Small Boat Level 1 Instructor- In-Person Section

PLEASE NOTE

Registration for this section requires that you are already registered for a Small Boat Level 1 Instructor online section.
You will not be able to complete registration for an in-person section until you are registered for a Level 1 Online section the online section. Visit the Level 1 course page to find an online course before proceeding with your in-person registration.

Course Length

This is a 3-day, 30-hour course. Attendance at all course sessions is mandatory. Absence from any portion of the course excludes the instructor candidate from certification.

Minimum Age Requirement

All Candidates must have reached their 16th birthday within the calendar year that the course is being held in. Students under 18 years of age who complete the course will be designated as a Sailing Assistant until their 18th birthday. Please be aware that forging/lying about your age is a violation of the terms of this registration and is grounds for revocation of any or all US Sailing certifications

Prerequisites for Entrance into the Course

COMPLETION OF THE ONLINE SECTION OF THE LEVEL 1 COURSE
You are not eligible to attend an in-person section if the online section has not been completed.
COMPLETION OF TEACHING & COACHING FUNDAMENTALS ONLINE (TCFO)
You are not eligible to attend an in-person section if TCFO has not been competed.
CURRENT US SAILING MEMBERSHIP
Youth memberships are not applicable. Those with a family membership with only one (1) instructor in the family are eligible.
SAILING EXPERIENCE
Sailing experience in small boats, such as prams, dinghies, multi-hulls and small keelboats. Level 1 instructors must be able to sail any small boat sufficiently.
EXPERIENCE OPERATING A SAFETY BOAT
This skill will not be taught at the course. Instructor Candidates lacking adequate experience are HIGHLY encourages to seek opportunities for practice or attend a US Sailing Safe Powerboat Handling Course. Candidates not passing this portion of the course or other tests will receive a Plan of Improvement, re-testing for which carries a fee of $75.
ABILITY TO COMPLETE A LIFE JACKET & WATER COMFORT CHECK
Candidates will be asked to perform the following:
1. 1. Select and put on a properly fitting USCG approved life jacket.
  2. Step or jump into the water over your head.
  3. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute.
  4. Swim 25 yards parallel to the dock, if possible. The accepted swim strokes are: front crawl, breaststroke, side stroke, elementary backstroke, back crawl and butterfly, as defined by the American Red Cross.
  5. Exit from the water
CURRENT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOATING LAW ADMINISTRATORS (NASBLA) SAFE BOATING CERTIFICATION
Each state has different requirements and candidates have a responsibility to meet the boating laws of the state where the course is being held. In some states, online testing meets the criteria for NASBLA certification while other states require classroom work and do not recognize online testing. If you chose to take an online course, please be certain that the course you’ve chosen is NASBLA approved. Online courses that are not NASBLA approved will not be accepted. BoatUS is one provider of online courses. Click here to see all available Boat US courses. You can also earn your certification at one of US Sailing’s Safe Powerboat Handling Courses or see a current list of approved providers. Candidates holding a current USCG full or limited Master’s or OUPV license are exempt from this requirement.
COMPLETED COURSE REGISTRATION ACCOMPANIED BY FULL COURSE PAYMENT.
COMPLETED SAFETY BOAT SKILLS SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM
This will be provided to Instructor Trainer at the start of the course.

Requirements for Successful Completion of Course

ATTENDANCE AT ALL PORTIONS OF THE COURSE
Absence from any portion of the course excludes the instructor candidate from evaluation
SUCCESSFULLY PASSING THE FOLLOWING EVALUATED COMPONENTS
1. Personal and Interpersonal Skills
  Demonstrate professional conduct, an open-minded, positive and enthusiastic attitude, appropriate appearance (clothing, footwear and tidiness), participation in discussions, collaboration skills/team player, confidence and ease of manner.
2. Sailing Skills Practical Test
  Execute, with comfort and confidence: Rigging, leaving a dock/beach, starting, stopping and speed control, safety position, getting out of irons, sailing backward, tacking, jibing, steering with sails and weight, proper sail trim, judging laylines, capsize and overboard rescue, returning to dock/beach, unrigging.
3. Safety Boat Operation Skills Practical Test Execute, with comfort and confidence: system, equipment and starting checks, leaving and docking, high and low speed maneuvering, holding position upwind/upcurrent, backing, pivot turn (360 degree turn within boat’s length), anchoring and/or making fast to a mooring, overboard rescue and landing alongside a moored boat. (Tip: view animations of maneuvers)
4. Water Comfort Check
  Swim 50 yards in instructing clothing with a life jacket, tread water two minutes while performing a minor task (such as tying a knot). The accepted swim strokes are: front crawl, breaststroke, side stroke, elementary backstroke, back crawl and butterfly, as defined by the American Red Cross. Floating and treading water are not considered to be swimming strokes, and sculling or finning as a way of moving through the water while floating or treading is not considered to be a swimming stroke.
5. Marlinspike/Seamanship Practical Test
  Demonstrate ability to tie the following knots and hitches: Figure-8, bowline, square knot, sheet bend, clove hitch, two half hitches, rolling hitch, cleat hitch. Also coil and throw a line.
6. Classroom Presentation Practical Skills
  Demonstrate lesson preparation, with clear, logical and accurate content, good voice enunciation/clarity/volume/pace/pitch, good non-verbal communication (gestures and body language), effective visual aids, good timed presentation(s) with introduction, conclusion, demonstration, clarity and use of notes, use of multiple pathways techniques, and ease in handling questions.
7. Land Drill and Water Drill Teaching Practical Skills
  Demonstrate good class positioning, control and positioning of safety boat, demonstration skills, effective on-the-water communication, evaluation, and feedback technique.
8. A positive evaluation by the Instructor Trainer.

