THE SCUTTLEBUTT

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY FLOTILLA 12-8, 7TH DISTRICT CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA VOL 27, NO 11, NOVEMBER 2001 FLOTILLA WEB SITE: http://www.uscgauxcharleston.org
FLOTILLA COMMANDER COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS MATERIALS PUBLIC EDUCATION

Dean B. Creed . . . . 843-971-1541 Brett J. Grooms . . . . . . . . 553-216 Richard R. Clarke . . . . . . 953-6853 Richard Daniel . . . . . . . . 556-8453 rdaniel@awod.com dbcreed@netzero.net brettg101@home.com clarker@citadel.edu

VICE COMMANDER

FINANCE

MEMBER TRAINING

PUBLICATIONS

Brett J. Grooms . . . . . . . 553-2168 Dominick Zito . . . . . . . . 795-1012 Bob Kreiling . . . . . . . . . . 559-5221 John Sikes . . . . . . . . . . . 569-0994 jsikes@aux.uscg.net brettg101@home.com dzito@viperlink.net bobk@dycon.com

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

OPERATIONS

SECRETARY/RECORDS

803-829-2608 Mark E. Ratliff . . . . . . . . 757-3819 Jerome J. Bishop . . . . . . 766-1741 Bob Kreiling . . . . . . . . . . 559-5221 James L. Tindall mar-jer-bishop@msn.com mratliff@hargray.com bobk@dycon.com revtind@hotmail.com

CAREER COUNSELOR

MARINE SAFETY LIAISON

PERSONNEL SERVICES

VESSEL EXAMINATION

W. Brent Hepburn . . . . . 884-6625 Robert Orenstein . . . . . . 821-0233 James E. Curran . . . . . . . 216-7546 Bob Orenstein . . . . . . . . . 821-0233 orenstn@dycon.com bhepburn@worldnet.att.net jamesecurran@hotmail.com orenstn@dycon.com

COMMUNICATIONS

MARINE VISITOR

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Marguerite Bishop . . . . . 766-1741 Barbara J. Yeatman . . . . 795-4149 Bob Carpenter . . . . . . . . 402-0351 Dick Clarke . . . . . . . . . . 849-9216 doberdoody@netzero.net mar-jer-bishop@msn.com bcarpe94@aol.com clarker@citadel.edu

IMMEDIATE PAST FC

FROM THE COMMANDER

Dean Creed, FC
Contrary to folks with addresses bearing more degrees of latitude, many people in the Lowcountry never winterize their boats. And, very few boaters, regardless of latitude, winterize the time they spend working on their vessels or the time spent thinking about being on the water. While we are approaching a season of less public on-water activity, our flotilla is moving along on a number of fronts. Brett and I are fortunate to have flotilla staff officers with so much knowledge and initiative to make this happen. We owe our record of 2001 to-date accomplishments to them and the members supporting their respective areas. The bottom line on activity in the coming seasons, however, is that things dont shut down for the flotilla in the winter.

If youre not already active in at least one program, make up your mind to get involved and give yourself an early holiday season treat: the reward of making boating safer. Regarding Team Coast Guard activities, a big Thank You! goes to all the vessel owners, Coxswains and crew that have given so much time and energy in performing security patrols in Charleston Harbor in the past two months. Another big Thank You! to all the Auxiliarists that have been helping with administrative duties at both Group Charleston and the Marine Safety Office. Group is working on some changes to their security details, and District and National Auxiliary staff are also defining roles expected of the Auxiliary in the coming months. As I mentioned last month, DCP Bob Mathewes is our point of contact with Group Charleston. Please route all inquiries regarding how you may assist through Bob. Break-Break: Attention all Coxswains, Crew, Instructors, Marine Visitors and Vessel Examiners: Have you completed your annual currency maintenance tasks?

