In-Command Seamanship Training

In-Command Seamanship Training In-Command is a new certified US Powerboating training center in partnership with Wickford Boat Rentals! Be Safe, Be Sure, Be In-Command!

06/19/2026

Just Graduated? Get Licensed & Hit the Water!
Looking for a graduation gift they'll actually use? A boating safety course provides skills, confidence, and access to Rhode Island waters for years to come.

Congrats, Class of 2026! There’s no better way to kick off your next chapter than with a summer on the water—and if you're under 40 in Rhode Island, it's time to get certified.

Whether you’re heading off to college or into your career, a boating license is your ticket to freedom, confidence, and safe fun on the water.

Our boating safety courses and hands-on training will have you cruising in no time.

US Powerboating & 1-Day RI & MA Boater Safety Courses available

No experience required

License meets RI state requirements

Insurance discounts may apply

The perfect gift for grads, too!

Next US Powerboating Class July 11 & 12
Register today: https://www.incommandri.com/events/us-powerboating-start-powerboating-right-safe-powerboat-handling/

06/17/2026

Give Dad “Gifts-on-the-Water” This Father’s Day

Still searching for a great Father’s Day gift? Give Dad an experience he’ll never forget—time on the water.

⚓ Choose from:
Gift Certificates for charters, courses, or boat rentals

Private Lessons on his boat—build skills together or let Dad take the helm solo with one of our expert instructors

Rhumb Line Outfitters gear to keep him looking sharp at the helm
Whether he’s always dreamed of mastering docking skills or simply wants to spend the day cruising the bay, we have the perfect way to celebrate the dads who love the water.

Buy a Gift Certificate or Contact Us to Book

📩 Contact Captain Carol to plan your private group lessons on Dad’s boat or one of ours at [email protected]

Summer is finally here—and Narragansett Bay is coming alive.The boats are in the water, harbors are filling up, and cale...
06/15/2026

Summer is finally here—and Narragansett Bay is coming alive.

The boats are in the water, harbors are filling up, and calendars are quickly booking with family outings, holiday weekends, festivals, and time spent with friends on the bay. Whether you're planning the perfect Father's Day gift, helping a recent graduate earn their boating certification, or securing a boat for the Fourth of July, now is the time to make your summer plans.

⭐ Featured This Month

🎁 Father's Day Gifts for Boaters

🇺🇸 July 4th Rentals & Charters

🎓 Boating Courses for New Grads

🎶 Newport Folk & Jazz Festival Charters

⚓ Private Lessons & New Owner Training

The best days on the water don't happen by accident—they happen because you planned ahead.

Let's make this your best boating season yet.

See you on the water. ⚓

Read the full newsletter: https://in-command-seamanship-training.kit.com/posts/summer-starts-now-father-s-day-gifts-july-4th-boats-newport-festivals?

You love being on the water, but you also want that license that proves you belong at the helm. ⚓You picture yourself in...
06/11/2026

You love being on the water, but you also want that license that proves you belong at the helm. ⚓

You picture yourself in the captain’s chair, not just as “the person who owns the boat,” but as a trained professional with a US Coast Guard boat captain’s license and real authority.

You might already know about sea time, medical exams, and background checks.

What you usually do not see in one place is how all of that connects with real training, real charts, and real drills that prepare you for the Coast Guard exams and for actual command.

In-Command Seamanship Training pulls those pieces together for you. You see how OUPV and the Master 100 Gross Tons paths work, how many hours you need, what tools you should use, and what to expect from written tests and hands-on work.

You are not stuck in theory. You work through coastal navigation, Rules of the Road, watchstanding, ship handling, maritime law, and even marlinspike seamanship, then you apply it in real scenarios that feel like the days you want to have on the water.

You get clear on what paperwork you need, like your TWIC card, physical, drug test, and Coast Guard fees, so you are not surprised at the last minute.

You stop guessing, and you start treating your time on the water like the start of a real maritime career, whether your goal is charter trips, commercial fishing, marine surveying, or simply running your own vessel at a higher standard.

Here is the question that matters most for you right now:

Are you going to keep “meaning to get your license someday,” or are you going to turn your current sea time into a Coast Guard credential and a different level of respect on the dock?

What is the single biggest thing that has held you back from starting your captain’s license path so far, training, paperwork, confidence, or something else? Drop it in the comments, because your answer is probably the same as someone else who needs to see it.

https://www.incommandri.com/how-to-get-your-us-coast-guard-boat-captains-license-guide/

06/11/2026

You start out running friends and family around Narragansett Bay.

Then someone says, “You should charge for this.”

If you want to turn that idea into real charter work by 2026, you need more than a nice boat and good instincts.

You need a U.S. Coast Guard OUPV (6-pack) captain’s license and a plan to get there.

