Courses are both online and in person.

Our TWRA boating license course meets two nights for two hours each including the required exam. We teach from the TWRA booklet amplified and discussed with a Power Point Presentation. The course required outside study. You must pay an exam fee to TWRA at TWRA GoOutdoorsTennessee website or any business (license agent) that sells hunting and fishing licenses (Walmart, sporting goods, bait stores, marinas, etc.). You must have a TWRA wallet card if born after January 1, 1989. Contact Jeff Schmitt attiavare@gmail.com to register. 2026 schedule is

America’s Boating Course gives you the basics you need to get out on the water safely, and it meets most state boating education requirements. Boat Handling builds your competence and confidence on the water with an in-depth look at the practical boating skills. Marine Navigation and Advanced Marine Navigation give you the skills you need to get where you’re going using charts and marine electronics, as well as a knowledge of winds, currents, and tides. Offshore Navigation and Celestial Navigation, a must for oceangoing captains, teaches you about planning and monitoring your voyage using modern marine electronics and how celestial observations can help you estimate your vessel’s position with confidence. Cruising Under Power and Sail prepares you for a multi-day voyage. Engine Maintenance gives you information on how engines work and basic maintenance procedures, as well as how to recognize problems. Marine Electrical Systems provides information on Alternating and Direct current, as well as boat electrical systems. Marine Communication Systems explains the different types of radios and communication options. Radar for Boaters gives you basic information on radar. Sail lets you learn about basic sailboat designs and nomenclature, rigging, and safety from experienced sailors. Then tackle the physical aspects of all forces and techniques, sail applications, marlinespike, helmsman ship, and handling of difficult conditions. Weather is a detailed study of the causes of weather, various types of storms, clouds, and predicting weather.

We are developing a new course on Inland Boating.

Seminars:

Anchoring With Assurance, Boating on Rivers, Locks, and Lakes, Boating with Confidence, Confidence in Docking and Undocking, Emergencies on Board,Knots and Line Handling, Rules of the Road, How to Use GPS, AIS Electronics for Boaters, Introduction to Marine Batteries, Introduction to Navigation, Introduction to OpenCPN, Using Nautical Charts, Mariner’s Compass, Weather for Boaters, Hurricane Preparation for Boaters, Tides and Currents, Marine Weather Forecasting: The 500 Millibar Chart, Fuel and Boating, Crew At The Helm (spouses), Man Overboard, Propane Systems On Your Boat, All About Marine Radio, Paddle Smart, Trailering Your Boat, Crossing Borders, Cruising Boats and Systems, and Planning Your Cruise.

For an index of unofficial (not approved by America’s Boating Club ) free YouTube videos by Captain Farmer, see River/Navigation Videos – Sailing TOUCAN.