If you havent, or if you dont know, get in touch with me immediately. Attention all Operational Facility owners: please have your vessel inspected now so that it will be effective throughout 2002 we have no reason to experience lapses in operational status. Measured by the feedback Ive received, our fall raft-up was a success. Five boats and eighteen people spent a lovely Sunday afternoon on the water sharing food, drink and fellowship. Please plan on joining us when we do it again next Spring. Also, Marguerite Bishop has arranged an afternoon of very inexpensive bowling for the Auxiliary on Saturday, 10 Nov 2001, 1400-1700 hours at the Charleston Rifle Club. Please contact Marguerite directly and let her know if youll be there. And, speaking of fellowship, please ensure that the Division Change of Watch, 25 & 26 January 2002, is on your calendar. This is the best event of the year to catch-up with everyone on the happenings - past and future of your Division. Thanks to Joyce Orrell, FC 12-2, for all the effort she is putting forth organizing

Information contained in this newsletter is for official US Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary use only under the Privacy Act of 1974. The Auxiliary is guided by the current equal opportunity policies of the Commandant of the Coast Guard. No person shall be subject to discrimination in the Auxiliary or its programs because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

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the event, which will be at the Beach Colony Resort in Myrtle Beach. All the information was available in the October Pelorus which is on the Division 12 website, and you will receive a flyer in the mail soon. Remember what you learned in your New Member Class: Fun is the glue - the glue that holds everything together. The social events are plenty of fun, but youve got to be there to enjoy! Ill see you at our 14 November 2001 membership meeting. Well be holding elections for 2002 that evening. Sergeant Donnie Pritcher, the SC Department of Natural Resources Boating Education Coordinator, will be our guest speaker.

The Scuttlebutt

November 2001

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

Dick Clarke, Chair The annual election for FC and VFC will be conducted at the November membership meeting As of this date the screening committee has received the names of only two members, Dean Creed for Flotilla Commander and Brett Grooms for Vice Flotilla Commander. These individuals will be presented for your vote at that time. Further nominations will be accepted from floor provided they meet the requirements for office.

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
Brett Grooms, FSO-CS Recently there have been a plethora of computer viruses spread via e-mail attachments. Many of the recent viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses tempt the unsuspecting computer user to inadvertently infect their own system and spread the virus by referring to the recent terrorist attacks. One such virus works by sending an e-mail titled, Peace Between America and Islam and the body of the message says, Hi. Is it a war against America or Islam!? Lets vote to live in peace! But when the recipient opens the attached file called WTC.EXE, the program will send unknown to you an e-mail with a copy of the bug to everyone listed in your address book. It will then proceed to delete all files from your computers hard drive. When it comes to virus attacks, ignorance is certainly not bliss. Indeed the best possible weapon against preventing a virus attack is knowledge. The following websites can explain in more detail the technicalities of viruses, etc. http://www.fsecure.com/virus-info/ , http://www.bocklabs.wisc.edu/~janda/ , and http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/ . With that said, common sense and antivirus software (updated at least weekly) should protect you from most attacks. Remember, DO NOT open any e-mails from unknown sources. Recently Ive seen more viruses which randomly created text in the body of the message that appears it came from an official source (i.e., Coast Guard Auxiliary). If it doesnt look right or you didnt request to receive such mailings DELETE them immediately. As always if you have any computer related questions give me a call and Ill be glad to do what I can to help out. If you have a suspect e-mail, call me (dont email it to me!) and well figure it out together.

VICE COMMANDERS THOUGHTS

Brett Grooms, VFC There is no time like the present. Mark Twain said, I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened. These words hold great wisdom; the wisdom of knowing that there is no sense worrying about the past or fearing the future. Your past will not change, and your future concerns may never come. We sometimes spend a great deal of time and energy thinking about past problems and future concerns while the present is passing us by. Remember, the here and now is a gift, which is why they call it the present. Treat it like a present, enjoy it to the fullest and make the most of it. Dont let your life pass you by, focus on the present and enjoy today!

