Our Mission is Education…
TSPS believes that the more educated a boater becomes, the more likely that he or she will be a safe skipper. TSPS’s mission is to increase knowledge of boating safety good practices and to help boat operators, family and crew become competent pilots and navigators.
We provide courses in boating safety, navigation, and other topics both to our own members and, as basic instruction, to the general public, as well as JMRA Class 1 & 2 License classes. Our qualified, enthusiastic, and experienced TSPS instructors lead our classes as a civic service. There is never a charge for instruction; the only costs are for textbooks and instructional materials, plus overhead costs such as classroom rental, and shipping.
While our student manuals serve as the basis of content for each course, they will also serve as indispensable reference books for the boater or sailor long after the course work is completed. And in addition to their knowledge of fundamental seamanship know-how, our Tokyo-based instructors are a valuable source of information regarding local Japanese waters.
Courses available to the public and TSPS members?
Our test preparation course for the Japan Class 1 & 2 License, required to operate small powered water craft in Japan, or one of our Basic Boating courses. The Basic Boating Courses do not allow operation of powered vessels in Japan, but are highly recommended to family or crew members, or to those who want to join TSPS without committing the time and expense to earn the Class 1 or 2 license. Completion of any of the Basic Boating Courses, or acquisition of the Japan Class 1 or 2 license, makes you eligible for TSPS membership.
TSPS Members may take a variety of Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Seminar courses. The Intermediate courses build upon the basis of the Basic Boating courses, while the Advanced courses offer progressively more challenging instruction, from coastal piloting to full-fledged ocean navigation, and focus on practical know-how, including Beginning and Advanced Sail, Marine Electronics, Engine Maintenance, Weather, and others.
JRMA license
If you would like to obtain a Japanese boat license we can help with that. Refer to our JRMA course for more details
Other Courses or Seminars
Many of the courses or seminars are scheduled upon demand. If you would like to be instructed in one of the following topics, fill in the following form to express your interest and our Education Officer will get back to you as soon as possible.
Some examples topics that can be requested are:
Powerboat Handling: The fundamentals of how to operate a power boat. Docking, Trimming the boat, Close Quarters Maneuvering, How Power Boats Behave and Handling them at Sea.
Sailing: The fundamentals of how to sail a boat. Understanding the sail trim and rig tuning and winch usage. The special terminology and dynamics of sailing, hulls and rigging, wind and water forces and balance, points of sail, sail handling, and navigation rules unique to sailing.
Practical On-The-Water Training Any needs or requests for assistance from an experienced boater. Example items can be the use of lines, departing the dock, operating in a fairway, pivoting, mooring, backing, docking, steering – slalom, holding course – range, and a quick stop.
Anchoring Understanding the issues and problems involving the theories of anchor weight, the methods used to anchor, and the choices of anchor types for the area of boating.
Knots etc: Information about the various knots and rope skills need by boaters for day to day operation of boats
Licensing and Registration: Rules of the Road and the law relating to operating a boat and being licensed to do so. As well as any rules for the legal registration and inspection of boats for use. This would generally be covered by out JRMA courses however if there is anything further please ask
Seamanship: The knowledge every prudent skipper wants even before leaving port – practical marlinspike, hull design and performance, boat care, skipper’s responsibilities, boating under normal and abnormal conditions, emergencies afloat, and more.
Piloting: The study of marine charts, aids to navigation, adjustment and use of the mariner’s compass, dead reckoning, planning and plotting courses, and taking bearings to determine your on-the-water position. How to navigate in coastal waters, predict tides and tidal currents, navigate safely with radar, loran C, and GPS, and optimize course planning.
Navigation, GPS and/or Tides: The use GPS positioning systems and other electronic waypoint navigation tools. The tides and currents. How to source of information about tides and tidal currents, how to to predict height of tide and speed of current flow and how to use both print and electronic tide tables.
Celestial navigation: Navigation via the stars, sight taking on celestial bodies and reduction. Use of a mariner’s sextant, and positioning & passage planning with special open-ocean charts. The skills to navigate with only minimal survival gear in the event of a disabling boat accident.
Cruise Planning: The skills to prepare for voyaging afloat – whether just week-ending or multi-month cruising. The essentials skills required to equip and provision a boat, make crew selections, how to finance your trip, the details of entering and clearing foreign ports, emergencies afloat, & boat security.
Engine Maintenance: How to trouble-shoot most common engine problems and jury-rig many repairs. How to deal with outboard motors, inboard gas and diesel engines, power trains, and related mechanical systems.
Marine Electronics: The essential information about boat electrical and electronic systems in terms understandable by non-engineers and non-technicians. Learn about proper wiring and power systems, corrosion and electrolysis, and electronic navigation and safety systems.
Weather and Forecasting: Understanding of the basic structure and characteristics of our atmosphere, how to interpret weather maps and reports, and how to make your own skilled observations – all keyed to helping you predict and anticipate weather developments affecting your boating.
Emergencies On Board: Know how to deal with accidents and emergencies on board. Such as preventing accidents, running aground, fire, getting lost, towing, medical conditions, as well as other often-encountered emergencies are covered.
Instructor Qualification: The practical techniques and training in making effective presentations – whether as a teacher, meeting chair, public speaker, or everyday conversationalist.