USPS® Elective Courses

Below are the course descriptions followed by the dates they start and an e-mail button specific to each course. If no start date appears with a course then it is not currently scheduled.

To get further information or to register for ANY of the BBSPS courses, contact Peter Moon (BBSPS Education Officer) at (508) 563- 9569 or by clicking on the e-mail button for the class(s) you are interested in taking.

Cruise Planning

This course is preparation for a cruise, whether the cruise is for a day, a week, a month or longer. Whether you are going to cruise on rivers, lakes, the coasts, or across the oceans, very valuable information is provided by those who have been there. The topics discussed are: planning the voyage, financing the voyage, equipping the boat, crew selection, provisioning, voyage management, navigation planning, weather, communications, entering and clearing foreign and domestic ports, anchors and anchoring, emergencies afloat, medical emergencies and security.

Engine Maintenance

This course covers the general construction, operating principles, maintenance and repair of marine gasoline and diesel engines, cooling, electrical, fuel, and lubricating systems and associated propulsion components - clutches, shafting and propellers. Since one of the major objectives of the course is to help the student become more self-reliant afloat, trouble diagnosis and temporary remedies are emphasized along with safety measures. The course is intended to make you a more intelligent and more resourceful boat engine operator.

Instructor Development

The development of practical skills and methods in preparing for both classroom and meeting presentations are the objectives of the unique course. The course includes practice assignments in preparation and delivery of presentations in the classroom, including the use of visual and other aids. All types of aids that can enhance a presentation are studied and the student is afforded the opportunity to become familiar with their best use.

Marine Electronics

Essential knowledge about your boat's electrical and electronic systems is studied in this course. Proper wiring, grounding, electrolysis control, and batteries and their maintenance are included. Depth finders, marine radio telephones, radar, loran, GPS, and advanced systems for electronic navigation are also studied. Information is provided on FCC requirements for station licensing and operator permits for radio telephone.

Sail

This course provides a through study of the terminology of sailing; types of hulls, rigs, and sail-plans;. Running and standing rigging and their adjustment and tuning; and sailboat marlinespike. The dynamics of sailing are covered including: hull and water forces caused by wind and waves; forces versus balance; techniques of sailing; points of sail; sail handling; sailing under various wind conditions from light air to storm survival; boat operation and emergency techniques unique to sailboats.

Weather

Awareness of weather phenomena, how to read the weather map and the sky, and understand and anticipate weather developments for more pleasurable boating are the objectives of this course. Subjects studied include: characteristics and structure of the atmosphere, what weather is and its basic causes, normal development and movement of weather over the earth, and the factors considered in weather forecasting. Observations that the skipper can make afloat include both instrumental and visual: cloud sequences and the weather they predict; air masses, fronts, storms, and fog; and the use of radio and television weather broadcasts. Throughout the course the student is encouraged to make observations and predications in order to gain experience in applying the principles taught and develop greater insight into weather phenomena.

BBPS® Elective Courses

GPS Seminar

The GPS course was developed to instruct boaters on how to use GPS. This one-day hands-on program gives participants an opportunity to work with a GPS set. The course focuses on small boat owners who may own or be considering the purchase of a handheld GPS to aid in navigating. The overall operation of GPS is explained. Participants will be instructed on the functional modes of the GPS set and how to use them. A sample course is plotted on a chart and compared with the same data entered into the GPS set in a simulation mode. Various practical techniques are demonstrated and an introduction to chartplotting and connection with a PC is demonstrated.

Advanced GPS Seminar

The Advanced GPS course is intended to provide those who have experience with GPS. This one-day program will demonstrate means to relate the GPS data to the real world and charts, and learn practical navigation techniques that work well with GPS. Participants will be shown how to connect their GPS sets to a PC to preplan courses/waypoints/routes, to downloading actual tracks, and to use the PC onboard as a navigation tool. Chartplotting, both standalone and PC-based, will be described and demonstrated. Optimization of GPS performance will be described including the use of Differential GPS. Sources of further information will be provided for future reference. Costs and comparisons of various GPS equipment and accessories will be discussed.