What's the difference between knowledge and skills, and why does it matter?
Because what you know about boating and how well you perform boating tasks together define your boating ability.
Boating knowledge, together with boating skills, form the basis of your competence as a boat operator.
Concepts, principles, and information about boating can be learned through
reading, studying, and observing.
The ability to plan,
depart,
anchor,
dock, and perform other boat maneuvers can be mastered through experience.
In other words, knowledge refers to theory,
and skill refers to putting that theory into practice.
You might know the purpose of different types of ATONS,
the chart of an inlet,
or the parts of an outboard engine.
There's a difference though between knowing what
and understanding how.
Knowing the chart of an inlet is not the same as having the practical skills needed to safely navigate it.
If you've never run a boat, you probably won't have the needed operational ability.
This is the key difference between knowledge and skills.
A skill means that you're able to do something.
There are different levels of skill, and practice is usually the key to improving skills.
As your navigation skills improve with practice,
in effect, you gain practical knowledge
as a result of developing these skills.
It's important to have or to learn the skills and knowledge you need
for the kind of boating you want to do.
Knowledge is theoretical,
and includes information and concepts you can learn.
Boating knowledge can be transferred from one person to another
or acquired through observation and study.
Skills are practical,
and include performance of operations you can master.
Boating skills are acquired through a combination of sensory input and output
during practice of boat maneuvers
in various circumstances and conditions.
Beware of so-called training that is limited merely to information transfer,
because such programs will fail to deliver results.
When training is relegated to lectures, presentations,
and quizzes, you may learn many things,
but won't necessarily be able to do much with your knowledge.
Your training should also include activities, simulation, and scenarios.
You can know the navigation rules,
statistics about boating safety,
and nautical terminology,
but this only makes you knowledgeable about boating.
It does not make you any good at it.
To achieve a desired performance level for any given task,
you must take advantage of opportunities to perform the actions required,
so you can improve your execution until you master it.
To become good at boating, you must practice on-the-water activities in order to improve your skills through experience.
But conversely, boating skills can be developed more easily and safely if you have prior knowledge of the task to be accomplished.
While learning to run a boat through trial and error, without having any idea about how boats operate,
would be reckless and dangerous to yourself and others,
theory can be limited reasonably to minimal requirements before commencing practice of specific tasks.
You cannot learn how to run a boat without
knowing where the helm and throttle are located,
but the best way to learn the effects of acceleration and steering is not only to read about them,
but also actually to experience them.
To mitigate associated risks, use a recreational boat simulator,
arrange for on-the-water training with a certified instructor,
or ask an experienced boater to be your mentor.
Developing skills will provide additional knowledge as a function of practicing and mastering tasks
that result in new learning, and most important,
your boating abilities will increase because the more you do something the better you get it doing it.
But remember that skills also involve the successful application of previously acquired knowledge.
Building on basic knowledge, mastering boating skills will come over time from repetition.
it is this combination of learning and experience that will allow you to become a better boater.
Adding knowledge and improving skills increases boating ability.