Becoming an Instructor?
I have a passion for 'Doing things right' when it comes to boating. It's always nice to see when someone else does something correctly or well, and also nice to let them know you noticed. The UK inland waterways can be a little bit hit or miss when it comes to boating knowledge since there's no barrier to owning and using a boat besides being able to purchase one, and it's fairly common to come across boats on the wrong side of the river etc. Coastally, things seem better, and lakes too. I think it's due to the fact that a lot more boats in these places are sailboats, and whilst learning to sail, you usually get a lot more exposure to the rules of the road, etiquette, and common manoeuvres.
I once remember my boat was pinned to a jetty by wind, and I used 'Turning on a warp' and then a bow spring to exit the jetty successfully, avoiding all the other boats in close proximity.. And I overheard some boat neighbours commenting along the lines of 'What on earth is he trying to do.. I wonder if he knows he's still attached to the jetty'.
I've always enjoyed showing people how to use a boat, explaining how things work, and helping people learn, so recently I decided to start the process to become an instructor. I already have various base certifications in powerboating, sailing, and some other peripheral ones such as VHF radio, First Aid, and Navigation, athough my sailing skills are not yet quite at the standard required to teach, so I figured a powerboat would be a good place to start, I have many years of experience with powerboats and the relevant theory knowledge, and once qualified as an instructor, I can run courses at our sailing clubs to powerboat level 2.
The first step is to take the powerboat instructor skills pre-assessment, where a senior instructor will take you out on the water for half a day, and you have to demonstrate competency through performing a number of set-piece manoeuvres, and respond to some theory questioning. The assesment criteria lists the following;
Practical
- Hold off a mark
- Pick up and secure to a mooring buoy
- Moor alongside up/down tide
- Turn using warps
- Turn in a confined space
- Recover a man overboard
- Stop / Start engine
- Planing speed runs including 'Figure 8' and 'U' turns
Theory
- Powerboat Kit & it's uses
- IRPCS - Specifically: rules 5, 7, 8, 9, 12-18
- Charts, Chart Symbols, Pilotage / Passage Planning
- Buoyage
- Weather & Tides
- Emergencies - Mayday, Cold Shock & Immersion Hypothermia
The below site explains more about the pre-assesment and is a great preperation tool;