With In-Command Seamanship Training in Rhode Island, you train on the real skills that matter:
• 360 days of logged sea time turned into a license that lets you carry paying passengers
• Hands-on shiphandling, docking, and anchoring that prepares you for tight marinas on busy weekends
• Chart plotting, buoys, beacons, and weather so you can make smart calls when conditions change
• Safety drills, man-overboard practice, and emergency planning so you protect everyone on board

You can choose an 80-hour course as a two-week day schedule, a nine-week night schedule, or a hybrid format with a few required in-person dates.

You also get a clear checklist for things like your TWIC, drug test, Coast Guard forms, and fees, so you do not waste time guessing at the paperwork.

If your goal is to run charters, fishing trips, or small tours out of Rhode Island waters by 2027, you set yourself apart when you hold an OUPV license and can show serious training behind it.

What is your plan for your boating life over the next two seasons: keep it casual, or turn it into a side income or full-time path on the water?

Share where you are in the process in the comments. You might help another Rhode Island boater figure out their next step too. ⚓

https://www.incommandri.com/master-your-maritime-skills-oupv-captains-license/

From the dock, a launch tender might look like “just a launch driver.”On the water, it is a licensed professional truste...
06/10/2026

From the dock, a launch tender might look like “just a launch driver.”

On the water, it is a licensed professional trusted with people’s lives, property, and the reputation of the club or marina.

In Rhode Island, that role is about to matter even more as boating traffic grows.
Clubs, marinas, and camps will need operators who are trained, licensed, and calm when conditions turn rough.

What many local boaters don’t realize is how structured the path is.

The U.S. Coast Guard Limited Master (Launch Tender) License can start with 120 days of experience, a TWIC card, First Aid/CPR, and a focused 2‑day course that substitutes for the USCG exam.

For $499, that course covers Rules of the Road, Deck General, navigation, pollution, and safety, plus the Safe Boating certificate and help with the USCG paperwork.

Add on-water “Launch Lab” time and you move from “I can drive a boat” to “I can run a passenger launch in tight quarters and bad weather.” 🚤

Licensed launch tenders are already working half a mile from shore at yacht clubs, marinas, camps, and sailing programs, carrying more than six passengers on inspected launches.

That same credential can support work in tourism, logistics, harbor operations, and environmental projects.

For 2026 Rhode Island boaters, this is a clear way to turn local time on the bay into a recognized, professional credential with real earning potential.

It also raises the bar for safety and seamanship across our harbors, which helps everyone on the water. 🌊

If you are a Rhode Island boater, yacht club officer, or marina manager, how do you see launch operations changing over the next few seasons, and what skills will matter most?


https://www.incommandri.com/charting-your-course-embark-on-a-maritime-career-as-a-launch-tender/

06/06/2026

⚓ Rhode Island Boating Requirements 2026: What Every Boater Needs to Know

Planning to operate or rent a boat in Rhode Island this season? Make sure you’re compliant with state boating laws before you hit the water.
Our latest article breaks down everything you need to know — from who needs certification to safety gear rules and penalties.

👉 Learn more: https://www.incommandri.com/state-requirements/

Whether you’re earning your boating license with In-Command Seamanship Training or renting from Wickford Boat Rentals, you’ll be safe, legal, and ready for smooth sailing.

You show up at the dock on a perfect Rhode Island morning.Keys in hand.Cooler packed.Then someone asks, “Do you have you...
06/05/2026

You show up at the dock on a perfect Rhode Island morning.

Keys in hand.

Cooler packed.

Then someone asks, “Do you have your boating safety certificate?”

That one question can change your whole day.

If you were born on or after January 1, 1986, you need a state-approved boating safety course to run a motorized boat over 10 HP.

If you ride a jet ski (PWC), you need the course no matter your age or where you live.

If you’re visiting from out of state, your home state’s education rules can cover you in RI, but only for up to 90 days.

If you just moved to Rhode Island, you get 60 days to get compliant.
Renting is its own situation too.

If you rent a motorboat over 10 HP and you’re not certified, you have to watch an approved safety video and pass the livery’s written exam before you go.

Even when your paperwork is right, your gear still matters.

RI requires a wearable life jacket for each person aboard.

If your boat is 16 feet or longer, you also need a throwable Type IV.

And since 2023, every paddle craft (kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, sailboards) needs a wearable USCG-approved PFD at all times while underway.

One more that catches people off guard, boating under the influence uses the same 0.08% BAC limit.

What part of Rhode Island’s boating rules surprises you most, the age cutoff, the rental exam, or the paddle craft PFD requirement?



https://www.incommandri.com/rhode-island-boating-requirements-2026-what-you-need-to-know/

Address

1 Phillips Street
North Kingstown, RI
02852

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(401) 472-3389

Website

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