Want to learn how to boat? Affordable 3-hour on-water training courses
by Scott Croft 1 Jun 2019 06:45 PDT
22-23 June 2019
Learn boat-handling basics during three-hour on-water training courses at Freedom Boat Club Lake Norman, June 22 and 23 © Scott Croft
Want to learn the basics of powerboating or brush up on your skills?
The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water together with Freedom Boat Club Lake Norman offer a choice of two fun on-water boat training courses taught aboard single-engine powerboats: Intro to Boating and Women Making Waves. The courses will be held Saturday, June 22, and Sunday, June 23, at the club's location at 17505 West Catawba Avenue, Cornelius.
Both the Intro to Boating and Women Making Waves courses are three hours long and affordably priced at a discounted early bird rate of $119 per person through June 7, then $149 thereafter. Intro to Boating covers shifting and steering, basic docking, open-water handling and basic navigation, and is offered both days at 9:30 a.m.
The ladies-only course, Women Making Waves, offers the same curriculum and is the perfect opportunity to spend a half-day learning boat-handling techniques in a supportive environment. It's offered both days at 9:30 a.m.
Class size is limited to four students per vessel, ensuring that each student gets sufficient time at the helm under the watchful eye of a U.S. Coast Guard-certified instructor.
The goal of the BoatUS Foundation and Freedom Boat Club Lake Norman courses is to address the high costs typically associated with at-the-helm training, making hands-on boating education more accessible. The courses also offer area residents the chance to try out recreational boating and give boaters the opportunity to brush up on their boat-handling skills.
Space is limited. Must be 21 years or older. To sign up for a course or seek out others, go to BoatUS.org/On-Water.