MIAMI – The Coast Guard Auxiliary will instruct an About Boating Safely (ABS) course to 291 students and parents at TERRA Environmental Research Institute located at 11005 Southwest 84 Street, Miami, Florida 33173, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary, along with active duty guardsmen from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and representatives from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), will instruct the ABS program to students and parents who pre-registered for the program at TERRA to become better educated on basic boating fundamentals and recreational boating safety.
“The ABS program is a vital introductory course that has been instrumental in educating mariners about recreational boating here in south Florida,” said Lt. Michael Cortese, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, Florida. “The earlier we can emphasize the Coast Guard’s message of boating safely to our young men and women, the sooner we can embed boating safety awareness and practices in the minds of our future boaters.
Students, parents and invited guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a marine mart which will showcase vessels and air assets from Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Coast Guard Marine Safety and Security (MSST), FWC, and the City of Coral Gables Marine Unit.
“We are extremely proud to offer the ABS program to the students and parents of the TERRA in an on-going effort to proactively educate South Florida youths,” said Ed Dickson, marine science teacher at TERRA Environmental Research Institute and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Flotilla 61 of Homestead. “The attendees of this program have taken the initial step towards becoming safer boaters both on land and while underway.”
The Coast Guard Auxiliary’s ABS program is a basic boating course designed to introduce novice mariners to recreational boating. The program emphasis states boating laws and regulations and gives safety precaution tips. Florida residents who successfully complete this course receive a Florida Boating Safety Education card issued by FWC which entitles them to discounts on boaters’ insurance offered by many insurance companies to boaters who complete a FWC-approved boating safety course.
For more information on the Coast Guard Auxliary’s Boating Skills and Seamanship course, please visit http://www.cgaux.org/boatinged/.
The