Coastal Cruising & Night Navigation

With so many great cruising locations on the Great Lakes, and beyond this Coastal Cruising course teaches how to safely venture beyond Illinois waters. The class focuses on the technical and risk management skills necessary to explore unfamiliar waters. You'll learn how to plan, prepare, and execute a multi-day cruising expedition.  If you are looking to charter a boat in a foreign country for your next vacation, then this is the class for you. This 20-hour course takes place on our CYA cruising yacht.

Day One: Planning the trip Vessel inspection Fueling procedures Safety checklists Passage planning Basic chart plotting Marine forecast interpretation

Day Two: Execute trip plan Cruising to Racine, WI or New Buffalo MI (students choice)
Open water driving, Coastal piloting, Chart plotting, Dead reckoning, GPS Storm strategies, Crew overboard recovery.
Once at the determined destination, students will practice anchoring and docking along with the protocol necessary to stay overnight at an unfamiliar marina. The class will then cruise back to Chicago with the ability to practice night navigation, electronics, and docking.

Prerequisites: Basic Powerboat Cruising | Ages 16-Adult

Certification(s) Earned: US Powerboating Inshore Powerboat Cruising certificate and US Powerboating Night Operations certificate

Cost: $1000 which includes all books and materials needed