CA Safe Boating Card Class
Still need to get your CA Safe Boating Card? This is a new requirement that is being phased in for all California residents depending upon your age. By 2025 everyone who operates a boat with a motor will need a boater card. There’s a few ways to complete the requirement, but many involve paying for an in-person course.
Alternatively, the California Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) provides an e-book (and real paper ones, too!) For a home-study course. When you are ready, you can request a paper exam from DBW, complete it at home and send it back to DBW with $10 and you’ll get your CA Safe Boaters Card. BAADS will reimburse all skippers and chase boat drivers for the card.
To make it even easier, BAADS member and sailor extraordinaire, Chris Childers, has offered to provide some discussion and study sessions over Zoom this spring for folks interested in a little extra help. We will also talk about some real life examples of the practices and concepts that the book goes over.
Chris is a Level 3 certified Sailing Instructor through US Sailing, a certified Powerboat Instructor through US Powerboating, has a 100-ton Captain’s License with the US Coast Guard, is a lifelong boater and sailor and has worked in boating education for 20 years. He has run similar courses with other Bay Area sailing clubs and is excited to be able to provide the same for BAADS.
The course will run every other Tuesday evening this spring, beginning April 6 (followed by 4/20, 5/4 and 5/18) from 7:30-9pm. Sign-up here via google form. It’s open to all but use your discretion. We want to be able to have a constructive group discussion.
For those of you that are impatient, you can start right away! Use this link to the CA DPW website where you can access the e-book. If you want to request the paper exam straight away, instructions are on that page. Coach Chris recommends you request the exam first so you can guide your studying. The exam is open book and Coach Chris encourages you to fill in your exam as we study.