Boat handling is the set of skills that move a vessel safely: controlling direction, managing speed, reading waves and current, docking and mooring, turning in tight water, trimming, and being ready when something goes wrong. Sometimes it is as simple as taking the boat from the slip to the fuel dock.
Training happens where you actually boat
We provide personalized training and vessel orientation directly onboard your own boat, and the crew travels to your homeport to do it. Every boat is different — the panel, the thrusters, the way she backs down in a crosswind — and instruction on someone else’s vessel does not transfer cleanly to yours.
The ideal training scenario is a delivery. Owners are welcome to join us for all or part of a passage, and days of continuous running teach more than any afternoon at the dock can. New owners who ride along come off the boat genuinely able to run her.
Training can also be extended into an insurance check ride, where the captain signs off that you are familiar with the installed systems and competent to handle the vessel.
Curriculum
What gets covered
Tailored to your vessel and your experience — a first-time owner and a seasoned boater on an unfamiliar boat need different days.
01
Basic navigation
Navigational aids and buoyage, chart reading, and working the GPS, chartplotter and the rest of the electronics actually fitted to your boat.
02
Handling and maneuvering
Docking, anchoring, and turning in tight water. Effective fender placement and the right way to tie a vessel in each situation.
03
Safety procedures
Emergency procedures, correct use of the safety equipment aboard, and the waterway regulations that apply where you run.
04
Rules of the road
A working understanding of boating law. For the full picture, take a captain’s course — this covers what you need to stay safe and legal.
05
Vessel systems orientation
Fuel tanks and filling, the electrical panel, the generator, switching between shore power and generator at the bus bar, engines, gear, sea cocks and strainers, fluid levels, and plumbing down to the sewage pump-out.
06
Weather and environment
Reading forecasts and understanding what weather does to your boat, so you can pick your days. A day on the water is not always better.
07
Communication equipment
VHF marine radio procedure, plus compasses and radar — the tools you need when the screens stop being enough.
