Boating safety courses to be offered in Lynn and Revere

LYNN – Boating safety and seamanship courses will be offered by maritime organizations starting in March in Lynn and Revere.District 18 of the U.S. Power Squadron will host a seven-week Boatsmart basic boating course at the Point of Pines Yacht Club in Revere. Classes will be held on Wednesdays, starting March 7 at 7 p.m. The federally-approved educational boating safety course will be followed by a charting course.Enrollment is limited to 30, according to Vincent Scagliotti, past commander of the Broad Sound Power Squadron. The course fee is $35 and includes materials. For more information, call Scagliotti at (781) 492-1926.Flotilla 49 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will host a seven-week boating skills and seamanship course at the Volunteer Yacht Club, 68 Lynnway, starting Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m.The boating course continues through May 1. The fee is $55 including materials. It will be followed by a three-week piloting course from May 8-22 at the yacht club, also presented by Flotilla 49. The fee for that course is $30 including materials.According to Edie Garrant, a spokesman for Flotilla 49, the mission is to improve boating safety by providing low-cost safety courses to the public.”The instructors are experienced local sailors and powerboat skippers who are also Auxiliary-trained and certified,” she said, adding that as waterways become more congested, it’s more important than ever for boaters to sharpen their handling skills, piloting and overall seamanship.”The nominal charge covers the text and materials,” Garrant said.Statistics show that the primary cause of boating accidents is inexperience. Many states, including Massachusetts, now have licensing laws that require that boaters take such a class and pass a written test.Garrant said the course at the Volunteer Yacht Club covers motoring and sailing theory, legal responsibilities, seamanship techniques, personal safety gear for crew and passengers, boating handling, rules of the road, and other topics geared to becoming a proficient mariner.The course is organized sequentially ? boarding the boat, preparing to get under way, undocking, piloting through the harbor into open water, motoring and sailing, and returning safely. It includes a section on “reading the weather” as well as safe trailering, communicating with a marine radio telephone, first aid, navigation rules, and dealing with boating emergencies.To register, call Garrant at (978) 663-9355 or email her at [email protected], or call Maura Leason at (617) 285-1409.