US Sailing has been awarded grant funding from the U.S. Coast Guard to facilitate a process by which a team of diverse subject experts from across the recreational boating community develop entry level, skill-based performance standards for recreational boat operation. An objective grant facilitator is designing and managing the collaborative development of SAIL, POWER and HUMAN propelled standards that will eventually be recognized by the US Coast Guard for incorporation in recreational boating training programs nationwide.
USCG Project Experts Launch National Sail Standards Survey
Portsmouth, RI (February 15, 2013) — A team of experts assembled with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) grant funding seeks national content validation of a set of entry level, skill-based sailboat operation standards. This is your opportunity to impact the development of recreational sailboat operation standards across the country by completing this on-line survey.
WHAT: The National On-Water Standards Team, funded by USCG grants, is seeking input from recreational sail boating educators across the nation on a first-round set of standards to be used to assess the performance of sail boating skills at the entry level. Following the survey, the standards will be updated to reflect input from sail boaters nationwide and eventually validated and updated though a national field-testing program
WHERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/853DBTY
WHEN: The survey will be conducted February 15 – March 14, 2013.
WHO: Recreational sailing enthusiasts and especially those with experience in On-Water teaching or training are urged to participate in an ON-LINE survey designed to collect feedback on the content of these entry-level, skill-based standards for sail boating.
WHY: By completing this survey you will have a voice in the design of a national set of sail standards for recreational boaters in the US. This effort is part of the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) vision of a National System of Standards for Recreational Boat Operation – that will organize both in-classroom and On-Water standards within a comprehensive system of recreational boating education. The system will address standards for three domains of recreational boating: SAIL, POWER and HUMAN propulsion.
An impartial professional facilitator is spearheading the project so that all recreational boating constituencies are equally represented in the organization of this system. Long term, the USCG anticipates that these consensus-built standards will be recognized as components to be incorporated in any recreational boating education program.
CONTACT: For more information, please contact K. Brian Dorval at 716-994-2842 or brian@thinkfirstserve.com