CAREER COUNSELOR
Brent Hepburn, FSO-CC Our nation is once again being put to the test to demonstrate our firm resolve to defeat terrorism and its cowardly perpetrators. We, as Auxiliarists, are in a privileged position to be part of Team Coast Guard. We have sworn to help the Gold Side in whatever way may be required of us. One of these ways is to actively set an example to all those who look upon the Coast Guard as the first line of defense for our nations waters. We can do this by wearing the uniform proudly and correctly, and by maintaining a professional dignity in all that we do in the name of the Coast Guard. Another way we can all help is by encouraging fit young men and women to consider a career or period of service in the Coast Guard. In a sense, we can all become recruiters. If you spot or know of a good candidate, have him/her call me at 884-6625, or 1-800-GET-USCG, or online at www.uscg.mil/jobs . I think we all agree that the time is NOW for all of us to do our part. If we dont, who will?

GOD BLESS AMERICA

FLOTILLA 12-8 D7
Dean B. Creed, Flotilla Commander Brett Grooms, Vice Commander Charleston, SC

BEST TO ALL!
I have always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.
Lily Tomlin

SAFE SURFING!!!!!
In three words I can sum up everything Ive learned about life: It Goes On.
Robert Frost

www.uscgauxcharleston.org

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The Scuttlebutt

November 2001

FINANCE
Dom Zito, FSO-FN I am pleased to report that of our Flotillas 76 members, only eleven remain unpaid to date. Our Flotilla continues to hold an outstanding membership census, thanks to our ambitious staff for stimulating public awareness by offering Boating Courses, from which we generate most of our funds and recruits into our flotilla. Thank you, Richard Daniel! In addition, our Flotilla provides several other public services: Boating Safety Checks, Marine Dealer support and Flotilla presence at Boat Shows. We also participate in other community services, thanks to Bob Orenstein, Barbara Yeatman and members who give of their valuable time to assist in our Flotillas missions. There are superb Member Training and Operations departments headed up by Bob Kreiling. With Bobs help, our members diligently strive to assist the Coast Guard in patrols and other operations. We are very fortunate to have John Sikes who compiles and produces the outstanding Scuttlebutt and Brett Grooms for a distinguished web page. Their expertise would command a handsome remuneration in the private sector. Last but not least theres our Commander, Dean Creed, who continues to lead and guide us in fulfilling USCG Auxiliary goals and towards a proud model in our Division. Many thanks again to all Staff and Membership of Flotilla 12-8

Mike Morris as Coxswain, had Dave Beaudrot and Bob Mathewes aboard. They worked in conjunction with Tom Schmidts boat with Ron Goldenburg as QE and Joey Bokern as Coxswain, with Richard Daniel, Bob Orenstein, Larry Moran and Brent Hepburn aboard. Brent was along for his Annual Currency check ride. Indeed it was a long day! The boats went in the water at 0700 and came out 1900. In the civilian world, this could have been refereed to as 7 and 7, which everyone could have used by then). All in all, everyone had a lot to do; pre underway check, person in the water, stern/side tow, and moor disabled vessel while in side tow. This was followed by plotting and executing search patterns. This even sounds like a lot when you read it, but add to the fact that each of the above evolutions had to be done eight times, once by each Coxswain candidate, and you can understand how the time adds up. Yes it was a loooong day, but a fruitful one. That is the good news, but now to drop the other shoe. We Still Aint Done. As you can see from the times above, all the required tasks could not be accomplished in one session. But be of good cheer we are nearing the end of the QE testing. However, we still have some night operations and additional search patterns that must be signed off. I will be scheduling these sessions during the early part of November. As soon as I have firm dates I will advise all the Candidates.

