The Squadron’s basic boating courses are designed for all boaters including skippers of a family cruiser, sailing enthusiasts, personal watercraft (PWC) operators, hunters or fishermen operating an outboard utility boat, and canoe and kayak paddlers. They covers the basics you need to know to safely and legally operate your boat, such as basic boating terminology, boat handling, water sports safety, PWCs, legally required equipment and other boating laws and regulations, right-of-way rules between boats, and marine radio operation. These courses are meant to be of interest to the whole family, and we encourage your family to attend as a group.

There is never a charge for instruction; the only costs are those for materials.  Qualified, enthusiastic, and experienced USPS instructors provide instruction as a civic service.

Boat Smart is our traditional program covering basic seamanship and navigation.  It covers the essentials of boating for all mariners.  All boaters must follow the same nautical rules, regulations, and courtesies of the sea.  The course includes three main sections:
- Getting Started:  boat terms and types, boat handling, anchoring, water sport safety, personal watercraft
- What's Needed: equipment, regulations, law enforcement
- Rules To Live By: aids to navigation, navigation rules, adverse conditions, marine radio

While the content of the student manual serves as the basis for this course, it will also serve as a reference book in basic boating long after the course work is completed.  The course meets the educational standards of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and features a proctored examination as required by many states and insurance companies.

Chart Smart is available for those who would like a brief introduction to “piloting” including the use of nautical charts. It covers very basic techniques to determine position-on-the-water when you are on coastal waters, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.  You'll benefit from hands-on experience in reading nautical charts and plotting courses, both central to determining positions and navigating safely.

Understanding nautical charts is basic to modern marine navigation.  Nautical charts are the basis for GPS Chartplotters, and standard GPS contains only a fraction of the information included on nautical charts. For example, standard GPS may provide your position, the next waypoint, and direction -- but GPS doesn’t know what may be in the way. The student manual is accompanied by an addendum and a CD that introduces digital charts, GPS waypoint navigation and route planning.