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Boating Safety Course

Boating Safety Course

We now offer a hands-on course of instruction on safety for the new boat owner. Capt. Glen Foulke, licensed captain by the United States Coast Guard, is ready to provide this service to you. This course is a one-on-one experience. Capt. Glen will take you onboard the Carrie Lynn, your existing boat, or that very new vessel when you first take possession of it for the hands-on part of the course.

This course is specifically designed for the new boat owner that has little or no experience on the water. While you "friends" are more than willing to teach you what they know, it is far better to have an experienced charter boat captain impart his vast knowledge instead. Learn the correct and safe way to operate your boat right from the beginning.

The boat and water safety course topics include:

Introduction to Boating

  • Types of power boats
  • Different uses of boats
  • Various power boating engines
  • Outboards
  • Jet drives
  • Boating basics

    Boat Safety Equipment
    -- Personal flotation devices ("life jackets")
    ---- Fire extinguishers
    ------ First aid kit
    -------- Visual-distress signals
    ---------- Sound-producing devices
    ------------ Dock lines and rope
    -------------- Anchors and anchor lines

    Safe Boating
  • General water safety
  • Docking, undocking and mooring
  • Entering, loading, and trimming a boat
  • Fueling portable and permanent tanks
  • Steering with a wheel and tiller
  • Checking equipment, fuel, weather and tides
  • Using charts and filing a float plan
  • Choosing and using an anchor
  • Safe personal water craft handling
  • Alcohol and drug abuse

    Navigation
    -- The U.S. Aids to Navigation system
    ---- Types of buoys and beacons
    ------ Navigation rules (known as right-of-way rules)
    -------- Avoiding collisions
    ---------- Sound signals
    ------------ Personal Water Craft "tunnel vision."

    Boating Law
  • Boat registration
  • Boating regulations
  • Hull identification number
  • Required boat safety equipment
  • Federal and state boating laws
  • Operating safely and reporting accidents
  • Protecting the marine environment
  • Personal watercraft requirements

    Boating Problems
    -- Engine problems
    --- Capsizing; running aground
    ---- Equipment failures
    ----- Emergency radio calls
    ------ Boating accidents and rescues
    ------- Preventing hypothermia
    -------- Person overboard recovery
    --------- River hazards
    ---------- Carbon monoxide (CO)


    Transporting, Storing and Protecting Your Boat
  • Types of trailers
  • Trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings
  • Loading, balancing, and towing a trailer
  • Backing a trailer
  • Boat launching and removal from water
  • Boat storage and theft protection

    Hunting, Fishing, Water-skiing, and River Boating
    -- Carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat
    ---- Fishing from a boat
    ------ Water-skiing safety guidelines and hand signals
    -------- Water-skiing with a Personal Water Craft
    ---------- River navigation

    Two most important boat safety tips:

    Safety Tip #1: Wear Your Life Jacket
    Most people who are killed while boating drown, and most people who drown are not wearing a life jacket. When you fall overboard, there is rarely time to get to a stowed life jacket. Modern life jackets are smaller and more comfortable than ever, thus making it easy to wear at all times.

    Tip #2: Stay Sober in Your Boat
    A boat operator with blood alcohol content above .08 is ten times more likely to die in a boating accident than an operator with zero blood alcohol. Other stress factors such as sun, vibration and noise affect the body more when drinking alcohol. Operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal in New Jersey and a violation of Federal boating law.

    Why Safety is Important

    Each year many lives are lost, thousands are injured, and millions of dollars lost because of recreational boating accidents that could be prevented. Too often power boating outings turn tragic. As a boat operator, passenger, or concerned individual, you can make a difference.

    About seventy-five percent of recreational boating accidents are caused by inexperience and lack of knowledge. Factors such as failure to pay attention, carelessness, recklessness, excessive speed, and failure to watch for hazards, are the main causes. Our boater safety course is a great way for you to learn boat safety, rules of the road, and boating regulation. This safe boating course will give you the knowledge needed to pass your boat license or safety certification exam.