District 085 Division 11 Flotilla 04
Hudson, Wisconsin
BOATING SKILLS & SEAMANSHIP (BS&S)
The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship
(BS&S) course is a comprehensive course designed for both the experienced
and the novice boater. The course, now in its 13th edition published in
2007, consists of 8 core required two hour lessons plus five elective
lessons, providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats in all conditions.
TOPICS INCLUDE
Which Boat Is For You? - Boater's language; types of boats; outboard motors and sterndrives; hull design; uses of boats; other power plants; materials for constructing boats; your intended use; the Coast Guard Customer Infoline; marine surveyors; buying a boat.
Equipment For Your Boat - Requirements for your boat; your boat's
equipment; legal considerations; substance abuse; boating accident reports;
Courtesy Marine Examinations.
Trailering Your Boat - Legal considerations; practical considerations;
the towing vehicle; balancing the load; handling your trailer; pre-departure
checks; preparing to launch; launching; retrieving; storing your boat
and trailer; theft prevention; Zebra mussels; float plan.
Handling Your Boat - Leave with a full tank; fueling your boat;
your boat's propellor; cars and boats; twin screws; jet drives; loading
your boat; getting started; leaving a pier; "man" overboard;
docking; mooring to a permanent anchor; anchoring; towing a skier; heavy
weather; small boat safety.
Your "Highway" Signs - Protection of ATONs; buoyage systems;
waterway marks; how waterways are marked; light characteristics; chart
symbols; light structures; lights on bridges; electronic aids to navigation;
a word to the wise; navigation publications.
The Rules You Must Follow - Two sets of rules; to whom do the rules
apply; what is a vessel; the general responsibility rule; general considerations;
conduct in narrow channels; traffic separation schemes; vessel traffic
services; stand-on or give-way; rules for special vessels; risk of collision;
bend signals; restricted visibility; vessel lights and shapes; vessels
at anchor; diving operations; distress signals; drawbridge signals; penalties.
Inland Boating - Types of inland waters; inland navigation; inland
seamanship; river currents; maintaining inland waterways; dams; locks;
river charts; commercial traffic; before you go. (This lesson typically
will not be taught in coastal courses)
The Rest Of Our Story - Small boat safety; personal watercraft;
hypothermia; motorboats and sailboats; carbon monoxide poisoning; float
plan; U.S. Coast Guard District Offices; instructions for using a course
plotter; metric conversion system.
Introduction To Navigation - Piloting tools; maps and charts; chart
features; your chart's general information block; other charted information;
your magnetic compass; position on the earth's surface; locating a point
on a chart; distance on the earth's surface; measuring distance; course
plotting; sources of compass error; correcting a compass reading; positioning;
speed-time-distance; dead reckoning; practice your art.
Powering Your Boat - Types of marine engines; marine engines; selecting
a propeller; induction systems; ignition systems; flame arresters; cooling
systems; gasoline considerations; batteries; maintenance; winterizing
your boat; spring fitting-out; troubleshooting.
Lines & Knots For Your Boat - Line or rope; rope materials;
kinds of rope; measuring rope; selecting your ropes; care of rope; making
up line; knots, bends, and hitches; splices; securing lines; dipping the
eye.
Weather & Boating - Sources of weather information; wind and boating;
wind and waves; understanding weather; weather and heat; fog; non-frontal
weather.
Your Boat's Radio - Radios used on boats; functions of radios;
licenses; selecting your VHF-FM radio; installation; operating your VHF-FM;
maintain a radio watch; channels have special purposes; some "no
no's"; copies of the rules; calling another station; procedure words;
phonetic alphabet; routine radio check; distress, urgency, and safety
calls; crew training.