Educational Opportunities
Manatee Sail & Power Squadron offers public safe boating courses, seminars on a wide variety of boating topics, and advanced boating education. The latter are offered to America’s Boating Club members but also often available to non-members at additional cost.
Below, you will find links to the wide range of America’s Boating Club courses. If you are interested in furthering your knowledge of boating, please look at the courses listed here.
We hope that as you take our classes, you’ll become aware of the advantages of membership in America’s Boating Club of the City of Bradenton and Manatee County (or, if you’re a snowbird, that you’ll join as an associate member).
If you would like to read more about becoming a member, the benefits, etc., please click HERE
America’s Boating Course
If you would like to have a Florida Safe Boater’s card, America’s Boating Club has the course for you! By the way, the Boater’s card is required for anyone in Florida born after January 1, 1988 operating a power boat (10 HP or more). Manatee Sail & Power Squadron offer this course frequently throughout the year. The basic course takes 8 hours, includes a proctored final exam, and meets the Florida requirements. Approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), it includes four main chapters covering:
- Boat Education: General information about boats and personal watercraft, and their maintenance.
- Boat Safety: How to make your boating safer and more comfortable.
- Boating Law and Regulation: Laws and regulations that you must follow.
To register for course at our squadron, click HERE
Advanced Courses
Take your boating education to another level by enrolling in our advanced grade courses. These courses typically run for 6 or more weeks. Click on each course title for a fuller description.
To enroll in a course click HERE
Boat Handling follows up on America’s Boating Course to build your competence and confidence on the water with an in-depth look at the practical boating skills. The course includes six 2-hour seminars.
America’s Boating Club offers a Navigation sequence consisting of four courses that will teach you how to find your way on the water, whether your destination is a nearby restaurant, or a port across an ocean. Each course builds on the one before it. The first, Marine Navigation, is followed by Advanced Marine Navigation. Together, they give you the skills you need to get where you are going using charts and marine electronics as well as a knowledge of winds, currents, and tides.
If you’re ready to head for the high seas, the next two courses in the sequence, Offshore Navigation and Celestial Navigation, will teach you about planning and monitoring your voyage using modern marine electronics and how celestial observations can help you estimate your vessel’s position with confidence. These are a must for oceangoing captains.
In addition to the advanced grade navigation courses, America’s Boating Club offers many in-depth advanced courses on other boating topics. These courses may be taken in any order and typically include six to eight 2-hour meetings. They include: Cruising and Cruise Planning, Engine Maintenance, Marine Electrical Systems, Marine Communication Systems, Electronic Navigation, Radar for Boaters, Sail, and Weather.
Seminars
Cannot find time for a course that runs six weeks or more? How about a 2-hour seminar? America’s Boating Club has developed over 2 dozen seminars on topics connected to boat handling and techniques, navigation, electronics, safety, cruising, weather, tides, and currents.
To find out more about these seminars, click HERE.
To register for a seminar, click HERE
Are you familiar with America’s Boating channel? It has videos that are helpful in teaching and learning boating skills.