A Successful Summer of Self-study Courses

Online Learning

Aug 28, 2025

As a follow-up to a successful summer of self-study course delivery, the classroom and online classroom season is fast approaching. 

A full range of introductory and advanced boat handling, navigation and technical courses is available, including an updated version of Near Shore Navigation, Seamanship and Coastal Navigation.

We would also like to draw your attention to a recent news release from the National Transportation Safety Board about a collision between a ferry and a pleasure craft in the St. Lawrence River.

Below is an excerpt from the news release and a link to the full release. 

The release reflects the opinions of many of our members, others in the boater safety/training community, who have concluded that the PCOC training is insufficient to prepare pleasure craft operators for boating on busy commercial waterways and an opportunity for CanBoat to market our basic and advanced courses, beyond the PCOC, to the boating community.

It is important to stress that in the Articles of Continuance, which is part of the Not for Profit Act, the Purpose of the Corporation is:

To establish high standards of navigation and seamanship, to provide training and study courses and facilities in the field of boating, seamanship, piloting, navigation and the safe handling of boats of all kinds and to cooperate with the agencies of Canada charged with enforcement of laws and regulations relating to navigation.

Excerpt from National Safety Transportation Board press release: The Board is concerned that current requirements for training and certifying pleasure craft operators do not provide them with the depth of knowledge necessary for safe navigation on high-traffic waterways.

Following an investigation in which a cargo vessel and a pleasure craft were at risk of collision in 2022 (M22P2098), the TSB conducted a national survey of marine pilots, which identified improved education and training for pleasure craft operators as the

For the complete release, click here.

Tom Beaver, for The National Education Team

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