This course is directed at anybody wishing to become involved in boating. It is a beginners course in the safe operation and management of any small boat being used in rivers or coastal waters. The course content is designed to give students a basic grounding in the topics listed below.

• Charts and publications
• Safety including engine checks
• Buoyage
• Tidal awareness
• Visual navigation and pilotage
• Rules of the road
• Electronic navigation
• Anchoring
• Weather forecasts
• Passage planning

The student pack will include a course handbook, a chart, a plotter and question paper.

The course duration is 16 hours long and is assessed throughout the course. The successful completion of the course will go a long way towards making you a safer, more informed operator of a small boat.