What We Do | ABClubGCL Dev

What We Do

Education

We teach a boating safety course called the America's Boating Course. During that course, you’ll receive a comprehensive introduction to recreational boating. Whether you enjoy power boating, sailing, paddle sports, or personal watercraft, we’ve got you and your family covered. We offer both a one-day class and also a 2-1/2 hour class in the evening once a week over three consecutive weeks. Once you complete the class and pass the exam, you will receive a GA or SC Boater Education Card.

We also teach a variety of other boating courses that are targeted at audiences from first-time boaters to very experienced boaters. Courses such as boat handling, navigation and marine environments are just a short list of all of the courses we teach. You can find a more complete description of our courses on the Education page.

Community Service

Our club performs a number of community service projects during the year. Below are a brief description of some of the things we do.

Cooperative Charting. Our members inspect the Aids to Navigation (ATONs) on Lake Keowee and Lake Hartwell. On our lakes, the ATONs are the buoys that identify hazard areas (e.g., shallow areas), no-wake zones, swim areas, and centers of channels. As part the inspections, we record the condition of each buoy. The inspection records are reported to SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for Lake Keowee and the Army Corp of Engineers for Lake Hartwell. We also inspect the survey markers located in our area and their condition are reported to the National Geodetic Society.

Vessel Safety Checks (VSCs). We offer a free and voluntary annual inspection of watercraft in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. These inspections ensure the watercraft meet all federal and state boating laws and ensure that they are safe to operate. Our certified Vessel Examiners do these inspections with the watercraft owner and provide them with a checklist at completion. If the watercraft passes the inspection, we provide the owner with a sticker showing that the watercraft has been inspected. If it doesn’t, the owner is advised of what needs to be done to meet all requirements. If you would like a VSC done on your watercraft, contact our VSC Chair, at vsc.chair@abclubgcl.org.

Island Cleanup. In support of the Friends of Lake Keowee Society (FOLKS), our members do a monthly cleanup of an island on Lake Keowee during the boating season.

Tribble Center Self-Advocates Boat Rides and Picnic Lunch. Over the last several years, our members have given boat rides and a picnic lunch to the Self-Advocates at the Tribble Center. More information on the Tribble Center is available on their website, at www.thetribblecenter.com.

Social Events

Our members get together for a number of social events throughout the year. Some examples of these events include beach-ups during the boating season (we meet at an island, and sip, dip and enjoy a potluck dinner), member meetings that typically include lunch or dinner with an interesting speaker, a progressive dinner by boat or car, day cruises on nearby lakes, an annual Christmas Party, land cruises (which is what we call events planned at local, land-based establishments, such as a winery, theater, etc.) and sometimes a weekend getaway.

We also do events with our sister clubs in our district, District 26 (D26), which includes all America’s Boating Clubs in SC and on the coast of GA. The most popular of those events is the annual cruise and rendezvous events, where you get to visit various communities in our district, experience boating on various lakes, on the intercoastal waterway and out in the ocean, and meet club members from these different areas.

Check out our Upcoming Events page to see what we have planned in the near future. If you are interested in attending one of our events (guests are welcome!), contact our Administrative Officer, at admin@abclubgcl.org.