Once a year, LOF Adaptive Skiers hosts a 1 day Connecticut Safe Boating and Personal Water Craft course for individuals wishing to obtain a CT Safe Boating Certificate required by the CT DEEP to operate a boat or personal watercraft in the state. The course is taught by certified US Coast Guard Auxiliary Instructors and covers:
- Introduction to Boating – Types of power boats; sailboats; outboards; paddle boats; houseboats; different uses of boats; various power boating engines; jet drives; family boating basics.
- Boating Law – Boat registration; boating regulation; hull identification number; required boat safety equipment; operating safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment; Federal boat law; state boating laws; personal watercraft requirements.
- Boat Safety Equipment –Personal flotation devices (“life jackets”); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices; visual-distress signals; dock lines and rope; first aid kit; anchors and anchor lines; other boating safety equipment.
- Safe Boating – Bow riding; alcohol and drug abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and permanent tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking, undocking and mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking equipment, fuel, weather and tides; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; safe PWC handling; general water safety.
- Navigation – The U.S. Aids to Navigation system; types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules (sometimes referred to as right-of-way rules); avoiding collisions; sound signals; PWC “tunnel vision.”
- Boating Problems – Hypothermia; boating accidents and rescues; man overboard recovery; capsizing; running aground; river hazards; strainers: emergency radio calls; engine problems; equipment failures; carbon monoxide (CO); other boating and PWC problems.
- Trailering, Storing and Protecting Your Boat – Types of trailers; trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings; loading, balancing, and towing a trailer; towing (and backing) a trailer; boat launching and retrieving; boat storage and theft protection; launching, retrieving and storing a PWC.
- Hunting and Fishing, Water-skiing and River Boating – Carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat; water-skiing safety guidelines and hand signals; water-skiing with a PWC; navigating rivers, and other boating tips.
Door prizes, coffee & donuts and lunch are included in your course fee. All proceeds from this event will support the LOF Adaptive Skiers’ programs for children, adults and wounded veterans with disabilities.
Before taking your boating course, you must obtain a Connecticut Conservation Identification Number (ID) from the CT DEEP. If you have a Connecticut Hunting or Fishing License, your Conservation ID number will be the same ID number that was assigned with the hunting or fishing license. If you need a Conservation ID number, go to the Online Sportsman Licensing system and complete the registration process. Follow the instructions for “New Customers.”
When you take your class, your instructor will need the ID number assigned to you. You will need to provide your instructor with your name (as it was entered into the online Sportsman Licensing System) as well as your month and day of birth. Within a week of completing your course and passing your exam, you will be able to purchase your certificate from your home computer by going to the Online Sportsman Licensing system.
After you get your Conservation ID, simply fill out our Registration Form and mail it back to us with your course fee.
Click here to download Registration FormDATE: April 18, 2015
LOCATION: United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Rd., Newtown, CT
TIME: 8am – 5pm
AGES: all ages
FEE: $75.00
Limited enrollment – first come first serve!