Boating

Course Objectives

The Boating course is designed to help boaters become more competent and safe. The course consists of approximately 30 hours of classroom instruction covering such topics as government regulations, mandatory equipment requirements, rules of the road, handling boats under power and sail, aids to navigation, anchoring procedures, chart reading, plotting courses, responsibilities of the skipper.

The exam for the federal government's mandatory Pleasure Craft Operator's Card (PCOC) is included in this course.

Materials Supplied

• Student Notes (text) and homework book
• CPS Course Plotter
• Canadian Coast Guard Safe Boating Guide booklet
• Canadian Coast Guard Collision Regulations (International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea, with Canadian Modifications)
• Training Chart
• Chart #1 - Symbols and Abbreviations used on Canadian Nautical Charts (booklet)
• The Canadian Aids to Navigation System booklet
• Divider, pencil and eraser

Contents

The following is a list of section headings in the course manual. Edmonton Squadron does not follow the order given here, as we like to introduce chartwork much earlier in the course.

• Characteristics of boats
• Licensing, registration, and other requirements
• Mandatory equipment
• Optional equipment
• Ropes, lines, and knots
• Handling a boat under power
• Handling a boat under sail
• Weather
• Preparing to launch
• Skipper’s responsibilities before setting out
• Skipper’s responsibilities when under way
• Collision Regulations
• Canadian aids to navigation
• Emergencies
• Canals and locks
• Tides and tidal currents
• Trailering
• Winter lay-up
• Waterskiing
• Auxiliary boats
• Checklist for lay-up
• Pre-launch checklist
• The magnetic compass
• Anchors and anchoring
• Global positioning and charts
• Navigation
• An exercise in conning
• Introduction to plotting
• Plotting and labeling
• Chartwork exercise
• 6 Cruises