The State of Maine, while not requiring a Safety Certificate, has a link to this course which you can take on-line (but you still have to take an in-person proctored test to receive your safety certificate). At $40 it's not the end of the world, and you're right Gail, a lot of folks who boat would benefit from this.
I have a USCG 6-pack license, I'm not going to worry about until told otherwise.
Gosh, you learn something new every day