BoatUS On-Board Training Offered in Alabama

The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, together with Freedom Boat Club Gulf Coast and the The Wharf Boat & Yacht Show, are offering two at-the-helm on-water training courses for beginners and women on March 20 to 22 at the Wharf Boat and Yacht Show in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Taught aboard single-engine powerboats and offered in the morning and afternoon, “Intro to Boating” and “Women Making Waves” are three-hours each, priced at $129 and include show admission. Class size is limited to four students per vessel. “Intro to Boating” covers shifting and steering, basic docking, open-water handling and basic navigation. The ladies-only course “Women Making Waves” offers the same curriculum but is open for women only. Both courses are offered Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 22, at 10:30 a.m.

The goal of the courses is to address the high costs typically associated with at-the-helm training, making hands-on boating education more accessible. The courses also offer area residents the chance to try out recreational boating and give current boaters the opportunity to improve their boat-handling skills.

Space is limited. Students must be 21 years or older. All of the course details and signup can be found at BoatUS.org/OrangeBeach.