You bought a boat. What now? Here's some help to operate it safely
by BoatUS 23 Dec 2022 18:51 UTC
Affordable, learn-to-powerboat courses start January 7 in Stuart © At the Helm Training
A recent spike in boat sales has brought many new boaters to the water, but are these new owners prepared? To help get them the critical behind-the-helm experience they need, a new partnership between At the Helm Training in Stuart and the national nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water makes it easy with a series of three-hour courses for beginner and experienced boat operators that start Saturday, January 7, and run every Saturday through March. Courses are three hours long and affordably priced at $199 per person.
All instruction is offered aboard 22- to 24-foot single-engine powerboats that depart out of At the Helm's location at 602 SW Anchorage Way in Stuart. Class size is limited to four students per vessel, ensuring each student gets sufficient time at the helm under the watchful eye of a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain certified to teach the National Safe Boating Council modular curriculum.
Courses include Introduction to Powerboating, Precision Docking & Boat Handling, Open-Water Boat Handling and Open-Water Advanced Maneuvering. The minimum age to participate is 16 years old. Early registration is encouraged, and there is a three-person minimum for courses to run.
At the Helm Training was founded by U.S. Coast Guard Master Mariner Capt. John Dial who, over a 40-year boating career, saw that boats were getting bigger, more complex and more powerful, and an increasing number of operators didn't have the experience or understanding to operate them safely. "Each vessel is unique, but the basic understanding of safe vessel operations and seamanship can be adapted to any boat with our courses," says Dial.
The At the Helm partnership is one of 16 locations across the U.S. with BoatUS Foundation On-Water Training programs. Sign-up at BoatUS.org/Stuart.