America's Boating Club meeting needs of growing segment with Spanish-language course offerings

America's Boating Club announces Comprehensive Boating Courses for Spanish speakers © Andrew Golden

United States Power Squadrons® - America's Boating Club® announced that its comprehensive, all-encompassing America's Boating Course is now offered in Spanish. Produced under a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Course provides Spanish-speaking boaters with education on a variety of boating and boat handling topics.

A 2017 study published by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and Discover Boating revealed that Hispanic boaters represent a fast-growing, emerging market of first-time boat buyers. To meet this growth and expand on its mission to provide education to responsible boaters, America's Boating Club's popular America's Boating Course is available online for the first-time to Spanish speakers.

The course has helped thousands of boaters across the United States achieve state boating licensure and seeks to ensure that new boaters are well-prepared and practicing safe standards on the water. Throughout America's Boating Course, students will receive a detailed education in Spanish on topics such as basic boating terminology, weather situations and rules of responsibility to name a few. Through the online format, students will learn using interactive videos and graphics for a fun, innovative learning experience. The printed full-color, 288-page guidebook serves as an important supplement to the online course that offers expansive imaging and broad coverage of all topics that boaters will be able to keep with them on their vessels for reference.

"America's Boating Club tries to adapt to an ever-changing, growing boating community," said Gary Cheney, chief commander, United States Power Squadrons. "As soon as we learned of the recent NMMA study, we knew that we wanted to try to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking boaters. America's Boating Club, with the help of the Coast Guard, wants to extend necessary boating knowledge to as many people as possible and this is one step towards that overall goal. If we can get new boaters excited about spreading their knowledge and joining their local Squadrons, this is a bonus for us."

The Course can be accessed online through the America's Boating Club website. Those interested in taking the course don't need to be members. With a low cost of $34.95 in most states, America's Boating Course includes an online exam that assesses a thorough understanding of covered material before course completion - proof of education that is a pre-requisite to some state operating permits.

To learn more information and to register for these courses, please visit americasboatingclub.org/education-matters. The registration page gives users the option of Spanish translation.

For more information about the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, please visit www.uscgboating.org.