Online boating course offered for first mates

Partner in Command now available

[June 03, 2013]  ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Two leading boating education organizations with a history of making boating education easy and affordable have teamed up to offer a fully interactive online seminar for first mates who may find themselves needing to take command of the family boat. Partner in Command, from the United States Power Squadrons, in partnership with the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety, aims to acquaint the first mate with basic skills he or she may need in an emergency. The seminar is now available online at www.usps.org/edonline just in time for boating season.

The cost is $70 or just $55.30 for members of USPS, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Great Lakes Cruising Club and, for a limited time, BoatUS members.

The USPS is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable through teaching courses and seminars covering dozens of topics for boaters. To date, over 4 million boaters have taken a USPS course or seminar. The partnership with the BoatUS Foundation aims to increase the accessibility to boating education courses by tapping into the foundation's expertise at presenting engaging and effective course materials for online study at home. Aiming for the 70 million American boaters and millions more worldwide, Partner in Command is just the first seminar to be put online.

USPS has over 30 advanced courses and seminars that are taught by local squadrons and will be made available online in the next two to three years. The next offerings will include seminars on Boating on Rivers, Locks and Lakes, and Using VHF and VHF/DSC Marine Radio, as well as the USPS Seamanship course.

"U.S. Power Squadrons' mission is to teach boaters how to get more fun out of their boating experience by being more informed, safe and confident," said USPS Chief Commander John Alter. "We have been doing it for 100 years and no one does it better."

The BoatUS Foundation has its roots when Richard Schwartz, founder and chairman of Boat Owners Association of The United States, testified before Congress in 1969, which led to the watershed Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971. Today, the BoatUS member-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader in promoting safe, clean and responsible boating, and provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers, with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, The foundation's online Boating Safety Course is the only free, online boating safety course approved in 33 states by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. To date, over 1 million boaters have taken the course.

United States Power Squadrons, organized in 1914, is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable by teaching classes in seamanship, navigation and related subjects. Members are boating families who contribute to their communities by promoting safe boating through education and enjoy participating with fellow members on the water and in the classroom. USPS has nearly 40,000 members organized into over 400 squadrons across the country and in some U.S. territories. USPS is America's largest nonprofit boating organization and has been honored by three U.S. presidents for its civic contributions. Each squadron's activities involve the three primary objectives of the organization: community service, continuing education, and enjoying the friendship and camaraderie of fellow members. For more information, visit www.usps.org.

Boat Owners Association of The United States, known as BoatUS, is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters, providing its over half-million members with government representation, services such as 24-hour on-water boat towing as well as roadside assistance for boat trailers and tow vehicles, boat insurance programs, money-saving benefits, and vital information that improves the boating, fishing and sailing lifestyle. Its member-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating, and provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers, with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America's waterways, and keeping boating safe. For more information, visit www.boatus.com/foundation.

[Text from file received from BoatUS]