U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boating courses provide instruction to boaters at all levels, from the fundamental to the advanced. Our courses (virtual and classroom) are taught by experienced and knowledgeable CGAUX instructors committed to the highest standards of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. They are offered in two modalities: virtual, video conference with CGAUX Virtual PE Instructors, and classroom setting with CGAUX PE Instructors.

Course Overview

The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) course is a comprehensive boater certificate course designed for both the experienced and novice boater. The course consists of eight core required two-hour lessons, plus five elective lessons providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats under all conditions.

Topics Include

• Which Boat Is For You? - Types of boats, hull design, uses of boats, materials for construction, types of engines, and buying a boat.
• Equipment For Your Boat - Requirements for your boat's equipment, legal considerations, boating accidents, and substance abuse.
• Trailering Your Boat - Choosing a towing vehicle and trailer, balancing the load, the right ball and hitch, launching and retrieving a boat.
• Handling Your Boat - Fueling your boat, single vs. twin propellers, anchoring, trimming, leaving the dock, small boat safety, and weather.
• Highway Signs – Buoyage system, ATONS, light characteristics, chart symbols.
• Rules of the Road – Boating traffic, stand-on and give-way vessels, traffic separation, diver-down rules, anchoring, narrow channels, restricted visibility, small boat safety, and inland waters.
• Introduction To Navigation – Piloting tools, charts, plotting, and compass. (not available in all courses)
• Powering Your Boat – Types of engines, ignition systems, batteries, and troubleshooting.
• Lines and Knots – Line or rope, materials, measuring, knots, bends, hitches, splicing, securing lines.
• Weather and Boating – Wind and boating, waves, fog, sources of weather information. (not available in all courses)
• Your Boat's Radio – Functions of radios, selecting you VHF radio, channels, radio procedure, and types of radio calls.
• Puerto Rico Navigation and Aquatic Safety Act (Year 2020) - Better known as PR Act 430, public policy conference regarding the regulation of maritime safety, aquatic recreational practices and related maritime sports in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Requirement by law for boaters in Puerto Rico)
• Regulation for Registration, Navigation and Aquatic Safety in Puerto Rico - Known as Regulation 6979 of the Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico (DRNA PR), guidance on the regulations for vessels and safe practices in bodies of water in Puerto Rico.