Safety Course Offered by The Coast Guard

The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Boating Skills and Seamanship Course will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in its training room, 4201 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard.

The course meets the National Boating Education Standards and is recommended for residents before they go boating.

The comprehensive boater certificate course is for experienced and novice boaters. The two-day course consists of eight core lessons and five electives providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats under all conditions. Coast Guard Auxiliary instructors are experienced recreational boaters with in-depth knowledge of boating safety and skills.

Topics will include types of boats, equipment for a boat, trailering and handling a boat, highway signs, boating traffic rules, introduction to navigation, powering a boat, lines and knots, weather, and the boat’s radio.

This summer, the U.S. Coast Guard released a summary of recreational boating incidents in 2022, which include 636 boating fatalities nationwide. Alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, in which 75% of victims drowned. Of those, 85% were not wearing life jackets. Where boating instruction was known, 74% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.

The cost for the class is $35. Reservations are due by Mon., Sept. 25. Seating is limited.
For more information and to save a seat, email William Wicks, auxiliary member, at [email protected] or call (805) 320-6028.