OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Oceanside-area boaters now have a lower-cost path to earning their Boat Operator Certification, as America’s Boating Club Oceanside (San Luis Rey Sail & Power Squadron) rolls out a scholarship funded by a California Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) Aquatic Center Grant that cuts the course fee in half.
The hands-on HOT (On-Water Training) course normally costs $285 for non-members and $185 for members of America’s Boating Club; scholarship recipients pay half. The course itself is not free, but the grant is intended to bring the price of quality, on-the-water instruction within reach for more local residents.
Training takes place right in Oceanside Harbor, and students have the choice of training aboard their own boat or aboard the squadron’s own national training vessel, based locally, so a lack of boat access is no longer a barrier to getting certified.
“We want every boater in this community to have access to real, on-the-water training, not just a classroom course,” said Commander Shawn Goit, SN-ON, of America’s Boating Club Oceanside. “Being based right here in Oceanside Harbor means we can put local residents on the water with a certified instructor close to home.”
America’s Boating Club Oceanside is part of United States Power Squadrons, District 13.
Next class: Oct. 2-3, 2026, beginning at noon both days. Participants meet behind the former Jolly Roger Restaurant at the public dock in Oceanside.
Registration and details: https://www.google.com/url?q=http://usps.org/oceanside&source=gmail&ust=1790107159053000&sa=E