AUXILIARY MISHAP REPORTING

Mark Simoni, DVC-OS Auxiliarists patrolling under orders must follow proper procedures for reporting mishaps that may occur. Guidance for these procedures can be found in Change 2 of the Operations Policy Manual, COMDTINST M16798.3D. Chapter 2, paragraph C states in part that, The individual or unit with first knowledge of an accident or incident, must report all avail-able information per district requirements. This report is normally to the unit commander that issued the orders any injuries or potential damage claims. Make sure you follow up with the order issuing authority AFTER returning home, to ensure a mishap report message was sent. Reporting a mishap correctly helps to ensure that the appropriate actions will be taken to stabilize the situation, that any injuries are treated properly, and that any potential damage claim will not be jeopardized by improper procedures. Also, as mishap reports are disseminated, we can learn to prevent similar mishaps by using the techniques of Team Coordination Training and Risk Management. When you are out on patrol, as always, take care to operate your facility in a safe and prudent manner, and do what you can to minimize the potential for a mishap. But if one should occur, make sure you report it using the proper procedures. Here are the steps... If an accident or incident occurs while underway, steps to take must include:

MEMBER TRAINING
Bob Kreiling, FSO-MT We Are Making Progress! After a couple of false starts, QEs tested our Coxswain class on a number of Underway tasks on Saturday, 19 October. We are most grateful to Ron Goldenburg and Paul Denning from Division 10 (Hilton Head/Beaufort), who were good enough to get up early and drive up to visit with us. Additionally, much thanks to Joey Bokern and Mike Morris, for serving as Coxswains and Dean Creed and Tom Schmidt for the use of their boats. None of this would have been possible without them. Deans boat with Paul Denning as QE and

FELLOWSHIP
Marguerite Bishop We are going to try a new type of gettogether! On November 10th we are having our first Bowling Saturday. If you have equipment, thats good. If you dont have equipment, there is some available. We are going to meet at the Charleston Rifle Club at 2:00pm. We can bowl a set (3 games) for $2.00. There is a bar and we will get some pizzas in also. If this sounds good, give me a call at 766-1741 and reserve a spot for you and whoever so the necessary arrangements may be made. If you bowl, dont bowl, havent bowled for a long time, never bowled or just want to watch and cheer on the bowlers, pick up your phone NOW!!

Stop the facility, if you can do so safely. Report to the order issuing authority the fact that you have had a mishap. Give your location, and the nature of the mishap, including details of any injuries or damage. Report any amplifying information that may be helpful. Discuss with the order issuing authority the steps you need to take to deal with.

I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.
Woody Allen

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The Scuttlebutt
http://cgaux7.org/pdf_files/readiness.pdf In addition to the requests for data on your support of the active side, the membership has been asked for information on qualifications, both to verify those already tracked in AUXMIS, and additional ones. Your cooperation in this is greatly appreciated. I am very much aware that these are confusing at times but at this point the Coast Guard is trying to determine more precisely the extent of resources available to them. Their tasking is not yet certain, from day to day, the scope of their mission can change. Thus, the information they need from us can change as well. Within the next few months, the role of the Coast Guard in the overall defense picture should be clearer and ours will be as well. However, we cant wait to provide information and they cant wait to ask for it from us. They are planning for the next 180 days and we need to determine the level of support we can sustain for that period. We may, and probably will, have to continue to come to the membership for further information. Due to the often short turnaround time, much of the communication and response will have to be electronic. We are relying on each flotilla to use their designated CS officer to ensure that the information gets to the Flotilla Commander. At the same time we are providing support on the operational and administrative side, our traditional missions must go on. We still need to serve the recreational boater in our public education classes, provide vessel safety checks and marine dealer visits. We need these efforts as a bridge to the boating public as a source of new membership. We must continue member training to qualify recruits and present members to meet the needs of the Auxiliary. Our activities in the marine safety area are essential too, as an example, our qualified Commercial Fishing Vessel examiners have increased their level of activity to try to take up the slack in that program. As you have heard repeatedly over the past weeks, this is a war like none other weve experienced. The enemy is not clearly visible. A pre-emptive strike will not cripple or take out the opponent. For many Americans, this has been a time of awakening. Certainly, for many members of our district, this war has had an immediate impact on their lives. They are being asked to contribute their time and their facilities

November 2001
to an extent never anticipated. The elected leadership has found that they are responsible for far more than ever before. This is the case at every level of our organization. To paraphrase, yes, we are being asked to do it all, and we will continue to be asked to do so. I am confident that the members of the Seventh District are in the effort for the long haul and that you will rise to the challenge. Ours is a strong district, but we will emerge from this even stronger. Semper Paratus.

