in your area.  They may also have schedules, too.

John.

    This may be a little late to help but the USPS course I took was
    broken into two groups - one for sail and one for power.  This may
    be something you want to ask about when searching for a class.
    
    By the way, sounds like my experience with the USPS was as positive
    as everyone elses.  I don't think you can go wrong with them.
    
    Kristen

    Once you complete the basic boating couse and if you choose to join,
    there is another course on Sailing. It lasts 6-8 weeks and is an
    "elective", non-graded course, like Marine Electronics, Weather,
    Engine Mechanics, and Instructor Qualification courses. The graded
    courses, i.e. those in which you recieve rank, are Seamanship,
    Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigator, and Navigator. These
    are generic in nature, relating to both sail and power. These courses
    vary from 6-20 weeks in duration and are followed by a standard
    examination from national which usually includes some "take home"
    chart work. A Fully Certified member is one who has achieved the
    rank of Navigator and completed ALL elective courses.
    
    Its a god organization for those whose avocation is boating. Our
    squadron has many joint outings with others and if you wanted to,
    you could probably fill every weekend with some kind of boating
    activity.
    
    Hope this helps........

Are there any Winter sailing or navigation courses planned 
by the USCG Aux or USPS in Eastern Massachusetts?

Dan

Not sure this is what you're looking for, but I've signed up for a USCG
Auxiliary "Sailing and Seamanship" course at UMass Lowell, starting 
January 19.  It runs for 13 weeks on Tuesday evenings, 7:30 - 9:30.

Call the Office of Community Education for more info (I don't have the
number with me).

                                              -Jim-

    I don't have the information handy, but there are USCGAux classes
    starting soon sponsored by Concord-Carlisle Adult Ed.

    The Worcester county power squadron will give a 6 week boating Safety 
    course starting on March 9, at 7 P.M. at South High in Worcester.
    The instruction is free.A charge of $25.00 covers workbook,chart and
    personal plotter.This course will qualify you for a boat insurance
    discount.But the best part is that after you finish this course you
    can join (by invitation) the Power squadrons and can take advantage
    of their other courses as described a few notes back I bilieve. 
    Besides the Worcester P.S there is theMinuteman P.S for those who live 
    near Boxford-Acton and the Nobscot P.S for those living arount Natick-
    Framinham.
    The Power squadrons usualy offer,for memebers only,2-4 elective courses
    each spring and each fall and about a couple of advance courses
    also depending of the amount of people interested in each course.
    I believe the minimum is about 4 people to hold a course.
    Never saw more than ten.
    If anyone is interested for the Worcester course let me know and I'll
    register you.You pay when you go.If there are people interested
    for the other two squadrons I can get some phone numbers for you.
    
    
    Mike
    

I work in the Mill, so the Acton/Boxboro site would work
for me. I'm looking for an advanced nav course and eventually
a celestial nav course.

Dan

    USPS offer the advanced courses in order.Therefore before attending
    the navigation course one should have succesfully completed the 
    previous four: Seamanship,piloting,Advance piloting and junior
    navigation. You are talking about 2-3 years of schooling But I do
    believe to be worth it.Another way is to pay sums of money to some
    schools that advertize teaching the celestial courses in a week.
    Don't know how good they are.Finally they are some very thin booklets
    in libraries that are easy to read and you can learn a lot.I don't
    remember titles but I can find out.
    Of course there is always the Bowdwich(sp) that you can learn all the
    celestial you ever wanted from, and about 15-20 differrent ways to produce 
    a celestial line of position and all that for only $15-20 and your
    time.