USPS Guides

USPS Guides are available to members and the public at various marine supply stores, and also directly from United States Power Squadrons Headquarters by calling 1-888-FOR-USPS between 8:30AM and 4:00PM ET Monday through Friday, or on-line via the United States Power Squadrons Ship's Store. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted. These guides are also available to USPS members at reduced rates through their Squadron Educational Officer.

For information on USPS Guides contact Bill Morris at 314-576-2887 or E-mail him.

BOAT INSURANCE Do you really know what marine losses are covered by your insurance policy? Don't be blind-sided by exceptions that come to your attention only after you suffer a loss. Know what you're buying. Here is what you need to know when you shop for boat insurance.

COMPASS ADJUSTING Can you trust your compass? Will it guide you home safely? Maybe, if it's properly adjusted. If not, it may give you a false sense of security and actually lead you into danger. Don't take chances. Here are the instructions for accurately adjusting your compass.

Global Positioning System (GPS) If you don’t own a GPS unit now, you probably will soon. Everybody's using GPS: boaters, hunters, anglers, commercial ship operators, drivers, and Co-op Charting enthusiasts. Determine your exact position anywhere on earth and plan the next leg of your journey. Here's a step-by-step guide that's easy to read and understand.

GGMDSS and Marine Radio, The Boat owner's Guide to The new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is revolutionizing emergency communications and international search and rescue at sea. In recognition of this leap forward, all new marine radios are now equipped with digital selective calling (DSC). The Boat owner's Guide to GMDSS and Marine Radio explains clearly and concisely how this revolutionary maritime 911 equipment works and describes the enormous advantages of digital VHF radio for ordinary communications with fellow boaters. The book comes with an interactive CD-ROM that shows you how to send emergency messages on a Class-D DSC equipped VHF radio, how to communicate with ships you want to avoid or whose assistance you need, how to call specific boats using digital selective calling, and how to set your digital receiver to "ring" so you will be alerted to incoming calls.

HOW TO FLY FLAGS What's the best and most nautically-correct way to fly flags on your boat? This colorful little booklet shows you everything you need to know: flying the US Ensign on any boat; displaying an officer's flag or a yacht club or squadron pennant; dressing ship for a parade or celebration; and more. You'll also see the correct way to display flags ashore—indoors and out.

KNOTS, BENDS AND HITCHES FOR MARINERS Published by International Marine/McGraw-Hill and richly illustrated with 200 fine drawings, this handy little how-to has something for every mariner. The essentials of the boater’s repertoire are here—the bowline, the sheet bend, the clove hitch, etc.—but so are such lesser-known gems as the hawser bend, the cow hitch, and many more.

KNOT TYING: THE BASIC KNOTS CD In cooperation with Beutner Multimedia, USPS has a CD available that effectively demonstrates marlinespike techniques — Knot Tying: The Basic Knots. The Basic Knots CD is packaged with two different colored pieces of light nylon line that help show when a knot (like the square knot) is correctly tied. Learn to tie 21 basic knots with this easy-to-use CD-ROM interactive reference. High quality video shows each and every step clearly. Knots demonstrated include the Square Knot or Reef Knot, Figure Eight, Bowline, Round Turn, Half Hitch and more. The demonstrations are well done and will be a terrific addition to your marlinespike reference library.

MARINE AMATEUR RADIO For anyone interested in using amateur radio on-board their boat this guide explains how to study for and obtain a license, how to select equipment and install it on board your boat, how to operate your radio for voice or Morse code communications, how to link up with onshore signal repeaters to extend your range and make personal phone calls, how to find and use ham marine radio nets to make position reports or request assistance, and even how to send and receive e-mail using ham radio. Ham radio offers many advantages to the recreational boater, and this well illustrated guide succinctly explains how to make the most of those advantages. The Marine Amateur Radio Guide is the first USPS book to be published by a commercial publisher and to be offered in commercial book stores world-wide.

NAVIGATIONAL ASTRONOMY Every mariner who ever put to sea has marveled at the millions of tiny lights in the night sky. Can they guide your passage? See what early sailors saw, share their wonders, dream their dreams, all with the help of this fun-packed, non-technical guide to stars, planets, and major constellations of the Northern Hemisphere.

PLOTTING AND LABELING STANDARDS How do you move your boat from here to there? Via the safest route? In the least time? With accurate, consistent, and rock-solid knowledge of your position? And, how can you reconstruct and repeat your passage, or tell the oncoming watch the course to steer, speed to make, and bearings to take? Plotting and labeling your course using standard symbols, labels, and abbreviations is the way to go. In easy-to-understand form, here they are and how to use them.

PREDICTED LOG GUIDE How does your boat handle and perform? Nobody knows better than you do, if you know how fast it travels at various engine/propeller speeds under different conditions. Predicted log contests pit your knowledge and skippering skills against the clock. How closely can you pre-determine the time it will take to travel each leg of a course? Competing against yourself and comparing your skills to those of other boaters, this fun competition hones your boat-handling skills.

For serious boaters, predicted logging offers a fine way to practice navigation skills while satisfying one’s competitive nature. The sport gives you a chance to join with other boaters on the water in developing good piloting habits along with enhancing enjoyment through social interaction. This edition of the guide is an update to the 1998 version, simplifying calculations and providing a practice contest on training chart TR1210 waters of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

SAILING, INTRODUCTION TO Ever wonder how a sailboat moves into the wind? Why some sailboats are faster than others? The basics of sailboat handling and performance are here in easy-to-understand language that will pique your curiosity and make you eager to set sail soon.

SIGHT REDUCTION METHODS Celestial navigation using the sun, moon, stars, and planets to plot your position and course is still a vital skill for every ocean-going yachtsman, even in this day of GPS navigation. Here is a guide to five important methods for converting your observations into the meaningful data that tells you exactly where you are.

SKIPPER SAVER Man overboard is not the only emergency that can occur on a boat, but it may be the most dreaded. Skipper Saver teaches your family members and friends what to do and how to operate the boat if you become disabled for any reason from a fall overboard to something as simple as a sprained ankle or seasickness. This guide is must-reading for anyone who may have to take over operation of a vessel in an emergency.

USPS NAUTICAL GLOSSARY You're reading an interesting book about boating and come across a new word or phrase. Where do you find the correct definition? This handy reference provides the definitions of over 1300 nautical words and phrases used by boaters, including those found in USPS courses and publications. It's easy to read and worth keeping handy.

WATER SPORTS Boating is fun, but there’s a lot more you can do on the water! Like skiing and windsurfing, to name a few. But, even these have safety rules, special equipment, procedures, and hand signals. Some seem so basic that it’s hard to find them in writing, but it’s important to know them to enjoy these sports safely. Here they are, in a booklet ready for use by long-time enthusiasts and beginners alike!