Course Outcomes

The determination as to whether a candidate passes or fails rests with the Instructor Trainer. The following are the potential course outcomes:

PASS
The Instructor Candidate has successfully completed each of the items listed under “Requirements for Successful Completion of Course.”
PLAN OF IMPROVEMENT (POI)
The Instructor Candidate has not demonstrated the necessary skills or knowledge to be certified.They will be provided with a Plan of Improvement (POI) to complete within 90 days from the date of issue with a current Instructor Trainer in the applicable discipline. The responsibility for arranging completion of a Plan of Improvement rests with the Instructor Candidate. When a Candidate is ready to retest for their POI they may submit payment via US Sailing’s website. Instructor Candidates will get only one chance to pass their Plan of Improvement; should they be unsuccessful in this attempt, they will have failed the course. The fee to complete an “on the water” Plan of Improvement is $75.00.
FAIL
The Instructor Candidate did not meet the standards to become a a Certified Instructor will be failed. An Instructor Candidate, who fails an evaluative course and would still like to become certified as an Instructor, may re-apply for a future course, at full cost, one year from the original course date provided that the reason for their failure was not due to Personal and Interpersonal Skills. Absence from any part of the evaluation session will exclude the Instructor Candidate from evaluation and be considered a course failure..
PLAN OF COMPLETION
US Sailing and US Sailing Instructor Trainers assume no responsibility for lack of wind or other acts of nature. If the Instructor Trainer’s were unable to complete the evaluation, Instructor Candidate’s are issued a Plan of Completion. Arrangements to fulfill the Plan of Completion must be done through the Education Department.There is no fee for completing a Plan of Completion. The Instructor Candidate is responsible for any additional travel-related expenses.

Course Materials

The following materials are provided for this course:

Small Boat Level 1 Instructor Manual (Learn Sailing Right! Beginner Sailing is embedded within it.)
Basic Powerboating, Safety and Rescue
Learn Sailing Right! Intermediate Sailing student book
Instructor Candidate Booklet which includes the Review questions for the Instructor Manual/Learn Sailing Right! and Powerboating tests.
Other course information as applicable.

All materials are delivered digitally unless hard copies are ordered during the registration process.

Certification Requirements

The following are obtained/maintained after certification is initially issued:

FIRST AID AND CPR CERTIFICATION
from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or and U.S. Coast Guard approved provider. Candidates do not need to complete the CPR/First Aid Training in advance of the Level 1 course, however a certification will NOT be valid unless accompanied by current First Aid and CPR.
VALID SAFESPORT CERTIFICATE.
This program, developed by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, is required training for all Instructors. This requirement is also being put in place for other National Governing Bodies. This free online training course must be completed every year. Instructor certification is not active unless SafeSport training has been completed.
CURRENT US SAILING MEMBERSHIP
CURRENT INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
US Sailing/US Powerboating Instructor Certifications are valid for three (3) years. Instructors need only re-certify at the highest level of certification they have achieved within each program.

Course Fees

The course registration fee for the Small Boat Level 1 Instructor in-person section is $325. Registration is on a first pay basis. US Sailing will not reserve spots without full payment.

Course Transfers

Course fees are nonrefundable but are transferable to another course up to 1 week prior to the course start date. Course Transfers are not available within the week of the course start. Fees are not transferable to another candidate. The fee for all transfers is $25.00.

