The 2010 Boating Season is just around the cornor

Be prepared with a refresher course on safe boating...

February 4, 2010 - Orange Beach, AL - The schedule for the USCG Auxiliary Boating Safely classes for 2010 has been set. Classes have been scheduled for March 6th, April 10th, May 8th, June 5th and August 14th.

All classes will be held at the Orange Beach Community Center from 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM. Cost of the course is $35.00 which includes lunch. Class size is limited to 25 so sign up early. Please call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register for the March 6th class.

Qualified instructors from the USCG Flotilla 3-10 will be covering navigation, rules of the road (water), personal safety equipment, trailering boats, boating laws and boating for hunting, fishing and waterskiing. They will also provide hands on instruction on tying basic knots.

Open to everyone over the age of 12, the U.S. Coast Guard Approved Boating Safely
Course meets all qualifications for the Alabama Boat Operator’s License.

Click here to visit the USCG Auxiliary Flotilla's Website.

Be Ready for the 2009 Boating Season – Attend Boating Safely Course

The schedule for the USCG Auxiliary Boating Safely classes for 2009 is as follows: Saturday, March 7, April 4, May 9, June 6 and August 8.

All classes will be held at the Orange Beach Community Center from 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM. Cost of the course is $35.00 which includes lunch. Class size is limited to 25 so sign up early. Please call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register for the March 7 class.

Qualified instructors from the USCG Flotilla 3-10 will be covering navigation, rules of the road (water), personal safety equipment, trailering boats, boating laws and boating for hunting, fishing and waterskiing. They will also provide hands on instruction on tying basic knots.

Open to everyone over the age of 12, the U.S. Coast Guard Approved Boating Safely
Course meets all qualifications for the Alabama Boat Operator’s License.

Concerns with Proposed Idle Speed Zones to be Addressed

May 22, 2008

CONTACT: Bob Huffaker
334-242-3673

Due to concerns expressed by anglers in Alabama with the idle speed zone provision passed by the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board, Conservation Commissioner M. Barnett Lawley said the proposed regulation will not be enacted until those concerns are addressed.

“In no way was this proposal by the Board designed to penalize or encumber the fishermen of Alabama in any way,” Lawley said. “It’s was strictly a safety measure designed to keep boat wakes from harming boaters, anglers and property owners along our abundant waterways.”

The proposed regulation would establish idle speed-only zones within 100 feet of any vessel which is moored, anchored, or adrift outside normal traffic channels, or any wharf, dock, pier, piling, bridge structure or abutment, person in the water, or shoreline adjacent to a full-time or part-time residence, public park, public beach, public swimming area, marina, restaurant, or other public use area.

Lawley said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials are meeting with anglers to determine how to address the safety issues without causing hardships to the fishermen and boaters.

“If we cannot amend it to their satisfaction, then it will go no further,” Lawley said.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.

Boating Safely Course Scheduled for Saturday May 10th

The Boating Safely Course is open to everyone over the age of 12, the U.S. Coast Guard Approved Boating Safely Course meets all qualifications for the Alabama Boat Operator’s License.

Qualified instructors from the USCG Flotilla 3-10 will be covering navigation, rules of the road (water), personal safety equipment, trailering boats, boating laws and boating for hunting, fishing and waterskiing. They will also provide hands on instruction on tying basic knots.

The course will be held at the Orange Beach Community Center on Saturday, May 10 from 7:45 am to 4:00 pm.. Cost of the course is $35.00 which includes lunch. Class size is limited to 25 so sign up early. Call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register.

Safe Boating & Electronic Navigation Courses

Safe Boating Course
The Alabama South Coast Flotilla 3-10, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will teach a safe boating class on March 1, 2008 at the Orange Beach Community Center. The class begins at 7:45 AM and will finish by 4 PM. The cost of the course is $35 per person and includes lunch and a book with CD. Additional family members willing to share a book can attend for $10. Successful completion of this course qualifies the student for the Alabama Boater’s License. The class is limited to 25 students so advanced registration is a must. Please call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register.

This course covers most basic aspects of boating including the types of boats, trailering, refueling, boat handling, what to do in emergencies, the navigation rules of the road and boating laws. The course usually has a Marine Police Officer and an Active Coast Guard Boarding Officer to answer questions on boating laws.

Traditional and Electronic Navigation Course
The Alabama South Coast Flotilla 3-10, U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will teach a navigation class on March 8 at the Orange Beach Recreation Center. The class will begin at 0800 and should be completed by 4 PM. The cost of the class is $60 per person and includes lunch and the book “Weekend Navigator, Simple Boat Navigation with GPS and Electronics” by Bob Sweet with CD. The class is limited to 20 students. Please call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register.

This course starts with basic navigation skills such as reading and plotting coordinates on a chart and progresses to using electronic charts to plan and plot your course. The charting will be combined with GPS. This advanced course requires that the boater have had the basic boating class and be familiar with his or her own GPS. This class will not teach how to use any specific make or model of GPS.

Practice Safe Boating During the Cold Weather Months, Wear Your Life Jacket!

It's too hot!! I know how to swim! It's just not cool! Nothing will happen to me! These are some of the reasons boaters give for not wearing a life jacket. Let us give you some reasons why you should.

Do it for yourself and your family! Most boating fatalities are the result of capsizings or falls overboard when the victims were not wearing a life jacket. Expect the unexpected and wear a life jacket. Remember, it won't work if you don't wear it!

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