On-water Powerboat Handling Courses on Deck Sept. 20-23 at Norwalk Boat Show

Affordable on-water powerboat training at the Norwalk Boat Show includes “Intro to Boating,” “Women Making Waves,” and a course just for teens, “Junior Captain.” © Scott Croft

Want to learn the basics of powerboating or brush up on your skills? The non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water together with the Norwalk Boat Show, Freedom Boat Club and West Marine are offering three affordable on-water boat training courses during the show, held at Norwalk Marina, Sept. 20-23.

"Intro to Boating" and "Women Making Waves" are both three hours long and offered at $149. A program just for teens ages 13-17, "Junior Captain," is 90-minutes long and priced at $99. Adult class size is limited to four students per vessel, and teen boats are limited to three, ensuring each student gets sufficient time at the helm under the watchful eye of a U.S. Coast Guard-certified instructor.

Boats are provided by Freedom Boat Club Norwalk. The "Intro to Boating" course covers shifting and steering, basic docking, open-water handling and basic navigation. The ladies-only course, "Women Making Waves," offers the same curriculum and is the perfect opportunity to spend a half day learning boat-handling techniques in a supportive environment. Both courses are taught aboard 20-26 foot powerboats.

The "Junior Captain" program is offered under a partnership of National Safe Boating Council and Annapolis School of Seamanship and gives teens the opportunity to learn shifting, steering and throttle control, stopping, station holding, understanding the "weathervane" effect and how to use "the boater's eye" technique to safely navigate. It's taught aboard 14-foot rigid-hull inflatable boats.

The goal of the courses is to address the high costs typically associated with at-the-helm training, making hands-on boating education more accessible. The courses also offer area residents the chance to try out recreational boating and give boaters the opportunity to improve their boat-handling skills.

"Intro to Boating" and "Women Making Waves" are offered Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. "Junior Captain" begins Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Space is limited. Students for "Intro to Boating" and "Women Making Waves" must be 21 years or older. "Junior Captain" students must be ages 13-17. To sign up for any on-water training course from the BoatUS Foundation, go to www.BoatUS.org/On-Water.