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Our Change of Watch went very well. We had forty people in attendance including members and family. We also had the pleasure of having DCP Bob Mathews with us. Bob gave the oath of office to myself and VFC Kent McCoin. Bob also gave the Flotilla some words of encouragement for the new year.
Joe Richbourg had some words of wisdom for the new Commander. Joe, thanks again for all the hard work last year. With saying that, I would like to encourage our members to turn their questions to me or Kent McCoin so Joe can get black to his life.
This year has started off as it has in years past. We have new Staff Officers and lots of work to get started. The first order of business is to work on a plan for the year. Kent and I have talked about calling a meeting with staff officers to work out the details. But I think that we should have some input from our members too. So at our January meeting, we will have an open forum with staff officers to work out what we want to get done this year and what we have to get done. I will also have an outline for the Staff Officers to work with that is part of the Coast Guard manual.
We need to keep in mind that the Boat Show is coming January 25-28. If you can work at the boat show please let know. We still need more people for Friday and Saturday afternoon and night. Click to see Boat Show schedule. (Use "back" button to return to newsletter.)
Our first BS&S class will be held beginning February 13th at Seven Oaks Recreation Center, off of St Andrews Rd. We will need all of the instructors to be present at the first class.
As your newly elected VFC I wish to begin by saying thanks for your vote of confidence in electing me to a leadership position. I know, like President Elect Bush's election, it was real close - only one vote for the FC and me! But I also know it was the "silent majority" who refrained from other nominations who really cast the "deciding votes."
Now that the voting is behind and the new year has begun, we are really poised to start with a bang! FC Bill Turner has submitted his staff roster and Business Plan 2001 to Division; FSO Operations George Crouch has set the first meeting date with DNR to discuss the Annual Boating Safety Fair and is already discussing our support of the next Triathlon event in May; FSO-VE Jim Fleming is scheduling Vessel Safety Check dates for Dreher Island, Yacht Cove and Windward Point Sailing Club, RadioNet has again been planned for the first and third Monday nights of each month led by FSO-Communications Boykin Roseborough; our "retired" FC has coordinated our year's first newsletter and a six weeks BS&S (Boating Safety) Class has been scheduled by FSO-PE Al McAlister to start February 13 for the public. This is just for starters, and many of you have already signed up to man our booth at the Columbia Boat Show (which runs Thursday January 25 through Sunday January 28) and/or to attend the Division 12 Quarterly Meeting and Change of Watch activities in Charleston the same weekend.
As the Lake Murray Sailing Club's liaison to the Lake Murray Yacht Racing Association's (LMYRA) race schedule/planning meeting, I reminded the LMYRA Board of Flotilla 12-3's presence and ability to render assistance as needed on the water. I was pleasantly surprised at their responsiveness. They requested our participation whenever possible, to include wanting to know if we still did safety checks - which they discussed as a possible prerequisite for any sailboat wanting to race. Needless to say, I felt good about our reputation for safety and rendering assistance on the lake!
All this and our first membership meeting is not until January 29, which brings me back to the subject of "silent majority." With all of the above activity, plus boat operations, classroom and on-the-water training, radio watch, administrative duties and FUN & FELLOWSHIP there should be plenty for every member of Flotilla 12-3 to keep busy doing what they enjoy! There is no more time for the silent majority, so speak up with your thoughts and ideas and we'll have another record year!
Again, I'm looking forward to working with everyone and will see you all the 29th.
P.S. If you are reading this newsletter before Sunday January 28, plan to visit the boat show and help man our booth. It's an excellent opportunity to discuss boating safety and interest prospects for membership and the BS&S class. Check our web page for any time periods still needing coverage. Saturday would be especially appreciated because coverage is light due to the number of members needing to attend the Division meeting in Charleston.
As in the last newsletter I need some information. If you use a GPS for navigation, I am planning to preset waypoint and routes for better and safer boating. I need to know what brand and model of GPS you are using. In order to go further with the project I need your input.
I have received a few more e-mails about the class. It is slow going but the class is a go! Our class books have been order and received. We will be working on a location and a time for the class. I will have an update and the current information at our next meeting.
The deadline for preliminary application to the Coast Guard Academy has passed, so I will be concentrating on AIM, the program for high school juniors thinking about applying to the academy next year.
I have visited three new schools this year, and hope to visit a couple more before the year is over. So far all the interviews I have been sent have been from the upper state. I am still hoping to interest some students from the midlands in applying. If you hear of any students who would be an AIM prospect, have them get in touch with me. The dead to apply is March 1.
As your Communications Officer for 2001, I realize that I have a hard act to follow. Steve Davis has done an outstanding job in developing an excellent communications program within 12-3. This includes a multi-radio installation at Flotilla Island, a Channel 83 - VHF link to increase coverage and the recruiting of George Summer who became an outstanding Watchstander. He has encouraged members to complete the AUXCOM Course and has trained Wachstanders.
