About Boating Safely

ABS is a concise course lasting eight hours, as mandated by the State of New Jersey. It stresses safe boating practices and boating rules with a lesser emphasis on seamanship and piloting. It is designed for the personal watercraft operator and his needs in obtaining a certificate for its operation. Where there is need for a greater knowledge of seamanship, such as is the case with the primary operators of larger boats, the longer, more inclusive Boating Skills and Seamanship course is better.

The cost of the About Boating Safely course is $50 per person. A concise course text is provided. Successful completion leads to State certification. The registration fee covers all expenses, including NJ State registration and lunch.

Suddenly In Command

The captain becomes incapacitated or falls overboard; you purchase a new boat and step aboard for the first time. You are Suddenly In Command. This 4-hour boating safety primer is designed for those not generally at the helm, and will help you to “be prepared” with the basics in case of an emergency.

The cost of the About Boating Safely course is $15 per person. A concise course text is provided.

How To Read a Nautical Chart

The seminar course will unravel the mystery of charts. When navigating on land you use a map. It depicts the various thoroughfares, their directions and names. At sea there are no streets, no separate areas, no differences from abutting or surrounding areas. With no land-mass over the horizon, everything looks the same. By knowing our latitude and longitude, we can locate our position anywhere on earth. Navigators must also be warned of dangerous areas, leading them through safe passages and directing them within set patterns to prevent collisions. For this, Aids to Navigation are depicted on nautical charts. This course will provide the navigator with the knowledge to interpret the chart’s contents to navigate safely to their destination and return to port.

The cost of the About Boating Safely course is $25 per person. Text and training chart included.

GPS for Mariners

Replacing our prior GPS course is a modern learning experience that focuses on the GPS equipment typically owned by the recreational boater. GPS for Mariners is a course that has resulted from an exciting synergy between textbook's publisher, the book's author, and the Auxiliary. The course includes the book.

The cost of the GPS for Mariners course is $25 per person. A concise course text is provided.

Course Location

All Courses will be held at St/ Peter's United Methodist Church. Enter the building in the middle of the block between 7th and 8th Streets on Central Ave. Pre-registration is encouraged. Deadline for pre-registration is one week prior to the class. Only checks and cash are accepted for payment, no credit cards.

All instructors are certified by the New Jersey State Police, Marine Law Enforcement Bureau, as well as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Register to take a Safe Boating Class