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Understanding the Facts and Figures of Ocean Pollution

Ocean pollution is a harmful side-effect of our land-based activities, and if we don’t work hard to keep our oceans clean, the future of our planet will look very bleak indeed. Since our oceans are such an important feature of the planet’s ecosystem, unhealthy seas make for unhealthy residents. That’s why it’s essential for us…

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Boating Courses Online

Online boating courses can be a great tool to help you as a boater. You’ll need to get your safety certification but there are plenty of other online boating courses that can improve your knowledge base as well. It can be daunting to track down all the potential licenses, certifications and general information you may…

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Nautical Know How Basic Boating Safety Certification Final Exam

To take the final exam online:  This is the quickest way to receive your documents. You will also know right away whether you have passed or failed. If you cannot take the final exam online, you can print and mail this exam. This option is much slower than taking the final exam online . INSTRUCTIONS : After you have…

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What You Need to Know About Boat Capacity Plates

A large number of deaths and injuries on the water are caused by overloading boats. There were 57 deaths in 2019 alone as a result of this. Many boaters are not aware of the capacity of their boat. They are unfamiliar with capacity plates. Some boaters do not know what their boat capacity plate states….

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Understanding Different Kinds of Boat Propulsion

Anyone can look at an aluminum fishing boat and a yacht and know that they are not the same. Not only is the purpose different, and the look, but how it moves. Boat propulsion depends on a number of factors. Some boats obviously need more powerful motors than others. Some are faster and more efficient…

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How To Measure A Boat

At first glance you might think that measuring boat length is a simple process. Like everything else, you just measure from the tip to the other end, right? But there is more to it than all of that. In fact, there are different ways to measure a boat that will give you different measurements. These…

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State Boating Regulations

  State Boating Regulations State Boater Education Requirements You need to know the boating laws and regulations in the states where you boat. This link will direct you to your State’s own State specific information and quiz, if available.   California Florida Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Mississippi Nebraska Nevada North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania…

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Learn How to Sail: The Basics

Learning how to sail a sailboat can’t really be done online. Sailing is truly a hands-on skill. But you can learn the basics of sailing and apply them to your next time out at sea. From how to cut your sails to proper rigging techniques to just what the various parts of a sailboat do,…

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How to Navigate in Restricted Visibility

Operating a boat during times of restricted visibility can be dangerous. Whether at night or during mist and fog. If you can’t see you need to be cautious. For this reason, safety signals have been devised. You need to rely on light signals and sound signals. Knowing the meaning of these light signals and sound…

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Boat Navigation Rules

The rules of boat navigation are critical for ensuring safe boating. Part of being a responsible boat owner is knowing the rules of the road. That term, rules of the road refers to the Collision Avoidance Regulations or COLREGS. The rules of the road are just what they sound like. They word just as the…

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Understanding Aids To Navigation

Navigational aids can be found throughout coastal waters, inlets, harbors and more to help you boat safely and efficiently. Understanding what these aids to navigation mean is therefore vital to making the most of your time on the water. You’ll be expecting other boats to follow these navigational aids and they’ll be expecting the same…

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The Importance of Boat Ventilation

Ventilation is rarely something most of us give a second thought to. But on a boat, it can literally be a life or death issue. How you ventilate your boat is of vital importance. It’s also something that must follow specific, legal guidelines as well. Because of that, you’re going to want to know exactly…

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How to Register Your Boat

Boat registration is required for all motorized vessels. It is a required part of boat ownership. In some states you may require the title as well. If you need to register your boat, it may not be as hard as you think. In fact, you can probably register your boat online. The process to sign…

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Pollution Regulations

Over the years, numerous laws have been put in place with an eye towards environmental protection. A big portion of that means protecting the oceans. The oceans added $307 billion to the U.S. GDP and supported 3.3 million jobs in 2017. Much of this comes from tourism and fishing. It’s vital that we do what…

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Kawasaki Jet Ski

The Complete Guide to Personal Watercraft

A Personal Watercraft (PWC) is a small vessel which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing or kneeling on it. The US Coast Guard defines it as an inboard boat and it uses a water jet pump as the primary source of motive power.   A PWC is not a toy despite the…

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TVMDC Explained

  TVMDC is a kind of acronym known as a mnemonic initialism. It’s an easy to remember abbreviation word. That means each letter in the acronym stands for the first word in a longer term. It stands for true heading, variation, magnetic heading, deviation, compass heading. Sometimes it will be called true variation magnetic deviation…

