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Water Ways
Ray Pendleton
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This class comes before any other
I imagine most recreational boaters in Hawaii marveled at the recent story of the three Mexican fishermen who reportedly survived nine months drifting thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean.
One of the fishermen credited a survivor-at-sea course he had taken earlier for the fact they were rescued alive after drifting from offshore of Mexico to the Marshall Islands in their small open boat.
The class instructor had apparently advised him to drink the blood of the various animals he might catch while adrift to prevent dehydration.
The story may or may not be true, but one thing I am sure of: the Honolulu Sail & Power Squadron's upcoming Boat Smart Class lesson material isn't likely to have much about that survival technique, but it's sure to provide numerous ways to keep boaters from needing that information in the first place.
The Squadron's first class of this three-meeting course will begin at 8 a.m. next Saturday at the Waikiki Yacht Club and will last until noon.
As it is a basic boating safety class, the curriculum will cover a variety of subjects and provide important information, whether you are interested in sail or power boating, or plan to leave the dock aboard a $100 dinghy or a $1 million yacht.
In the short time frame of three, 3-hour sessions, students new to boating (or those wishing a refresher course) will be taught how to recognize basic boat types and construction terms.
They will also be instructed in elementary seamanship and boat handling. This will include safe fueling, preparing to cast off, leaving and returning to dock, turning and stopping, boating courtesies, anchoring techniques and even basic first aid.
One segment of the course will deal with sailing fundamentals, while another will cover the use of trailer boats; including legal requirements, vehicle features, trailer maneuvering, and choosing a hitch.
Boating regulations and required safety equipment will be featured in another class segment. This will include such topics as state and federal laws, fire prevention and suppression equipment, life preservers and distress signals.
Basic navigation and the use of charts will be taught, along with information on floating, fixed, lighted, and sound-generating aids to navigation.
There will be a segment devoted to marine radio communications that will explain the need for licenses, calling procedures, and how to make normal, distress and safety calls.
Finally, marine weather basics will be taught, with emphasis on identifying predicted high and low pressures, storms, squalls, and thunderstorms on weather charts.
The Squadron offers this Boat Smart class for free, and even offers free refreshments, but it is limited to the first 20 students that sign up and there is a $40 charge for the course manual.
Those budding boaters who are interested should call 395-5080 to reserve a spot or visit the Squadron's Web site at www.uspshon.org for more information.