The second five-week RSS Basic Seamanship Course of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard will hold a graduation ceremony for fourteen persons this afternoon at the Coast Guard Base at Calliaqua at 3 p.m.

The RSS Basic Seamanship Course is a foundational course for new entrants into the Coast Guard.{{more}} This course is normally conducted at the RSS Training Unit in Antigua. St. Vincent conducted its first Basic Seamanship Course at home from January 16 to February 17, 2006 when 11 Coast Guard Officers graduated.

The topics covered include: Basic Navigation, knots and splices, rules of the road, boat handling, the National Flag Regulations, the Power Craft Act, Firefighting, Damage Control, Statement Writing, Weapon Training, Giving Evidence, International Maritime Law, Survival at Sea, Basic Seamanship and Ship Husbandry.

It is expected that the Commissioner of Police will address the graduands along with the Coast Guard Commander. The feature speaker will be local historian Curtis King.