To transfer into a different session:

Log in to your US Sailing account here: MyUSSailing
Select the My Certs and Courses tab from the options on the left, then click the transfer link.
Submit Payment details
Confirm transfer

US Sailing reserves the right to cancel, postpone, abandon or change the venue, date and time of the course should unforeseen circumstances occur or course minimums are not reached. In the event the course is unable to proceed, a course credit will be made available which is good for one (1) year or you may choose a refund.

WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

For and in consideration of the undersigned’s participation in any US Sailing instructor course (“Event” or “Events”), sponsored by US Sailing (the “Organization”), hosted by various Host Clubs/Organizations (the “Hosts”), and taught by a US Sailing certified Instructor Trainer (“IT”), I, for myself, and on behalf of my spouse, children, heirs and next of kin, and any legal and personal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns, hereby agree to and make the following contractual representations pursuant to this Agreement (the “Agreement”):

RULES AND REGULATIONS: I hereby agree to abide by the rules, regulations, and policies of the Organization, Host, and IT including any and all COVID-19 related safety measures required by the Organization and/or Host.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISK: I knowingly, willingly, and voluntarily acknowledge the inherent risks associated with the sport of sailing and attendance at an Event, and that participation in any Event involves risks and dangers including, without limitation, the potential for serious bodily injury (including broken bones, head or neck injuries), sickness and communicable disease, trauma, pain & suffering, permanent disability, paralysis and death; loss of or damage to personal property; exposure to extreme conditions and circumstances; accidents involving other participants, event staff, volunteers or spectators; contact or collision with other participants or natural or manmade objects; adverse weather conditions; facilities issues and premises conditions; failure of protective equipment; inadequate safety measures; participants of varying skill levels; situations beyond the immediate control of the Event organizers and competition management; and other undefined, not readily foreseeable and presently unknown risks and dangers (“Risks”). Special note regarding COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. Risks under this Agreement include the potential for exposure to communicable diseases such as COVID-19, an extremely contagious virus that spreads from person-to-person contact. The Organization has taken preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, attending or participating in an Event could increase your risk of contracting COVID-19 which may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK: I understand that the aforementioned Risks may be caused in whole or in part or result directly or indirectly from the negligence of my own actions or inactions, the actions or inactions of others participating in the Events, or the negligent acts or omissions of the Released Parties defined below, and I hereby voluntarily and knowingly assume all such Risks and responsibility for any damages, liabilities, losses, or expenses that I incur as a result of my participation in any Events. I also agree to be responsible for any injury or damage caused by me or any agents under my direction and control at any Event.
RELEASE: In consideration of my participation in any Event, I hereby release from liability and waive any claims against the Organization, ITs, and Host(s) of the Event, its licensees, competition managers, promoters, sponsors, advertisers, beneficiaries, venue providers, and supporting organizations, together with the officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and contractors of them (the “Released Parties” or “Event Organizers”), with respect to any liability, claim(s), demand(s), cause(s) of action, damage(s), loss, or expense (including court costs and reasonable attorney fees) of any kind or nature (“Liability”) which may arise out of, result from, or relate in any way to my participation in the Events, including claims for Liability caused in whole or in part by the negligent acts or omissions of the Released Parties.
COMPLETE AGREEMENT AND SEVERABILITY CLAUSE: This Agreement represents the complete understanding between the parties regarding these issues and no oral representations, statements or inducements have been made apart from this Agreement. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this Agreement and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

I HAVE CAREFULLY READ THIS DOCUMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY, UNDERSTAND ALL OF ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND KNOW IT CONTAINS AN ASSUMPTION OF RISK, RELEASE, AND WAIVER FROM LIABILITY.

If you wish to submit a hard copy of this Waiver, Release, and Assumption of Risk instead, please print and mail a signed copy to education@ussailing.org

By signing below, I (as the participant or as the Parent/Legal Guardian of the minor identified below) hereby accept and agree to the terms and conditions of this Agreement in connection with my (or the minor’s) participation in any Event.

Participant Signature: ___________________________________ Printed Name: ____________________________ Date:________________

Parent/Legal Guardian Signature (required if participant is under the age of 18): ______

Parent/Legal Guardian Printed Name: ____________________________________________________ Date:__________________

By clicking below, I (as the participant or as the Parent/Legal Guardian of the minor identified below) hereby accept and agree to the terms and conditions of this Agreement in connection with my (or the minor’s) participation in any Event.

Register

Registration is only accepted via our online registration system. Should you need assistance, please contact info@ussailing.org Register securely online below.