For Boaters, By BoatersTM
Looking for fun on the water while increasing your boating knowledge?
You came to the right place!
We are Skokie Valley Sail and Power Squadron — America's Boating Club of the North Shore, a unit of the United States Power Squadrons®. USPS was organized in 1914 as a non-profit, educational organization. After 100 years, we have grown to nearly 40,000 members. We are organized into 33 districts and over 400 squadrons. All of our members are dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable by teaching classes in seamanship, navigation and related subjects. Skokie Valley is part of District 20 of USPS which covers Northern and Central Illinois, NW Indiana and SE Wisconsin.
Members of Skokie Valley Sail and Power Squadron love boating and being on the water. Most of our members reside in Northern Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties in Illinois. They sail out of ports in Lake Michigan, including North Point, Waukegan, Kenosha and Racine harbors, as well as the Chain O’Lakes and the Fox River.
Since 1961, Skokie Valley’s activities involve the three primary objectives of USPS: community service, continuing education, and enjoying the friendship and camaraderie of our fellow members.
Community Service:
Skokie Valley offers several boating safety courses on a regular basis to boaters in our communities. These courses are open to the public and there is no age limit for participants. USPS squadrons have offered these courses for over eighty years and have educated more than 3 million boaters to date. Successfully completing a USPS boating safety course meets the educational requirements for boat operation in all states.
We also offer 2-hour seminars to boaters on a wide variety of specific subjects such as: Trailering, Anchoring, GPS, Charting, Radar, Compass and Man Overboard Techniques.
In a cooperative program with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Skokie Valley members conduct courtesy Vessel Safety Checks of boats at the request of their owners. To learn more about this program, and how to get your boat checked please visit the Vessel Safety Check tab of our website.
Our members help the National Ocean Service keep our nautical charts accurate by reporting chart corrections. The Cooperative Charting Program is recognized as one of the most effective user-participation programs in all of the Federal services, having saved the government tens of millions of dollars since its inception in 1963.
Continuing Education:
To further their education, we offer classes to our members including: Seamanship, Piloting, Plotting and Position Finding, Celestial Navigation, Cruise Planning, Engine Maintenance, Marine Electronics, Sailing, and much more. These courses are taught by experienced member instructors, and members who complete them are recognized for their achievements.
Social Activities:
Participating both on-the-water and off with fellow members who are skilled in boating is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. On-the-water activities include cruises, rendezvous, navigation contests and even fishing derbies. Activities ashore include general membership meetings with marine programs, semi-monthly breakfast meetings, parties, picnics, flea market and field trips.