Safe Boating Guide

If you are planning to spend time on the water, then it is important to have the required safety gear on board for the size of your boat.  Regulations apply to all vessels.

The Transport Canada Safe Boating Guide  may be downloaded.

Basic Outboard course

Spent a warm day on the water teaching a Basic Outboard Standard course. If you have access to a boat with an outboard, then you may benefit from the course which covers boat handling, weather, basic chart reading, regulations and boating etiquette as well as other topics.

Want the standard, however, no boat? My client rented a boat from a local rental operator, for the day and hired me to teach the standard.

Purchase the Basic Powerboat Skills manual for $39 plus shipping and GST. Study the manual and complete the Review Questions at the end of each chapter and then arrange for time on the water.

 

Complete are the on-water Standards, take the exam and get certified. If you wish the certification, additional costs are the Sail Canada logbook, $30 plus GST and a $24 registration fee. 

Handling Your Twin Engine Boat

For many people, moving from a single engine to a twin engine vessel is a big step. If you are used to an outboard or inboard-outboard, it will take a mental shift when learning twin engines with shaft drive.

The first difference you will notice is operating astern propulsion is not as effective as on vessels with legs. The rudders are not effective when going astern until you have the boat moving and water flowing across the rudders.

Rule 1 for beginners:

Neutral is your best friend - especially as the size and weight of the vessel increases it is important to keep the speed of the vessel at the minimum required to retain control. Speed is your enemy and when you go into gear only stay in gear 1–2 seconds. This will prevent the vessel from gathering speed which gives you less time to react and think. Usually the objective is to coast the vessel to its berth. When you have 65,000 lbs. under you, that is a lot of momentum.
 

Rule 2

To start we will have our engines at idle and the rudders centred. Mostly we will use only the gear levers to steer the boat. There are a number of memory aids to assist you in operating the controls.

1. Pretend the two gear levers are the handlebars of a bicycle. If you want to turn to port, move the gear levers the same as you would with a bike. In this case Starboard engine forward and Port engine astern.

2. Stand at the helm and grasp the gear levers, one in each hand. If you lock your elbows and simply rotate your upper body so you are facing the direction you want the boat to move, you automatically move the correct lever in the correct direction.

3. Imagine parentheses (curved brackets) alongside the gear levers. For example, if we use o to represent the gear levers and the parentheses would indicate the direction the boat would move.  (o o)

If we move the port lever forward, the boat would move forward and the bow would turn to starboard.

4. Imagine the vessel as a shopping cart, if you push your right hand forward and pull your left hand back, the cart will turn to port.

To execute a slow turn to starboard, you would move the port gear lever forward. 

To make the turn tighter, you would move the starboard lever astern (reverse).

For further information on many aspects of boat handling, visit our E-lessons page.

 

How To Take Compass Bearings

One of the methods to fix the position of your vessel is
by taking compass bearings. By having three bearings
cross in or near the same location you have accuratelydetermined your position.

Taking Bearings

When taking compass bearings, use fixed aids for best results.
Floating aids can move around with wind or current and the charted
position is the position of the mooring, not the buoy.

Take the bearings off to each side, one after the other.
The bearings on your beam will change quickly while the bearings
ahead or astern will hardly change at all due to the boat's motion.
If you take the bearings on each side first and then take the bearing
either ahead or astern, you will have a more accurate fix.

Also check that the bearings you take are not about 180 degrees apart.
Ideally the three bearings will be spaced about 120 degrees apart for
the most accurate fix.

If you are using the end of an island, remember to allow for the height
of the tide. With a gently sloping shoreline, at low water the end of
the island can be some distance from the charted shoreline.

Fixing your position is an important navigation skill. Compass bearings are one
way to obtain an accurate fix.

Navigation is offered through our Home Study Coastal Navigation Courses.
Successful completion of the course leads to Sail Canada Certifications.

Pleasure Craft Operator Card

Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) has been phased in over 10 years.

As of September 15, 2009 any person operating any powered recreational vessel must have proof of competency.

Exemptions:

Proof of previous training (until 03/31/1999) such as CanBoat or Sail Canada courses.

Grace period of 45 days for non-residents of Canada operating foreign boats without a recognized Competency Card.

In addition to carrying Proof of Competency aboard, you are also required to carry personal picture identification.

For further information or to schedule an exam, visit Gulf Islands Cruising School

Fishing and Boating

Fishing and Boating are sports that be enjoyed together.

Consider the type of boat that will meet your needs if you are going to be fishing from your vessel.
Fishermen also need gear and equipment. A rod and reel may be all you need to start.

What type of Boat should I buy?

The type of boat to buy is the one best suited to the activities where you will be using the boat.

There are many types of boats available such as sail boats, fishing boats, runabouts, houseboats, pontoon boats and larger cruisers, to name a few.