Try boating or hone your boat handling skills with on-water powerboat training

Affordable, 3-hour on-water powerboat training courses are now offered by TowBoatUS Old Saybrook/Coastal Maritime Training in partnership with the non-profit BoatUS Foundation © BoatUS

The hands-on courses are taught aboard 24-foot single engine powerboats © BoatUS

Summer boating season has arrived. Have you ever wanted to try out boating, or are you a boat owner looking to improve your confidence behind the helm? TowBoatUS Old Saybrook/Coastal Maritime Training in partnership with the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water are offering affordable, 3-hour on-water powerboat training courses for just $199 - taught under the watchful eye of a U.S. Coast Guard licensed instructor. The hands-on courses are taught aboard 24-foot single engine powerboats.

Departing out of Ferry Landing Marina, "Intro to Boating" and "Precision Docking and Handling" are offered seven days a week through August, making them easy to fit into busy summer vacation schedules. Class size is just two students per vessel, ensuring each student gets quality time at the helm.

Both courses follow a National Safe Boating Council modular curriculum. "It is a sequential learning process that allows you to take Introduction to Powerboating for Beginners and build upon your skills by continuing with Precision Docking & Boat Handling," said Alan Dennison, program manager for the BoatUS Foundation.

The Introduction to Powerboating course teaches centering the wheel, shifting gears, following a predeparture checklist and station holding, or staying in one place while wind or current effect the boat. Precision Docking & Boat Handling covers 180-degree turnarounds, docking on port and starboard, departing from a dock, and how to keep watch and avoid distracted boating.

Minimum age to participate is 16 years old. BoatUS Foundation On-Water Training programs are offered at 21 locations across the U.S. Sign up at BoatUS.org/On-Water.