BOATING CLASSES OFFERED BY
GAINESVILLE SAIL & POWER SQUADRON
For further information contact:
David Teiss @ teiss3500@bellsouth.net
  
Want to know about USPS University and what it means to you? Existing courses are being rewritten, new courses are being added, special interest seminars are being developed, a boat operator certification program is coming, and more.
Click here to go to the USPS University Seminars
ADVANCED GRADES
Seamanship (S) | No prerequisite |
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Building on the basics taught in the Safe Boating Course, Seamanship is the recommended first
course for new members, both power boaters and sailors. Students learn practical marlinespike,
navigation rules, hull design and performance, responsibilities of the skipper, boat care, operating
a boat under normal and abnormal conditions, what to do in various emergencies, and weather
conditions, nautical customs and common courtesy on the water. This course provides a needed
introduction to the USPS Educational Program and a strong foundation for members going on to
other Advanced Grades Courses and/or Cruise Planning or Sail.
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Piloting (P) | No prerequisite |
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Piloting is the first of a two-part program studying inland and coastal navigation. It focuses on
the fundamentals of piloting — keeping track of a boat’s movements, determining your position at
any time and laying out courses to a planned destination. Included are such subjects as: GPS, charts
and their use; aids to navigation; the mariner’s compass; variation and deviation of the compass;
plotting and steering courses; dead reckoning; and plotting and labeling charts.
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Advanced Piloting (AP) | prerequisites: Seamanship & Piloting |
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This is the final part of the inland and coastal navigation series. It emphasizes the use of modern
electronic navigation systems and other advanced techniques for finding position. Among topics
covered are: how to predict tides and tidal currents and their effects on piloting; finding position
using bearings and angles; simple use of the mariner’s sextant; and electronic navigation — radar,
loran, GPS, etc.
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Junior Navigation (JN) | Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting & Advanced Piloting |
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Junior Navigation is the first of a two-part program of study in offshore (open ocean) navigation.
It is designed as a practical, how-to course, leaving the theoretical and more advanced techniques
for the Navigation Course. Subject matter includes: basic concepts of celestial navigation; how to
use the mariner’s sextant to take sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars; the importance and
techniques of accurate time determination; use of the Nautical Almanac; bow to reduce sights to
establish lines of position (LOPs); and the use of special charts, plotting sheets and other
navigational data for offshore positioning and passage planning.
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Navigation (N) | Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting & Junior Navigation |
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This is the second part of the study of offshore navigation. It further develops the student’s
understanding of celestial theory. The student is introduced to additional sight reduction
techniques and develops greater skill and precision in sight taking, positioning and the orderly
methods of carrying on the day’s work of a navigator at sea. Of particular interest and
importance is the study of offshore navigation using minimal data and/or equipment, such as
when on a disabled vessel or lifeboat.
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ELECTIVE COURSES
Cruise Planning (CP) |
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Designed for members who plan to cruise for just a day or for a year — in either a sail or
powerboat — Cruise Planning covers such topics as: planning a voyage; financing a voyage;
managing commitments back home; equipping a cruising boat; selecting the crew; provisioning;
managing a voyage; entering and clearing foreign ports; emergencies afloat; and security
measures.
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Engine Maintenance (EM) |
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This course attempts to make students more self-reliant afloat, with trouble-diagnosis and
temporary remedies given special emphasis. It covers both marine gasoline and diesel engines,
including concepts of operation, maintenance and repair. It covers such topics as: cooling
systems; electrical systems; fuel systems; lubricating systems; power train components; and
ancillary propulsion components.
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Instructor Qualification (IQ) |
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Unlike other USPS courses, this one isn’t designed to enhance boating skills. Rather, it deals
with effective communications for the speaker and teacher — a quality that benefits the individual
in all walks of life. It offers practical instruction in: preparing for teaching assignments;
preparing for meeting presentations; effective teaching techniques; conducting efficient meetings;
and selecting and using audiovisual aids.
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Marine Electronics (ME) |
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This course teaches essential knowledge about a boat’s electrical and electronic systems
including: proper wiring; grounding; corrosion and electrolysis control; batteries and their
maintenance; depth finders; marine radiotelephones; radar; and loran, GPS and other electronic
positioning systems.
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Sail (Sa) |
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A thorough study of the terminology and dynamics of sailing, this course covers: types of hulls
and rigs; running and standing rigging and their adjustment; hull and water forces caused by wind
and waves; forces versus balance; the theory of sailing; points of sail; sail handling; sailing under
various wind conditions; and navigation rules unique to sailboats.
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Weather (W) |
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This course is designed to teach a student how to make weather observations and predictions for
more enjoyable boating. Topics include: awareness of weather phenomena; how to read the
weather map and sky; how to understand and anticipate weather developments; structure and
characteristics of the atmosphere; factors considered in weather forecasting; sources and use of
weather reports and forecasting; and instruments and visual observations the skipper can make.
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LEARNING GUIDES
USPS Leaning Guides are self-study handbooks on specialized boating-related subjects of interest
to amateur skippers and navigators. Topics range from GPS to Knots, Bends, & Hitches; from
Amateur Radio to Oceanography, from Boat Design & Construction to Navigational Astronomy
and How to Fly Flags.
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