Contacts: 

• Dave White, NY Sea Grant, E: dgw9@cornell.edu, P: 315.312.3042
• John Steinbarge, USCGA, P: 315.635.7698
• Drew Wickham, CNY Boat Show Manager, P: 585.526.5460
• Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315.465.7578

Adam (above, right) and Jacob Cooper put their enjoyment of boating on Lake Ontario to the test when they earned their Young Boater Safety Certificates at 2010's Central New York Boat Show. In a first, Sea Grant and its partners also offered the training that year at the show for deaf youth as well. Training for young boaters will again be offered at this year's Syracuse-based show in February.


Syracuse, NY, January 20, 2017 – The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York Sea Grant have announced Saturday, February 18, 2017 as the date for the Young Boater Safety Certificate training course at the 2017 Central New York Boat Show. The program will run from 9 am to 5 pm at the Horticulture Building classroom at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY.

Successful completion of the free, 8-hour training program and same-day proctored exam certifies youth ages 10 to 17 to legally operate a motorized boat or watercraft alone on New York waters.  

Pre-registration is required for the limited space seating for the course that will be taught by U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 21 personnel. New York Sea Grant is taking registrations by phone at 315-312-3042.

Each youth registering for the Young Boater safety course will receive three free admission passes into the 2017 Central New York Boat Show that is the largest and oldest boat show in New York. Participants are asked to provide for their own lunch.

The award-winning New York Sea Grant Discover Clean & Safe Boating program will be at the show with for its 10th anniversary educational vessel with information on life jackets, boating safety, and voluntary watercraft inspection to help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species.  

The 2017 Central New York Boat Show hours are 1-9 pm on Thursday, February 16, 1-9 pm on Friday, February 17, 10 am-9 pm on Saturday, February 18, and 10 am-5 pm on Sunday, February 19. More than 500 boats of all styles; water recreation equipment; marine accessories; boating and fishing guides; yacht clubs; and exhibits by waterfront destinations, tourism organizations, and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies fill three exhibit buildings at the NYS Fairgrounds. Show admission is $10 per person, 13 and younger free. Free parking and shuttle are provided. Learn more at www.cnyboatshow.com.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College. 

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published 1-2 times a year.