My task will be to expand upon what Steve has developed. My goals include: the addition of a Channel 16 - VHF link, improvement of the antennas at Flotilla Island, installation of a telephone and a computer for the Watchstanders, additional members completing the AUXCOM Course and Watchstander training, additional testing of APRS, and if desired, the offering of an Amateur Radio Operator course.
To achieve my goals I will certainly need the support and assistance of Steve, George, our Watchstanders and the Flotilla membership. I look forward to serving as your Communications Officer. Please contact me anytime I can be of assistance.
The following members will have to take and pass the following task to remain qualified, sometime during this year.
This is the 5th year re-qual that is required by DIRAUX.
Click the links below to view reports. Click "Back" button to return to newsletter.
Many of you have been ordering various items lately and it's encouraging to see you actively preparing for another boating season. It's cold now, but come summer, you may want one of the new inflatable PFDs or, if not that, then maybe one of the mesh models. There are also some interesting items that you may not be aware of, such as the versatile and serviceable valise and the zipper notebook. We're here to help you get what you need, so don't hesitate to call.
I want to thank FC Turner for asking me to be part of his bridge for the coming year. It'll take a lot of work to keep the flotilla's record of new crew members on line with those numbers of the years past. This flotilla has a great group of crew and coxswains along with the facilities that other units in our Division would love to have after reading excerpts from the Pelorus!
Since our lake is down to the 350.0 mark, this makes for slow boating this time of year. All members should be taking any spare time and checking our equipment and be thinking and reviewing crew & coxswain tasks. Especially how to tie knots without thinking about them...practice while you watch TV some night. The little things, you forget very easy over time.
We will try and get all "yearly crew" tasks again signed off this Spring when we have the vessel inspections some Saturday morning. Just watch for the date later on & try to make this training.
If any member has any questions, feel free to call/e-mail no matter how trivial or small...if I don't know the answer, I can find out. [email protected]
You may have noticed a few changes in our newsletter. For one thing, it has a new name. When I told Bill that I would prepare this year's newsletter, I told him that I wanted to make a change. The old name "12-3 Aweigh" was a great name, and accurately described what happened when we pulled up "The Anchor" and began a new voyage. But a year after "Anchors Aweigh," I wanted a name that represents the continuing voyage of Flotilla 12-3. I searched through one of my favorite books, "Salty Dog Talk" for a proper nautical expression. Nothing in there seemed to fit. I didn't like the sound of Scuttled, Castaway, Aground, or The Mutineers. "McDale's Navy had a nice ring to it as did "Lake Dog," but Dale McCoin will be relieved that I didn't choose either of those. I also liked "Lake Murray News" but figured Ollie wouldn't let me use that one. Then it occurred to me. The next step in the voyage of 12-3 is to stay "On Course" as we continue to build a great flotilla. I don't know if you will agree with me or not. If you do, that's great. If you don't, well, then you get to pick the next one when it's your turn to be the editor.
Another change is the listing of officers at the top of the first page. I have added the e-mail addresses to the first page as well as to their articles. So even in the highly unlikely event that a staff officer doesn't have an article in the newsletter one month, you still have their e-mail address readily available. I also hope to print an updated membership directory with, phone numbers, mailing addresses, etc. later, and send it out by mail or distribute at a meeting. I don't want to publish that personal information on the internet where anyone has access to it, as that would violate the provisions of the Privacy Act. In that regard, I have updated our privacy statement in this publication to mirror that found in "The Breeze."
For those of you that want to print out your own copy, you may find that this publication may not line up correctly on your printer. For example, the page breaks may fall in the middle of an article, or a photograph may be cropped off. This is because this publication is designed for the internet. It is set up to load fairly quickly, be read on line, and have back issues stored on our members' web site. If you want a hard copy, and your printout of this version is not to your liking, please let me know and I will e-mail you a printer friendly version.
One last thing; you have heard this before from past editors. This is YOUR newsletter. This publication will be no better than what you send me. Of course we need the reports of the FC, VFC and ALL staff officers, but I invite all members to submit information and suggestions.
A 2001 annual calendar is posted on the members' web site. I have included Auxiliary events as well as USPS events scheduled at Flotilla Island. I will update the calendar during the year as events are scheduled. The calendar can be accessed by clicking the link below. Use the "Back" button to return to the newsletter.
We're ready to begin the next BS&S series on 13 February at the Seven Oaks Recreation Center on Leisure Lane. This year's series will run for only six Tuesday evenings, and we'll see how well we can teach our subjects in that time frame. Brochures will be available within the next few days, so let's get the word out and have a good group of students at this series.
Confidentiality Notice:
Telephone numbers and addresses of members are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. As a matter of policy, rosters of names, addresses and telephone numbers shall not be made available to the general public or any outside organization. Privacy of all rosters shall be safeguarded and the page clearly labeled. The publication of these rosters, addresses, and telephone numbers on any computer on-line service including the Internet is prohibited by the Privacy Act of 1974.
