America's Boating Course - (ABC III)

Dates for 1st Class: Saturday, March 15, 2025 & Saturday, March 22, 2025. 2 Sessions plus the test. Attendance for both days is required.

Dates for 2nd Class: Saturday, April 19, 2025 & Saturday, April 26, 2025. 2 Sessions plus the test. Attendance for both days is required.

Time: 9:00 am – 3:00pm
Where: Bosun’s Marine, 411 Winchester Creek Rd, Grasonville, MD 21638 (Live Instruction)
Materials: ABC Boating Course Book
Cost: Non-Members age 18+: $35.00  / USPS Members  and anyone age 17 and under - Free 
Instructors: P/C Joe Burke, SN-ACN, P/Stf/C John Locke, SN-ACN, & V/C Chuck Wells, SN-CN

This course is the best introduction or review of boating being offered. Great family course. It covers the basic boating terms, rules of the road, the Maryland laws you need to know and fundamentals of boating. The book is in both EBook and hard copy format.

Remember, if your birthday is after July 01, 1972, a Boating Safety Course Card is required to legally operate a recreation vessel in Maryland waters. America's Boating Clubs offers the America's Boating Course III to fill that requirement. The course is 8 hours of instruction and a test. Passing the test with an 80% or better gets you the Boating Safety Card. Experienced instructors will teach this course.

Course Description: The basic boating knowledge topics include:

• Introduction to Boating: types of boats - power, sail, outboards, paddle boats, and houseboats. Also, different uses of boats, various power boating engines, jet drives, and family boating basics.
• Boating Law: boat registration, boating regulation, hull identification number, required boat safety equipment, operating safely and reporting accident, protecting the marine environment, Federal boat law, state boating law, 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, and other boating safety equipment.
• 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 (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.

Click Here to Register or email seo@aspsmd.org, or call 410-739-7800

Become a Certified Instructor

Title: Instructor Certification
Date: Wednesdays, March 26, 2025 to May 14, 2025
Time: 6:45pm - 9:15pm
Where: Via Zoom, Login information provided after registration
Materials: Provided through emails
Cost: Free for USPS members
Instructor: Lt/C Lee Silverman, P & Stf/C Michael J. Maszczenski Jr., N

This course gives instructors the tools needed for good instruction. It is required for instructors of ABC III.
Planning and lesson presentations are critical, using best teaching practices.

Click Here to Register or email seo@aspsmd.org, or call 410-739-7800

Become a Better Boater

Title: Department of Natural Resources Boat Safety Course
Dates: Via Zoom: March 10, 12, & 18, 2025
Time: 6:45pm - 9:15pm
Date for 4th Class: Live in Person March 22 - 9:00am to 12:00pm @ Location In the Rockville/Gaithersburg, MD area - TBD
Materials: Provided
Cost: $20 / Sponsor: CERT of Mongomery County
Instructor: Lt/C Lee Silverman, P

Forth Class will conclude with the open book 65-question multiple choice exam. Attendance at all four
sessions is mandatory for passing, as well as passing grade on the exam.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Boat Safety Course is a Basic Boating Course taught by trained instructors and must be a minimum of 8 hours in length. Instructors may use visual aides, movies, projected images, and other methods to provide information to class members. All students are encouraged to ask questions as the class moves along. Students must attend all classroom sessions and achieve a score of 80% on the final exam in order to pass.

For additional information contact, Lee R. Silverman at 240-801-6827 or by email: cprbylee@gmail.com