About the Program
The Boating Safety for Kids workshop is conducted for approximately 320 Seventh Graders of the Talbot County Public Schools, Maryland, over a five-day period in the Spring of each year.  The waterfront and classroom facilities of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and the Talbot County YMCA are used for to provide hands-on experience of skills and concepts in six 25-35 minute sessions in each workshop.

The workshops included safe boating practices such as proper stabilization in small craft; boating  laws and regulations;  use of nautical charts and related aids to navigation;  proper use of the radio to report accidents and other hazardous situations; responses to boating emergencies such as fire, crew over board, care of common boating injuries; hypothermia;  and environmental issues.  Students have opportunity to practice skills of throwing rescues, use of the radio, and entering and leaving small boats.  They also engage in simulated experiments that demonstrate environmental clean up, effects of cold water, sun, and alcohol on one’s ability to function safely, use of common navigation aids that can be found on local rivers, and selecting first aid equipment/supplies in readiness for potential/common injuries in, on and around the water.

Members of the MRSPS and its auxiliary, the Half Miles, organized in six teams provide instruction.  Each team is lead by a team leader who is responsible for planning, collecting needed equipment and materials and organizing instructors to deliver the specific topics assigned to the team.    Many of the members have completed multiple boating safety courses provided by the USPS that range from basic boating safety through celestial navigation.  The combination of study and years of practical experience in operating their own boats makes this a rich experience for Talbot County students who have easy access to navigable waters.      

Contact co-chair Marian Franck at dmfranck@atlanticbb.net for more information.