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S CUTTLEBUTT SCUTTLEBUTT

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY FLOTILLA 12-8, 7TH DISTRICT

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

MEMBERSHIP MEETING July 9, 2003
Allen James FSO-OP May operations were normal. We made all our patrols as scheduled. Operations for June will include training for crew and coxswains. The schedule for training has not been finalized.

OPERATIONS

A crab was spotted in the Charleston harbor or its estuaries so be alert and keep a good watch for the thousands of traps out there, some of which may be in the stealth mode.

MEMBER TRAINING
Robert Lovinger, FSO-MT The ACN class is moving into the final phase as Bob Mathewes and John Sikes inducted class members into the arcane secrets of set, drift, tides, currents, and radar navigation. It is safe to say that some of the spectacular collisions at sea in broad daylight would not have occurred had John or Bob been on the bridges of these ships. The class is due to finish by the end of the month with exams. Public members will only take the first set of exams but Auxiliary members who want credit for the ACN class with the Coast Guard will have to take a second set in mid-July. The class members deserve credit for sticking with some difficult and at times puzzling learning tasks.

CAREER COUNSELING
Brent Hepburn FSO-CC Just a reminder to everyone: clubs, churches and other organizations are great places to get to know your neighbors, AND are also excellent recruiting venues for future Coast Guard men and women! Don't be afraid to chat up a prospect over coffee and donuts. I'm particularly interested in contacting future applicants to the Academy. If someone is qualified and open to the idea, have them call me at 884-6625. I can steer them into a career and bright future in the Coast Guard! Safe boating, everybody!

Barbara Yeatman FSO-MV This is a short note from the feeling very guilty FSOMV. We are marching right along into the real boating season here. I am happy to know that my fellow Auxies came to my rescue when I couldn't leave home (now I am almost embarrassed to, I am so beaten and battered by this baseball bat type cast this puppy has on her leg). The visits got done, thanks to both flotillas! That's teamwork. And, thanks to the others who called and offered their assistance. I am holding that card in reserve. I just know something else will happen! In the meantime, as I said, we are marching on into the REAL boating season. The DNR came through; I

MARINE VISTOR

VESSEL EXAMINATION
Tom Beauchemin, FSO-VE May was not quite what we expected but the future is looking good. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can get a couple of good blitzes in. We have a blitz on July 19th at the Cooper River Marina. We have been invited to conduct vessel safety checks for the Citadel at their Marina. The details for that blitz are pending. Keep an eye in the Post & Courier sports section for up coming events courtesy of Tommy Baswell in the Databoard section.

got to talk to the "real person in charge," who made sure that I have plenty of state reg. booklets (except for the 2 cases I shared with 12-6). So, I am looking for able-bodied assistants. The job is a great pie one, BUT a most important one; the first line of defense and all that. If your life fits this criteria, join my Department and help spread the words of safety throughout the county!! Thanks again to all who came to my rescue, now if you folks can just fix this wild puppy.....

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Nov. 8 & 15

June 2003

LETS GO SAILING
This is a basic-level sailing program offered in conjunction with the Boating Safely (BSC) program described above. This program offers fundamental sailing knowledge and, when combined with the BSC program, provides a complete overview of how to safely pilot a sailboat. This program will be offered on the same days as the BSC the BSC will be conducted in the morning, and Lets Go Sailing will be conducted in the afternoon. An exam will be given at the end to test your nearly acquired sailing knowledge and allow you to earn a certificate. Cost for the combined Lets Go Sailing and Boating Safely programs is $40.00 per person. Nov. 8 & 15

PERSONNEL SERVICES
Peter Chylko FSO-PS

There will be a New Member Course conducted this month on June 16, 23 & 30th from 1900-2100 hours at the Charleston Coast Guard Base. While there are several prospects already scheduled to attend, your assistance in generating more prospects for attendance is more than welcome. Forward your prospects name and contact information to me or just have the prospective member contact me directly by phone at 824-6913 or via e-mail at pchylko@earthlink.net for more details about the class no later than Saturday June 14th.

BOATING SKILLS AND SEAMANSHIP PROGRAM

This is an intermediate level program designed to give you detailed knowledge about boating the safe way. The BS&S expands the areas covered in the Boating Safely Program by giving you extensive information to expand your basic knowledge. The topics will give an in-depth view of Which Boat is For You, Equipment for Your Boat, Trailering Your Boat, Handling Your Boat, Your Highway Signs, The Rules you must Follow, Piloting Your Boat, Powering Your Boat, Weather and Boating, Your Boats Radio, and Inland Boating. An exam will be given at the end to test your nearly acquired advanced knowledge and allow you to earn a certificate. Cost for this program is $40.00 per person. June 16, 23, 30 Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 Nov 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec 1

Public Education
Richard Daniel, FSO-PE The Advance Coastal Navigation course continues to move forward with John Sikes and Bob Mathewes at the helm. They are doing a great job with this difficult and time-consuming course. Both have put a lot of hard work into the best communications and follow up via email than any course I have ever seen. Simply very well done John and Bob. The BS&S course continues to move forward with the PE team of instructors. The course has had to jump around more than normal due to holidays and availability of Instructors. The Advance Coastal Navigation Course and the BS&S course will finish up mid-summer. We will take a much-needed break in August and start another BS&S eight-chapter course on September 8th

BOATING SAFELY PROGRAM

The BSC is a basic-level boating program that will give you a fundamental knowledge about how to boat the safe way. The class is held on two consecutive Saturdays from 8:30 AM until 1:00 PM each day. The topics will give a broad overview of Introduction to Boating, Boating Laws, Personal Safety Equipment, Safe Boat Handling, Navigation, Boating Problems, Trailering, Storing and Protecting your Boat, Hunting and Fishing, Water-Skiing, and River Boating. An exam will be given at the end to test your newly acquired knowledge and allow you to earn a certificate. Cost for this program is $30.00 per person.

