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14 Weeks every Tuesday (ending on January 25, 2011, with a break for the holiday season)
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A course for all seasons! The study of weather is both fascinating and satisfying. This course covers many aspects of the formation and behavior of the weather around us. The skills you will develop from this course will serve you for a lifetime. With practice, you will be able to make short term forecasts - even challenge the professionals as to who better predicts the weather in your local area. Topics covered: How the Sun Causes Weather; What Causes the Wind To Blow?; Water in the Atmosphere; Clouds—The Signposts of the Skies; Fronts and Frontal Weather; Thunderstorms and Tornadoes; Forecasting the Weather.
While meteorology itself is quite technical in nature, Fundamentals of Weather is presented in a clear, straightforward manner that eliminates much of the jargon. You'll come to learn how to recognize clouds and what they portend; understand why "red sky at night" is indeed a sailor's delight; and much more.
Captain William Spry Community Center Conference Room 3 Halifax, Nova Scotia
15 Weeks every Wednesday (ending on February 3, 2011, with a break for the holiday season)
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The new Sailing Course, adopted from the USPS Sail 2009 course, provides the knowledge required to operate a sailboat safely. It will acquaint the beginner sailor with day-sailing in protected waters, while allowing experienced sailors to sharpen their skills. The course has 4 main sections: The Sailboat (Rigs and Plans; Design; Standing and Running Rigging; Sail types and cuts); The Forces (Stability; Balance; Wind...); Techniques of Sailing (Tuning; Up and Downwind sailing; Spinnaker handling; Heavy weather sailing...); and Boat Operation (Docking and Anchoring; Safety; Navigation rules...)
Whether you are a sailboat skipper, a seasoned or new crew member, or even just contemplating buying a sailboat, this a course not to be missed!
Captain William Spry Community Centre Conference Room 3 Halifax, Nova Scotia
15 Weeks every Wednesday (ending on February 3, 2011, with a break for the holiday season)
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Whether you are interested in powerboats, sailing vessels or kayaks, this course is for you! The Boating Course provides in-depth boat operation and safety training. Offering significantly more information than is found in the short BoatPro/PCOC course, Boating is the essential basis course for anyone planning to handle a vessel on our Atlantic waters. As well, you will be introduced to the challenge of plotting and navigation.
Successful completion of the accredited midterm exam awards you your Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC). By passing the final Boating Course exam you will have learned additional skills that allows you to join Canada’s largest association of recreational boating enthusiasts with the benefits of a full CPS membership.
Sign up for this, the CPS flagship course. Better yet, enroll the family!
Register before October 1st and take advantage of our early bird discount!
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia
Instructor: Norman Raine (coauthor of the new updated course material)
13 Weeks every Monday (ending on February 14, 2011, with a break for the holiday season)
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The full enjoyment of boating includes both the pleasure of using the boat and the satisfaction of properly maintaining it. To many boaters, working on their boat is part of the fun, to say nothing of the savings in costs.
All boats need maintenance to correct for the gradual deterioration from wear and tear, let alone exposure to the elements. A boater should be constantly on the alert for signs of vessel degradation, and make repairs while the problem is minor.
From spark plugs to bottom paint, this course covers all the basics for DIY boaters.
Captain William Spry Community Centre Conference Room 3 Halifax, Nova Scotia
The new full colour Seamanship Course is an advanced level course which furthers your pleasure by strengthening your boating skills. Through this course you will develop and extend the navigation and vessel-handling techniques introduced in the Boating Course.
Traditional navigation, GPS fixes and Way Points are studied, along with the introduction of Deviation. You will learn how to interpret charts, apply the DR plot, use bearings, fixes, running fixes, the Collision Regulations, and apply plotting and labeling in both True and Magnetic, as adopted by the Training Department. Students will apply these navigation skills in three homework cruises and in the take-home cruise examination.
Seamanship also explains the skills needed to understand the hazards of weather, wind, waves, tides and tidal currents, and how to deal with them. And since unforeseen circumstances can arise at sea, such as man-overboard or medical emergencies, the Seamanship course addresses the where and how of acquiring the skills to deal with potentially such life-threatening situations. And, of course, you will “learn the ropes” - from knots, hitches and bends, to splices.
