By SABRINA BERNDT

Washington Daily News

 

After buying a boat, many never think about the regulations or dangers of the hobby. Boating comes with more responsibilities than one might think, and one boating club is devoting their time to educate new enthusiasts.

The Pamlico Sail and Power Squadron will be teaching an America’s Boating Course on July 20. Located at the First Presbyterian Church at 211 W. Second St., the full-day class from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. will cover all basic knowledge of boating — knowledge that is required to legally operate a boat in the state.

“It culminates in a certification exam that actually gets reported to the state of North Carolina, and they get a card, so that if they’re ever stopped, they can prove that they’ve had the training that they’re required to have to be on the water nowadays,” said Linda Erickson, the PSPS educational officer.

According to Erickson, every state requires a certain amount of boating experience, similar to driver’s education, based on date of birth, with the hope that everyone will eventually have some sort of boating knowledge in the future. For North Carolina, that experience is required for everyone born on or after 1988.

The PSPS America’s Boating Course is a great opportunity for all boaters, beginners and advanced, to gain the required education and learn more about boating safety, including navigation rules, boating laws and regulations, knots and proper use of safety equipment.

“They are (useful skills), especially when you live on the water the way we all do down here,” Erickson said. “It’s like every year down here, you hear about somebody drowning, and often they’re very experienced boaters.”

The class does not have an age limit, although according to Erickson, younger students are seldom due to the test being available online. The experience the online course is missing, however, is interaction with other boaters.

“It’s just a whole lot of fun to meet other people who have the same interest in boating, and it’s fun to say, ‘Let’s go to Ocracoke for the weekend,’ and you’re going with six other couples,” Erickson said.

Boating safety is particularly important to Erickson, as it’s the reason she became involved in the PSPS. When she and her husband retired to Washington and bought a boat, she took classes with PSPS to ensure she knew what to do in case of an emergency.

“I wanted to make sure that if anything ever happened to him, I knew what to do,” Erickson said. “I’ve taken all these classes through the squadron, and my background was education in the government, training adults, so I just kind of fell into doing this education for the squadron.”

A club of more than 130 enthusiastic boaters, squadron members dedicate their time to spreading their love of local boating through classes, seminars and community service. Along with the boating class, PSPS also teaches classes about piloting for advanced boaters, and volunteers offer one-on-one mentoring for free.

Those interested in registering for the America’s Boating Course can do so by emailing Erickson at pspsed@gmail.com or calling 252-964-3009. Registration for the class is $40 for individuals and $50 for couples, and is due by July 15.