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Distance, Speed, Time Worksheet

Coastal Navigation Course Chapter VI Distance, Speed, Time Worksheet Remember: Convert Minutes to Decimals (and back) and Round Answers Distance: Speed: Time: 1. 15.0 nm 8.6 1 hour 45 minutes = 1.75 hours Calculation: D ÷ T = S – 15.0 nm ÷ 1.75 hours = 8.57 kts 2. 12.5 nm 7 kts 1 hour 47…

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The 10 Best Mold and Mildew Cleaners

Mildew is the scourge of many boaters. This fungus will flourish in the conditions presented to it on many boats. It needs a dark, damp place with lots of moisture. Poor air circulation and cool temperatures also help. Your fishing boat is a prime breeding ground. Even your carpets and personal flotation devices are at…

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Coastal Navigation Course

This course will prepare you for the navigation portion of the U.S.C.G. captain’s license exam. It will also prepare you for the Coastal Navigation Standard Exam (ASA 105). And, it will show you how to get your boat to your favorite waterfront restaurant, safely and on time. The navigation course is a combination of a…

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Nebraska Boating Regulations

Nebraska Boating Regulations This section contains information on Nebraska Boating Regulations that are in addition to the Federal Requirements covered in the Basic Boating Course . If you have not reviewed the course material, please do so now. All Federal Requirements in the basic boating course apply to Nebraska; this section lists Nebraska Boating Requirements…

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Heading vs Course vs Bearing

How many times have you heard someone discuss where they’re going in a boat and drop the words heading or bearing or course or track? We’re on track to the marina. We’re on a heading due south. On a course to meet a friend. Bearing north at 12 knots. Whatever it might be, they’re generally…

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What You Need to Know About the U.S.C.G. License Exam

All captains are mariners, but not all mariners are captains. If you want to become a USCG licensed captain, there is a testing process you can go through. You need to gain experience on a boat. When you feel you are ready, then it’s time to take an official U.S. Coast Guard license exam. When…

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Search MIC Database

You may remember reading in a past tip that the first three letters of the Hull Identification Number are a three letter code that identifies the manufacturer. To decipher the code and determine the manufacturer of a boat, click on the link “USCG Manuf. ID Code (MIC)” and you will find a page similar to…

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How to use dividers

Navigation Tools How to use dividers Using dividers and the latitude scale on your nautical chart, you are able to measure distance in nautical miles. (Remember, do not use longitudes to measure distance. Longitude lines converge at the poles and the distance between them changes relative to your position on the earth.) One minute equals…

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How to use parallel rulers

How to use parallel rulers Parallel rulers are used to plot direction on your nautical chart. They are, essentially, two straight-edges hinged so that they maintain the same angle. By alternating the moving edge, and securely holding down the non-moving edge, you can move the rulers about the chart while still maintaining the same angle….

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Swap Fathoms to Feet with Our Quick Conversion Calculator

Do you know how many feet are in a fathom? Our fathoms to feet calculator makes the conversion quick and easy. Convert Fathoms to Feet with Our Calculator The calculator is very straightforward. Simply type in the number of fathoms in the first calculator or feet in the second to convert from one to the…

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Nautical And Statute Mile Calculator And Conversions

Statute Miles vs. Nautical Miles How to convert nautical miles to miles and miles to nautical miles: A statute mile is 5,280 feet in length. A nautical mile is 6,076.11549… feet in length.   To convert from statute to nautical miles a factor of 1.15 is generally used, even though it is not precise. (5,280…

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CHART SCALES

A nautical chart is far more in depth than a standard map. Nautical charts contain a lot of useful information. A typical map may just show you the distance from one place to another. Nautical maps and charts use NOAA data to show much more than distance. Whether they’re paper charts or electronic, they offer…

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Marlinespike – Terminology

Confused when trying to learn new knots? We’ve put together some basic rope and knot terminology to help keep you from being confused the next time you try picking up a new style of knot.   Bitter end: the free end of a line Standing part: the longer part of a line which is fixed…

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The Ultimate Guide to Line Handling and Stowing

Line handling and stowing is an important but often overlooked part of boating. Knowing how to neatly and safely manage and store your lines will ensure a much easier time on your boat with less hassle and less cost in the long run. Learning how to handle and stow your lines keeps everyone on board…

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