Boating Skills and Seamanship
(BS&S)

This course, designed with power boaters in mind, covers either six or thirteen lessons. The first six lessons are called the core subjects and are the minimum required to receive a certificate. The additional seven lessons cover more subjects. In all, there are thirteen chapters:

Chapter 1 - Which Boat is For You Know what you want and what you get when buying your first boat, next boat or last boat
Chapter 2 - Equipment for Your Boat Learn how to smile confidently and make a friend of your local water cop
Chapter 3 - Trailering Your Boat Learn how to avoid a shipwreck on the highway
Chapter 4 - Handling Your Boat Learn how to swagger on the deck after barely kissing the dock with your boat
Chapter 5 - Your "Highway" Signs Learn what all those poles sticking out of the water mean.
Chapter 6 - Rules You Must Follow Learn who goes first and when you're wrong when you think you have done everything right
Chapter 7 - Piloting Your Boat Learn how to get from here to there when you can't see "there". And, more importantly, how to get back
Chapter 8 - Powering Your Boat Learn how to give your motor tender loving care so that it returns your love
Chapter 9 - Lines and Knots Learn how a knot should be and (k)not be
Chapter 10 - Weather and Boating Learn whether or not to go boating
Chapter 11 - Your Boat's Radio Learn how to coolly, calmly and effectively yell for help when you're in trouble because you didn't pay attention to the previous chapters
Chapter 12 - Inland Boating Learn how to feel secure when you snuggle up to a 500 foot barge in a lock.
Chapter 13 - The Rest of the Story Miscellaneous items not covered in the previous 12 Chapters.