By Kelly Taylor, WKTV

With four of the five Great Lakes bordering Michigan along with all the lakes our great state has, boating is a popular hobby with Michiganders.

This week, WKTV will be airing a special program featuring United States Power Squadron National Safety Boating Test so area residents can brush up on their boating safety knowledge. The program will air at 1 a.m. Thursday, May 25, and again at noon Friday, May 26.

There are some 80 million recreational boaters in America engaged in all sorts of activities from paddling to cruising, from fishing to sailing. Yet many states do not require certification of any kind to operate a recreational boat. That’s why the United States Power Squadrons, in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard, has produced this program.

By watching this program, you can test you knowledge on topics import to your boating enjoyment. Featuring 27 questions on a wide range of boating topics, including Homeland Security, Rules of the Road, Aids to Navigate, Carbon Monoxide, and Small Boat Safety, you will watch real life scenarios and answer questions about what you would do in these situations.

As you watch, score yourself. You may want to hone your skills and increase your knowledge, and if so, take a USPS Boating Course or one of the other public courses or seminars to help make your boating a safer and a more enjoyable activity. USPS is dedicated to bringing you and its members practical information. Informed boaters have more fun, and statistics show, are far less prone to accidents afloat.

Organized in 1914, USPS has grown to become America’s largest boating educational organization with about 50,000 volunteer members in more than 450 local squadrons providing public and advanced boating courses, courtesy Vessel Safety check and more more. For details on USPS courses and members, call 888-FOR USPS or visit www.usps.org.