Affordable on-water powerboat training starts up in Old Saybrook; 2 new courses added
by BoatUS 8 May 16:32 UTC
Affordable three-hour on-water powerboat training courses are now offered by TowBoatUS Old Saybrook/Coastal Maritime Training in partnership with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation © BoatUS
Recreational boaters are beginning to return to the waters of Long Island Sound. Are they prepared? Maybe they know their docking skills aren’t the best – a basic need for boating but a spectator sport for many. Or perhaps they want more confidence while handling the Sound’s choppy waters.
In Old Saybrook, Coastal Maritime Training in partnership with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water are offering affordable, three-hour on-water powerboat training courses for just $225 – taught under the watchful eye of a U.S. Coast Guard licensed instructor. The hands-on courses are taught aboard 21- to 24-foot single engine powerboats.
The courses are limited to four students per vessel, ensuring each student gets sufficient time at the helm. Offered seven days a week, instruction follows National Safe Boating Council curriculum with content conforming to the American National Standard (ANSI) for on-water skills.
Current course offerings include “Intro to Boating,” which covers steering, shifting gears, and close quarters boat control, while “Precision Docking & Boat Handling” covers 180-degree turnarounds, docking and departing from a dock, and using S.C.A.N. procedures to avoid distracted boating.
Two new courses offered this year include “Open Water Boat Handling,” which includes using boat trim, displacement and planing handling; ferrying; and emergency stopping, and “Open Water Advanced Maneuvering,” focusing on crossing waves and wakes, person overboard retrieval, sharp turning on plane and more.
For those looking for private instruction aboard their own powerboat, the company offers customized training programs tailored to a specific vessel and a captain’s needs. It also offers private sailing lessons aboard a 28-foot sailboat, and even has a program for first responders to further their boat handling training.
Courses depart out of Ferry Landing Marina, and the minimum age to participate is 12 years old. Sign up at BoatUS.org/On-Water.
BoatUS Foundation On-Water Training programs are currently offered at 21 locations across the country. Coastal Maritime Training is part of TowBoatUS Old Saybrook, a 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters.