The Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering its four-week river fun course, Boating Skills & Seamanship, starting Thursday, April 26, at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Station in Sunset Marina in Rock Island.
The course will meet from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays after the initial Thursday meeting. That way after the initial four meetings members would have had eight hours of instruction, the same as a one-day class, but with more time to absorb the material. Participants may stop there or continue for he weeks of Session Two with more meaty material.
Section One includes textbook lessons on: Which Boat for You?; Equipment for Your Boat; Trailering Your Boat; Handling Your Boat; Your “Highway” Signs;? The Rules You Must Follow; Inland Boating and Boating Safety; Section Two includes Powering Your Boat; Lines and Knots for Your Boat; Weather and Boating; and Your Boat’s Radio. Also included are two locally developed lessons, Local River Piloting and Local River History.
Local River Piloting looks at hydraulics – what makes a river build shallow spots – and know hazardous places in the Quad-Cities area. Local River History takes a brief look at the last three million years in the area.
The textbook is $30 and participants taking the course together may share a text. There is no other charge for the course.
Participants completing the course qualify for a discount on insurance from most companies and a year’s membership in Boat U.S. Youths under 18 years old receive certification to opera a boat in Iowa and Illinois waters
