The Cape Fear Sail and Power Squadron is proudly offering the very best in safe boating education with their newly revamped boating course which will be offered three times per year at the Cape Fear Community College. The course is centered around the 8-hour America’s Boating Course® now offered on a single Saturday (8 AM – 4:30 PM). This class is NASBLA approved and USCG recognized and will satisfy NC safe boating requirements for anyone under 26 years of age.

For new boaters or boaters new to the Cape Fear coastal area we have expanded the program to include our exclusive “Local Knowledge” combined with our "On-theWater teaching cruise" on the following Sunday (free parking on the streets of Wilmington).  We'll address the challenges and complexities of boating in our local coastal environment where we'll tie everything together.  

Thel cost is $85, additional family members living in the same household can share the textbook at the discounted price of $50 each.

Visit the websites www.capefearboatingcourse.org or www.wilmingtonboatingclass.org to learn more and to enroll. 

 Topics include:

• Required Safety Equipment
• Navigation Rules & Aids
• Finding Your Way
• Marlinspike (knots!)
• Trailering
• Anchoring
• Communications Afloat
• Lights and Sound signals    

Aug 26 2017 – ABC classroom CFCC  U387 8 AM – 4:30 PM
Aug 27 2017 – Local Knowledge & OTW 8 AM - 12 PM

We are pleased to announce our USPS Sail course has been scheduled to begin on Tuesday night, September 12.

 The course will run 8 Tuesday nights from 6:30PM – 8:30 PM ending on October 31 and be presented at the community college – free on-campus parking in their street level lighted parking lot. Ed Kreul, AP,  will be the lead instructor aided by a team of experienced and gifted sailing assistants. Knowing Ed and his assistants, this promises to be a highly informative course presented in a casual and relaxed manner. Here is a brief description. 

Sail is a course created to serve the needs of the novice and experienced sailor, as well as the non-sailor, for basic skills and knowledge. The course starts with basic sailboat designs and nomenclature, rigging, safety, and sail processes and then tackles the physical aspects of sailing forces and techniques, sail applications, marlinespike, helmsmanship and handling of more difficult sailing conditions, navigation rules, and an introduction to heavy weather sailing. Course completion is documented by a closed book exam graded by USPS Headquarters. 

The last offering of this course was in the spring of 2014, so it’s not a regularly scheduled class. We now have a few new sailing members, as well as others wanting to learn about sailing, and several members on their way to their SN advance grade that will be interested. It most likely will be a while before it’s offered again so if you’re interested you should enroll now.

For more info or questions call Ed Kreul (910-409-7304) or Ned Rhodes (910 523-5015).

Operations Training.

The Operations Training Course will be held at Inlet Watch Yacht Club Clubhouse on Tuesday 12 September at 1630 hours (4:30 pm). This training session is an interactive discussion approximately two-hours long covering Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron's:

• Organization, Mission & Objectives
• History & Operation
• Squadron Management, Positions, Ranks & Grades

It is designed to help new and existing members better understand the inter-workings of our Squadron. There is no fee and no exam! You will receive a Certificate of Completion and a sticker for your Certificate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

           Weather

Even the most experienced Captain will tell you that boating is always dependent on the weather.  This course provides a basic understanding of atmospheric stability; forming the foundation of how weather systems build, move and interact with one another. You will learn  how and why weather patterns circulate on earth, effects of the atmosphere, oceans, air and land masses, wind pressure, ocean currents, jet stream, water, humidity, fog, clouds, and precipitation. 

 The  level of information about our earth’s weather is guaranteed to give you a newfound appreciation and understanding of how daily weather can help or hinder your boating experience.   You will get hands on training on how to predict anticipated weather along with insights into automated tools  that every boater or weather enthusiast will  find extremely useful.  This course will benefit the most seasoned mariner as well as those to who never intend to venture out into the water but admire what “Mother Nature” can produce.

Each student will receive:
-       USPS Weather Textbook - an explanatory text with full color photographs and drawings covering weather in the United States and its coastal and inland waters
-       Set of 3 millibar charts – to introduce weather forecasting and weather station symbology
-       NOAA’s Sky Watcher Chart - a reference  identifying all of the  cloud types – which serves as one  tool to help identify approaching weather.