Your source for premier boating education. A variety of courses are offered by the Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron and all are available to the public. Start with America's Boating Course® which covers the basics of boating and meets the certification requirements in North Carolina for those under age 26. Then continue with the following:
| These should be taken in sequence: | These may be taken at any time: |
|---|---|
| America's Boating Course® | Marine Communications Systems |
| Marine Electrical Systems | |
| Engine Maintenance | |
| Weather | |
| Junior Navigation | Sail |
| Navigation | Cruise Planning |
| Instructor Development |
Get more information about these courses (click) and the seminars (click) available from the United States Power Squadrons®
| Course Description | |
|---|---|
|
America's Boating Course 3rd Edition:
- cost: $85.00
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: ABC 23 Feb, Local Knowledge & On the Water 24 Feb
America’s Boating Course®
The Cape Fear Sail & 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 (8:00am–4:30pm). 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.
The 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:
23 Feb, 2019 – ABC classroom CFCC 8:00am– 4:30pm
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Junior Navigation:
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: Start 5 Mar Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation, followed by the Navigation course. It is designed as a practical "how to" course. Subject matter includes:
- Precise time determination
- Use of the Nautical Almanac
- Taking sextant sights of the sun
- Reducing sights to establish lines of position
- Special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation
- Offshore navigational routines for recreational craft
- Electronic and computerized offshore navigation
In Junior Navigation, the student will continue to use GPS as the primary position sensor, as they learned to do in Piloting and Advanced Piloting. However, the offshore environment poses many different elements for consideration by the Navigator. Ocean currents, wind, and sea state all affect a vessel's performance over the longer passages.
Also, visible terrestrial landmarks are no longer available to the navigator as reference points. In the Junior Navigation course, the student will learn to substitute celestial objects such as the sun as reference points. The course begins with the study of celestial navigation, teaching the student to take sights on the sun with a marine sextant and derive a line of position from that observation. Next, the student will apply the principles learned in Advanced Piloting, and plot a running fix from two sun sights taken about four hours apart. Once the student has learned the basics of celestial sight reduction, the course continues with planning, positioning, and checking one’s position in the offshore environment, using both electronic and celestial tools.
There are two examination elements for the JN course, the Sight Folder and an Open Book Exam. The sight folder is graded at the squadron level. The Sight Certification Form (SC07) must be submitted with the completed open book exam for the exam to be evaluated when it is submitted to Headquarters.
Class will start 5 March.
Please contact Lt/C Ned Rhodes, SN at educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org |
Marine Electrical Systems:
Member cost: $55.00 - Non-member cost: $80.00
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: 6 Mar for 8 weeks: 6:30-8:30pm
Marine Electrical Systems
Electronic devices for the recreational boater have come a long, long way over the years. With the advent of solid state digital electronics, sophisticated sensors and radios have become commonplace on our vessels. EMSCom has split Marine Electronics into three new standalone “systems” courses. Marine Electrical Systems, Marine Communications Systems, and Marine Navigation Systems are loosely equivalent to ME101/102/103, but with updated and expanded material. The first of these three courses, Marine Electrical Systems, is now available. Marine Electrical Systems (MES) covers the practice of wiring your boat, including boat electrical wiring practices and diagrams, direct and alternating current power, galvanic and stray current corrosion, and lightning protection. Troubleshooting is emphasized throughout, so students should feel comfortable performing even tricky wiring tasks after passing this course.
Getting Credit for Marine Electronics — Old vs. New Courses
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Weather:
Member cost: $65.00 - Non-member cost: $90.00
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: 10 Apr for 8 weeks, 6:30-8:30pm
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:
NOAA’s Sky Watcher Chart - a reference identifying all of the cloud types – which serves as one tool to help identify approaching weather. 
|
America's Boating Course 3rd Edition:
- cost: $85.00
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: ABC 18 May, Local Knowledge & On the Water 19 May
America’s Boating Course®
The Cape Fear Sail & 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 (8:00am – 4:30pm). 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.
The 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:
18 May, 2019 – ABC classroom CFCC 8:00am–4:30pm
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America's Boating Course 3rd Edition:
- cost: $85.00
Location: Cape Fear Community College
Date and Time: ABC 24 Aug, Local Knowledge & On the Water 25 Aug America’s Boating Course®
The Cape Fear Sail & 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 (8:00am – 4:30pm). 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.
The 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:
24 Aug, 2019 – ABC classroom CFCC 8:00am–4:30pm
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