The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 88 of Lake County, is offering safe boating classes for the boating public.

The course, which is called American Boating Course (ABC), will cover many subjects such as personal safety around water, basic boating information, boating law and rules of the road, basic operation of a variety of vessels, and accident prevention.

The boating public is reminded that the law states that children 11 years and younger must wear a life jacket when aboard a vessel. The age limit for driving personal water crafts (PWC) such as SeaDoo’s is 16 years and older. Anyone between the ages of 12 to 15 may drive a PWC, provided an adult 18 years or older is aboard the PWC.

At this time, there is legislature being processed in Sacramento to require a license for anyone operating a boating vessel in California waters. The legislature indicates that the target date for this new law is Jan. 1, 2010, so it is important to take the course now to be prepared for the license requirement.

The ABC boating class is a one-day course, taught between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Training Room at the Lake County Detention Facility Campus, 4913 Helbush, Lakeport. Cost of material for the course is $25.