MEMBER ID CARDS
CDR Kurt Nancarrow, DIRAUX7 FYI, two attempts for entry under guise of Auxiliary membership. Please pass to D7 Bridge & Division Captains, asking them to advise you/me of any irregularities that may occur in our District. Also, please pass to all Auxiliary AT/FP POCs so that they can also help reinforce the requirement that a members Flotilla Commander be notified of any Auxiliarist who works at a CG unit. The following message has been posted by DIRAUX 11N: The Bay Area has had two cases lately of people trying to gain access to CG facilities by saying they were members of the CG Auxiliary when they really werent. In one case, the person was a former Auxiliarist who was disenrolled for cause 5 yrs ago; In the other case, the person (with an Auxiliary uniform but without an Aux ID card) has actually stood break-in comms watches at three different CG Stations. I highly recommend that units check the Auxiliary ID AND a picture ID of all persons saying they are members of the Auxiliary before letting them on base and especially into the OPCEN.

OPERATIONS
Bob Kreiling, FSO-OP Those of you who are old enough to remember the old Humphrey Bogart/Sidney Greenstreet/ Peter Lorre movies will remember the famous opening. Old Sidney, was always sitting there, in a high back wicker chair, fanning himself with a broad brimmed planters hat uttering the famous phrase, Come closer. I have another interesting story to tell you. I am sitting here, waving my planters hat, which is sweat stained, ten years old, and you do not want to get downwind of it. With a bow to Sydney, here is my Interesting story to tell you. I was sitting here, fat dumb and happy, getting out the routine to one and all. My computer was down for several days due to some problems. The end of my happy spell ended when John Sikes, a Net Wizard Guru of the highest order, told me I had been hit by an historical virus. If you have not heard about this vicious little devil, welcome to the club. Apparently this virus travels on a regular message and then, once received, uses your address file to send old messages from your history files. Let me give you the specifics. Approximately three years ago, as QEs, we were attempting to work up a Lat/Lon chart of Lake Murray for purposes of laying out search patterns. Somehow this virus got into my history file, lifted various phrases and send them out as well as enclosing an attachment. Opening that attachment unleashed the virus into the receivers mailbox. To date I know of one QE who received this e-mail and responded. I have alerted D7 OPs/QE to this problem. The moral of this story (in particular to

AUXILIARY SUPPORT
Mary Larsen, DCO7 In the days since September 11, you have been asked to respond to a call for support for the active Coast Guard. The requests for assistance that have come in have been both traditional and non-traditional ones. In every case, members and elected leaders have been able to respond. In addition, the leadership of the Seventh District has been tasked by me with reporting activity via the designated Point of Contact for their area. You have seen many of these reports as the highlights were posted on this web page. Recently, elected leaders were asked to provide data of our level of activity using different criteria, i.e. number of patrols, number of hours on patrol, etc. The results of that survey should be a source of great pride to all of us. Because the efforts you have made are ongoing, and even expanding, our Webmaster for the Seventh District, Paul Mayer, has been asked to establish a separate page where members can see the type of data that is being reported. The page will be named Seventh District Readiness.

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those who like to voice your comments on the AUX Chat Rooms): Bear in mind, the above QE, who, while only offering a valid, professional opinion, was in fact responding to a virus created question, thus spreading the problem to others.

The Scuttlebutt

November 2001
extension of txt, doc, rtf, jpg or gif, its probably okay, although the extensions of rtf and doc could carry macro viruses.

