Boating is fun ... We'll show you how!

Who we are

We are a Unit of United States Power Squadrons (USPS®). The USPS is a non profit, educational organization made up of some 450 Units dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable for all by teaching classes in seamanship, navigation and related subjects. We are a part of District 20 of the USPS® which covers Northern and Central Illinois, NW Indiana and SE Wisconsin. A map of the District 20 Squadron locations can be found here.

The Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron is made up of a lot of ordinary people who love boating. Youngsters and old timers, neophytes and old salts, weekend sailors and circumnavigators make up our membership. Most of our members are drawn from Lake and McHenry Counties in Illinois. They sail mostly out of Lake Michigan ports including Waukegan and Winthrop Harbors in Illinois and Kenosha and Racine Harbors in Wisconsin as well as several of the smaller lakes in the area.

Our objectives

Civic Service

The Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron offers several safe boating courses to the public every year. In addition we also provide information to the US government for use in correcting and updating navigation charts.

Liaison is maintained with the United States Coast Guard, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Departments of Natural Resources of the various states and other organizations to cooperate for the benefit of the public.

USPS and the Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron are partners with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Vessel Safety Check (VSC) program. The VSC is a free check of your boat's Federally required safety equipment. A link is provided on this page to assist you in finding out more about this valuable program. For more information about this program, please contact Mike Ludtke.

The Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron participates in the Cooperative Charting program of the National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 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.

Self Education

For our members we offer many classes including: navigation, engine maintenance, sail, marine electronics, weather, cruise planning , etc. Although safety is our prime concern for self study, substantial savings can be realized on insurance premiums by taking the courses available to our members. We also offer seminars on GPS, First Aid, CPR and Skipper Saving Techniques.

Fraternal Boating Club

There are many social activities during the year both on and off the water. These include picnics, cruises and parties. General membership meetings during the off-season usually include guest speakers on boating and cruising related topics.