Press Releases
On this page, find Press Releases regarding the National On-Water Standards Project. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!
The U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards (NOWS) Program grant management team and the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) are pleased to announce the release of a new comprehensive “How-to…” guide for providing On-Water instruction in sailing. The SAIL Standard Technical Support Document (SAIL TSD) was developed to assist education providers, course developers and instructors in designing and implementing skills-based instruction and assessment in recreational boating that meet the American National Standard (ANS) for sailboat operation.
July 2017
February 2017
The U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards (NOWS) Program grant management team and The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) are pleased to announce the release of a new comprehensive “How-to…” guide for designing instruction using the American National Standard (ANS) for on-water recreational HUMAN-propelled craft operation. The HUMAN Standard - Technical Support Document (Human TSD) was developed to assist education providers, course developers and instructors in designing and implementing recreational HUMAN-propelled craft skills instruction and assessment that meets the ANS.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards (NOWS) Program grant management team and The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) are pleased to announce the release of a new comprehensive “How-to…” guide for designing instruction using the American National Standard (ANS) for on-water recreational POWER boat operation. The POWER Standard - Technical Support Document (Power TSD) was developed to assist education providers, course developers and instructors in designing and implementing recreational POWER boating skills instruction and assessment that meets the ANS.
January 2017
National standard for course designers and instructors of HUMAN-propelled craft operation now available
October 2016
After five years of intense work involving national surveys and country-wide field-testing validation programs, the U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards (NOWS) Program grant management team and The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) are pleased to announce the development of an American National Standard for recreational HUMAN-propelled craft operation. This standard identifies the fundamental set of skills operators of HUMAN-propelled craft such as canoes, kayaks, rowboats, rafts, and stand-up paddleboards, should be able to perform as a result of receiving entry-level instruction. It is freely available to course designers and instructors as a powerful resource to know they are delivering recreational boating instruction that meets or exceeds the national standard.
Baltimore, MD, August 2016. The National On-Water Standards Team hosted members of the Maritime Law Association’s (MLA), Recreational Boating Committee for two harbor sailing cruises during the MLA’s recent meeting in Baltimore. While on board, committee members were briefed about the national recreational boating entry-level skills standards development work. They experienced first-hand a demonstration of some of the components of the SAIL standard (Version 4 of 5) while underway. Once finalized, the SAIL standard will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for approval as an ANS.
August 2016
June 2016
The U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards grant management team is pleased to announce the completion of the third of three National field-testing programs. These programs, which have been in progress for over four years, gather data on the effectiveness draft skills-based standards function as national standards. Experts in the HUMAN and POWER domains of recreational boating have finished gathering data, and the end of June marks the completion of data collection for the third domain, SAIL.