Boater safety course aims to make this summer safer - KOAM TV 7

As area boaters prepare for some fun in the sun an organization is trying to make sure this summer is a safe one.

A group called the United States Power Squadrons encourages boaters to participate in a safety course.  The USPS is a not-for-profit recreational boating organization offering free boating safety courses.

The Boater Operator Certificate Program is one of the many courses offered.

Today the class of four put the skills they learned in the classroom for four weeks to use out on the water.

After the instructor of the class demonstrated some of the trickier safety tactics he allowed the students to test their knowledge.

The hands on training is a new part of the course and students say it is the most effective.

"We used to have our classroom work all the time but we never went out on the water and I can remember I took my first course and I thought 'well, gee, I learned this in the book, how do I do it in the water?'" says boating instructor Larry Stout.  "So we added this component now.  The USPS - the United States Power Squadrons - has that set up where we can do it on the water and it's a big asset."

For more information about the America's Boating Course and other organized boating activities visit the United States Power Squadron website:  http://www.usps.org/grandlake