WHERE HAS ALL THE COMPETITION GONE?

By

-Old SaltThe Old Salt was saddened at the death of a friend, devoured by Jaws. The Old Salt has been a member of Boat/U.S. since the 1970's, with a low member number to prove it, but West Marine seems to have made Boat/U.S. an "offer they couldn't refuse". So now they are one company and probably

they will have only one catalog. When The Old Salt was first getting into boating, West Marine was just that, a West Coast company, but there was Goldberg's, E & B Marine, and another one that I no longer remember. Now, among the big discounters there is only West Marine and Defenders. Boaters World is also hanging in there but they tend to cater to fishermen and small boat owners. However, I have found items they carry in their catalog that the others do not. But there are some smaller companies, and this month I will mention a couple that you may not have heard of. Mike's Marine Supply (www.mikesmarine.com) is a Michigan company at 24910 Jefferson, St. Clair Shores MI 48080. They may not be quite as low-priced as Defender, but sometimes they have items that the others do not. Specializing in electronics and related products is Capt. Jack's (www.capjack.com) at P. O. Box 65119, Port Ludlum WA 98365-0119. They have a wider selection with some interesting high-end equipment. Also in the electronics area is Consumers Marine Electronics (www.consumersmarine.com), located at 1771 Highway 34 South, P. O. Box 1319, Wall NJ 07719. My impression is they are more mainstream in their selection but it looks more extensive than what you can find in general catalogs. Specializing in navigation equipment is Celestaire (http://celestaire.com) and they are located at 416 S. Pershing, Wichita KS 67218. Another interesting catalog is from A & B Industries at 1160-A Industrial Avenue, Petaluma CA 94952. Their catalog contains high quality fittings and equipment (such as windlasses, cleats, ports, cabin lighting, etc.). They state they sell to distributors but having sources of equipment is often the first step to running down that special item that no one seems to carry until you show it to the salesperson. However, you may want to try Marine Mail Order, Inc., 3529 Monticello Court, Santa Rosa CA 95403. They seem to be the retail distributor for A & B Industries. If anyone has other sources that have not been mentioned here, perhaps you will share them with our friendly editor who will happily pass these sources along. ------------------------------------------------------------

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of the various FSO s who write all but a smattering of the content. The Scuttlebutt is a useful communications vehicle if there is something of use to communicate. I have encouraged FSOs to refrain from writing just to fill the space or show folks they are still there. I hope you agree? The Scuttlebutt publishes items from outside the Flotilla if they are interesting and further the Goals. Sometimes the members suggest these articles and sometimes I just run across them. The FSO-CS patrols the Internet and forwards pertinent content directly to the membership or to me for publication. So do other interested members, John Sikes being the most helpful at this task. Should you see something that would be interesting to the Membership please pass it on. I have a scanner. Hardcopy materials can be entered into the computer Send them to me at PO Box 122, Jonas Ridge, NC 28641. When the month the Scuttlebutt should be published l under debate. Some think it should come out a week before the Membership Meeting and others say soon after. What is your thought? Email your response mailto:FCL@Lwinslow.com.

June 2003

Summary Schedule of Events

Membership Meeting 1900 July 9 August 13 New Member Course June 16, 23,30 VE Blitzes July 18 Cooper River Marina Boating Safety Program Nov.8 & 15 Lets Go Sailing Nov. 8 & 15 BS&S Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Nov 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec

Publications
Frank Leister, FSO-PB Discerning readers will notice the Scuttlebutts size from month to month varies quite a bit. Part of this variance has to do with the activities occurring in a particular month and the other part is the availability

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FLOTILLA LEADERSHIP OFFICERS

June 2003

FLOTILLA COMMANDER Brett J. Grooms 553-2168 brettg101@comcast.net

VICE COMMANDER T Tom Schmidt 886-0500 beach-cat@worldnet.att.net

STAFF OFFICERS
AIDS TO NAVIGATION 225-7053 Dan Cowley cowleyrd@knology.net COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS Nelson Ohl 588-0298 nelsonohl@mindspring.com MARINE SAFETY LIAISON Shirley Wolf 971-1106 hgsawolf@charleston.net CAREER COUNSELOR W. Brent Hepburn 884-6625 bhepburn@worldnet.att.net COMMUNICATIONS Vincent Gennaro 810-3835 vgennaro@wpmedia.com

FINANCE Joey Bokern 884-8616 joeybokern@aol.com MARINE VISITOR Barbara J. Yeatman 795-4149 doberdoody@netzero.net

INFORMATION SYSTEMS Dean Creed 971-1541 dbcreed@netzero.net MATERIALS Henry Wolf 971-1106 hgsawolf@charleston.nett

MEMBER TRAINING Robert Lovinger 762-6136 rlovinger@earthlink.net

OPERATIONS Allen James 559-9762 A509229455nj@aol.com

PERSONNEL SERVICES Peter Chylko 824-6913 pchylko@earthlink.net

PUBLIC AFFAIRS Dean Creed 971-1541 dbcreed@netzero.net

PUBLIC EDUCATION Richard Daniel 556-8453 rbdaniel1829@aol.com

PUBLICATIONS Frank Leister 579-0103 fcl@winslow.com

SECRETARY/RECORDS Mike Ethridge 727-0307 methridge@carlockcopeland.com

VESSEL EXAMINATION Tom Beauchemin 873-0363 Two_short@charleston.net

Past Commander Dean Creed 971-1541 dbcreed@netzero.com

End of Scuttlebutt, June 2003