By THE HERALD-WHIG STAFF

An Illinois Department of Natural Resources boating safety education class will be offered July 11 at the Quincy Boat Club, Front and Spring.

The free eight-hour class is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It includes instruction on rules of the water, Illinois boating law and other topics that will help make participants safer and more responsible boaters.

Those who complete the class will receive an Illinois boating safety education certificate. Boaters may also qualify for a discount on insurance rates.

New boaters unfamiliar with boating laws and the Mississippi River, along with seasoned boaters who want to brush up on their nautical knowledge, are encouraged to take the class.

Illinois law requires individuals ages 12 to 18 to have a boating safety education certificate before they can operate a boat or personal watercraft without adult supervision.

This class also meets the requirements for Missouri's new boating regulation requiring all boat operators born after Jan. 1, 1984, to receive boating education.

The class will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advnace registration is encouraged. The class will be limited to 30 students. This will be the final class for the Quincy/Adams County area for 2009.

Registration and more information are available by calling the Corps of Engineers' Mississippi River ranger's office at 228-0890.