Close Quarters Powerboat Handling

Close Quarters Powerboat Handling is an intensive, 12-hour powerboat handling course that is designed to provide the skills necessary to maneuver a powerboat confidently, competently and safely in tight spaces. Successful completion of the program indicates the student has demonstrated competence in handling either a twin inboard, single inboard or outboard/stern drive vessel in close quarters in light wind and or currents. Core program elements include basic and advanced docking and undocking maneuvers, situational assessment and planning, crew communication and passenger safety.

Radar

The goal of this course is to teach safe, efficient use of radar for small-craft navigation in any condition of visibility. Radar teaches safe, efficient use of small-craft radar for piloting, chart navigation, and collision avoidance, including radar principles and practical matters of radar operation as well as using a realistic PC based radar simulator to illustrate radar measurements. This course covers a broad range of topics related to radar. Specific topics to be learned include, how radar works, interpreting the screen, position navigation, radar and navigation rules.

Coastal Navigation

In this RPBA course you will learn to demonstrate the navigational theory required to safely navigate a powerboat in coastal or inland waters using paper and pencil techniques. Navigation includes determining your location and the best route to your destination plus a continual assessment of progress being made. The navigator must consider land masses, channels and the sea bottom, other traffic, obstructions, navigational aids, forcast and actual weather and sea conditions.

Marine Weather

Weather is a big subject with many facets, but when it comes to marine weather it boils down to the wind. The RPBA Marine Weather course teaches mariners how to take weather into account in the planning and navigation of voyages, both local and global. Anyone who ventures onto the water can benefit from this course. In this course you will learn to understand the proper use of weather information in planning and adapting navigation and demonstrate the ability to use both the latest technological tools as well as traditional maritime skills to forecast weather conditions.