VIRUS PROTECTION IN EMAIL

Jay Dahlgren, VCO7 Please read the following prior to sending attachments. Hopefully you will pass this information on to whomever you exchange e-mails with. Protecting yourself and the rest of us from viruses is hopefully one of your first priorities. Here are some thoughts about viruses: 1. Dont trust any e-mail attachments, no matter who sends them or where they come from, even if its a trusted friend. 2. Understand the difference between a virus checker and a firewall. You need both. A firewall keeps out Trojan horses; a virus checker keeps out viruses. 3. Make sure your Anti-Virus program is up-to-date. Even with this you could have problems. 4. Some of the more sophisticated viruses will enter your address book and send that virus to all of your friends . some can even attach one of your documents to the retransmitted messages. That could prove embarrassing. These particular viruses take the document name and use it in the Subject line so you can not readily detect anything amiss. 5. Therein lies the purpose of this e-mail to all of you. I do not intend to open any attachments from anyone who does not put their two initials as the first two digits on the Subject Line (thanks DSO-PA Nick). Please do not open any attachments from me that do not bear my initials as the first two characters in the Subject line. I strongly encourage you to practice this when exchanging attachments with your colleagues. We all forget things so if in doubt query the originator. Up to now the viruses cannot insert your initials on the Subject line. This is not a guarantee that we wont become infected. However, if you note of late . these viruses are being sent from one persons address book to all without the users knowledge. Your initials tell me that you actually sent me this attachment and not some virus acting independently. I would trust that prior to sending it . it was already checked for viruses by your Anti-Virus program. You should check the extension of all file types when you get an attachment in email. Files to look for that can be infected include exe, bat, com and lnk (although there could be more). If the file has an

MY PARACHUTE
from the Internet Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience. One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said "Good morning, How are you?" or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't even know. Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Some-

FROM THE EDITOR

John Sikes, FSO-PB I learned a computer trick recently thats really ingenious in its simplicity. As you may know, when/if a worm virus gets into your computer it heads straight for your email address book and sends itself to everyone in there, thus infecting all your friends and associates. This trick wont keep the virus from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your address book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the worm has gotten into your system. Heres what you do: First, open your address book and click on new contact just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of email addresses. In the window where you would type your friends first name, type in !000 (thats an exclamation mark followed by 3 zeros). In the window below where it prompts you to enter the new email address, type in WormAlert. Then complete everything by clicking Add, Enter, Okay, etc. Now heres what youve done and why it works: The name !000 will be placed at the top of your address book as entry #1. This will be where the worm will start in an effort to send itself to all your friends. But when it tries to send itself to !000, it will be undeliverable because of the phony email address you entered (WormAlert). If the first attempt fails (which it will because of the phony address), the worm goes no further and your friends will not be infected. Heres the second great advantage of this method: if an email cannot be delivered, you will be notified of this in your InBox almost immediately. Hence, if you ever get an email telling you that an email addressed to WormAlert could not be delivered, you know right away that you have the worm virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it! Following is an item submitted bu VCO Jay Dahlgren that may also help protect us from viruses.

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times in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, or congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, or give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute. I am forwarding this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute! And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Have a wonderful day, my friend!

The Scuttlebutt
The next two days we were blessed again with delightful weather and calm seas, so we pressed on to Cape May then up the Delaware Bay and River and thru the C&D canal to an anchorage in the mouth of the Sassafras River. The genset had been running hotter than it should, so we went into Georgetown MD and Dad got dirty in the engine room cleaning the heat exchanger and replacing all hoses since they were getting squishy. Turned out the water pump was worn beyond repair so we waited three days for the replacement. Also, on our run to Manasquan in 3-4 foot sea swells, the helm seat came loose. Fortunately, Dad was hanging on the wheel and only tipped precariously for a short time. After one "holy s--t" and an adroit righting maneuver, he was able to determine the nature of the mishap and steer from a standing position while the first mate removed the listing seat and replaced it with a deck chair. Seems someone (not on this crew) stripped out the holes in the backing plate and refastened the pedestal with machine screws in the cored fiberglass flooring. OK something else to fix. We departed Georgetown and spent another night on the hook, then headed for Solomon's Island, MD where we spent September 2000 same marina (the cheap one). We'll get to visit with Danisha and Carol's niece Renee who is currently living with Danisha, do a good cleaning of the boat, reprovision, go the Annapolis boat show, and prepare for our trek south. Como Dios manda, we will write again when we get moving. Take care.

