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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2001
TREASURE ISLAND -- The Boca Ciega Sail & Power Squadron is offering a four-session evening course in safe boat handling for Treasure Island and surrounding communities.
The Boat Smart course is designed to provide a basic understanding of boating "dos and don'ts."
Classes will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesdays beginning June 13 at the Treasure Island City Hall Auditorium, 120 108th Ave. Each session will last about two hours.
Boat ownership is not required to attend a Boca Ciega squadron course. Classroom lectures and self-study lessons cover safe handling of sail and power craft, anchoring, tying basic knots, chart reading, plotting courses, radio use, emergency procedures and general safety. Aids to navigation, such as buoys and range markers, also are explained.
Students pay $20 for the course manual and materials, and additional students in the same family pay $3 for an extra homework packet. Graduates may be eligible for a discount on their marine insurance.
The Boca Ciega Sail & Power Squadron, a unit of the U.S. Power Squadrons, teaches boaters and those interested in boating the skills they need for safe boating. More than 4-million people have taken the course since it was introduced.
For more information, call Don Rife at 397-0572.