Captain William Spry Community Centre Conference Room 2 Halifax, Nova Scotia
To roam upon the seas has long been a dream of many adventurous sailors. In today’s fast paced life, the sea remains one of the few places where one can explore our planet while making a personal journey as well. And to make port successfully after a long sea voyage using your own boat and skills is a great accomplishment, especially as offshore sailors must be able to fill the roles of helmsperson, navigator, plumber, meteorologist, shipwright, radio operator, cook, doctor, sailmaker, mechanic and diplomat. A combination of knowledge and experience coupled with the essential traits of patience and planning will lead towards rewarding voyages.
The Extended Cruising course helps establish the skills required for you to seek distant shores. Individual course sections are taught by several highly-experienced offshore sailors. Topics include: The Boat;The Sails; The Well-found Vessel; Passage Planning; Passage Making; Oceanography and Weather; Instrumentation; Adverse Conditions.
Sign up for the Extended Cruising Course and come one step closer to fulfilling that dream!
Captain William Spry Community Centre Conference Room 3 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recommended Prerequisite: Piloting/Seamanship and Advanced Piloting
Instructor: Mannie Laufer
15 weeks every Tuesday (ending May 17, 2011)
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The new Junior Navigator (JN) and the succeeding Navigator (N) courses, both developed by our American cousin, the USPS, are designed for those of you who will be sailing far from sight of land. The program deals with both traditional and modern (electronic) navigational methods; it draws on skills you have acquired from the Seamanship and Advanced Piloting courses, developing them further.
Designed as a practical "how to" program, subject matter in JN includes: Introduction to the principles on which celestial navigation is based; The marine sextant - how to select one, care for it, and use it to take sights of the sun; Route planning using both paper and electronic chart formats, including the Maptech program (CD included); Weather information, its sources and electronic media; and much more....
By the end of JN, you will be able to plan an offshore voyage, find position at sea and, since electronics can fail, use celestial navigation to obtain a running fix. And you will be ready for the ensuing Navigator course where you will learn more advanced techniques for getting fixes from other celestial bodies and sights. By the end of the complete program, you will be confident to undertake the navigation of an offshore voyage, from pre-trip planning to final arrival.
Captain William Spry Community Centre Conference Room 2 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Another chance to take the CPS Boating Course. Whether you are interested in powerboats, sailing vessels or kayaks, this course is for you! It provides in-depth boat operation and safety training. Offering significantly more information than is found in the short BoatPro/PCOC course, Boating is the essential basis course for anyone planning to handle a vessel on our Atlantic waters. As well, you will be introduced to the challenge of plotting and navigation.
Successful completion of the accredited midterm exam awards you your Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC). By passing the final Boating Course exam you will have learned additional skills that allows you to join Canada’s largest association of recreational boating enthusiasts with the benefits of a full CPS membership.
Sign up for this, the CPS flagship course. Better yet, enroll the family!
Register before February 1st and take advantage of our early bird discount!
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sign up with a special discount for taking all three electronic navigation courses: GPS, Electronic Chartplotting and RADAR.
Learn how to use your electronic equipment to its full potential. Make an educated decision when buying new equipment or upgrading the existing electronic navigation aids on your boat.
A must-take course for any serious boater!
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia
4 Weeks every Thursday (final exam on March 3, 2011)
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This course will introduce you to the versatile Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. You will learn simple explanations of the system which makes GPS such an effective navigational aid and methods of extracting the maximum navigational information from your equipment.
Improved position information, course planning and real time speed/direction data improves your boating safety and cruise enjoyment but reduces transit time and fuel consumption.
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia
4 Weeks every Thursday (final exam on March 31, 2011)
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This course takes over where Navigating with GPS leaves off, with the more advanced features of electronic charting. Learn about the different kinds of electronic charting, how they were developed, their advantages and disadvantages, and how to use them in a practical manner.
Get the latest information about connecting your GPS to a laptop, desktop, PDA or tablet computer, and the use of navigational programs for computers. You get practical knowledge by using an electronic charting program that is included on the accompanying CD with over 200 electronic charts.
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia
5 Weeks every Thursday (final exam on May 5, 2011)
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This course covers the different types of RADAR equipment, including their capabilities and limitations. Understand the available features and how they apply to your needs. Learn to navigate using RADAR, and to determine where you are.
Captain William Spry Community Centre CMR Halifax, Nova Scotia