November 2001

FROM THE CHIEF DIRECTOR

CAPT David Hill, CHDIRAUX This past week has flown by. As you might imagine, Headquarters has been one busy place. I wanted to take a minute or two and pass on just how much I appreciate all you are doing out there. The reports I've been receiving from all the Directors regarding nationwide Auxiliary response have been somewhere between simply outstanding to down right amazing. From front line support in New York City to conducting security patrols on rivers and lakes to providing backfill support for Coast Guard forces across the country, America's Volunteer Lifesavers are demonstrating a level of dedication and readiness which is proving to be a vital element of our national and maritime security plans and programs. My best to all of you, and keep up the great work!"

TALES OF THE SERENDIP

Ken Krause Weve spent the last two weeks running through the emotions brought about by the insane terrorist attacks, slightly inconvenienced, but thankful our timing was such that it happened when we were in Waterford NY, a hundred miles from the city. We arrived in Waterford on Monday with the plan to head for New York City the next day the day of the attacks. The harbor was immediately closed to all traffic so we stayed put along with about 20 other boats. We met a lot of swell people and our hosts, the volunteers who man the waterfront visitors' center, were helpful and accommodating. We cleaned and reprovisioned, told war stories of our travels, and drank some wine. The harbor opened 0800-1600 weekdays the next Tuesday, so we launched down the Hudson on Wednesday hoping to make it thru the harbor before the weekend. Thursday and Friday it rained and was foggy, but cleared enough so we made it thru the harbor and Sandy Hook Bay and was then nice enough we kept on going to Manasquan NJ. We tied up at the Shrimp Box restaurant where our cruising book said we could stay overnight if we ate our meal there. So we splurged and had coconut shrimp and stuffed flounder. After we retired, sated, a very rude dude beat on the side of the boat and told us we owed them another $20 for the docking fee. Apparently, a change of policy, but only announced after we and three other boats had dined. Bummer. All cruising friends take note.

FLOTILLA COOKOUT 24 October, CG Base

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The Scuttlebutt

November 2001

FLOTILLA 12-8 CALENDAR NOVEMBER 2001

Sunday Oct 28 29 Monday Tuesday 30 BS&S Class at MUSC 6 BS&S Class at MUSC Wednesday 31 1 Thursday FM 2 Friday 3 Saturday

7 Staff Meeting, CG Base, 1900 hrs 14 Membership Meeting and Elections, CG Base, 1900 21

LQ

10 Bowling at Chas Rifle Club 1400-1700 17

11 Veterans Day 18

12

13 BS&S Class at MUSC

15

NM

16

19

20 BS&S Class at MUSC

22

FQ

23

24

Thanksgiving Day 28 29 30 FM Dec 1

25

26

27 BS&S Class at MUSC

FLOTILLA RAFTUP, 21 OCTOBER

PE CLASS SCHEDULE
Boating Skills and Seamanship Course Place: Coast Guard Base Charleston Time: 1900 to 2100 Length of Course: 13 Tuesday Evenings
6 Nov 13 Nov 20 Nov 27 Nov 3 Dec 10 Dec 17 Dec 20 Dec Your Highway Signs The Rules You Must Follow Piloting Your Boat Powering Your Boat Inland Boating Weather and Boating Your Boats Radio Review and Examination Mark Ratliff Bob Kreiling Bob Mathewes Mike Morris Dan Cowley Dean Creed Dick Clarke Dan Cowley

Lines and Knots for Your Boat Paul Palumbo

Anyone wanting to teach or act as an Aide for any of these sessions should contact FSO-PE Richard Daniel at 556-8453 or by e-mail at rdaniel@awod.com ASAP.