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The Februaray meeting was held at Lighthouse Marina, with twenty-nine members were in attendance. We had one guest, Richard Lesnieski, retired policemen who lives on Lake Murray. I would like to thank Lighthouse Marina for letting us use their Restaurant for out meeting
BS&S classes are going well. The classes will come to a close on March 20. We will need help with the testing, so we need as many members as possible to attend that night. Thanks to Al McCallister and Don Davis for all their work in keeping these classes going. Also, I would like to thank the instructors.
As most of you know, we have been involved with the search for two missing fishermen. We had two boats out on the first day, with 10 or more people working with DNR. On Tuesday we had one boat out. The following weekend we had four boats, one PWC, and radio people working all day running search patterns in five locations on Lake Murray. We have had boats out on other weekends for three weeks, with no luck. Read George Crouch�s report for more information.
Ron Jones, with NOAA weather, would like to use the island as a weather monitoring station. In order to do this he will need a telephone line to gather information. We had a motion from the floor to have a telephone line installed the island. The motion was to spend approximately $100.00 to run the line and $20.00 per month for phone service. This motion to go forward and install the telephone was passed by a vote of the majority of our members in attendance. Kent McCoin has agreed to amend the budget to cover this cost.
Thanks to Charles Wooten, our TCT training went very well. We had over 15 members in attendance on a cold, rainy Saturday. I would like to encourage all members who have not had the TCT training to take this training.
Facility inspection started on March 9. If you had not had your vessel inspected, you must do so as soon as possible. Contact Jim Fleming to have your vessel inspected.
The following links may be of interest for safe navigation.
1. Receive storm warning via pager message, pcs phone or e-mail: WIS TV Weather Warn
2. National Data Buoy Center Going to the coast? Click Here
3. Current area lake levels Click Here
4. National Weather Service local radar: www.nws.noaa.gov/er/cae/radar.htm
5. National Weather Service Columbia Office: www.nws.noaa.gov/er/cae/
Click the links below to view reports. Click "Back" button to return to newsletter.
Flotilla 12-3 Qualification Summary
Activity Mission Report March, 2001
Our three new "crew" candidates; Lynn Williams, Robert Burton and Charles Armstrong all met on 3/10/01 for their first session at CG Island. We are still in need of the "old" blue front crew/coxswain manuels (for loan only) to help these new members along with present crew/coxswain mentors to work with these students.
Also, on the same date we had four new "coxswain" candidates; Bobby Buscher, Dale McCoin, Kent McCoin and James Fleming start their studies for coxswain training. Any present crew/coxswain members are needed to help as mentors for these members also.
We had a group of 17 members take the TCT training at the Irmo building on the 3rd; so anyone who hasen't had this 8-hour session needs to check with FC Turner and see where and when the next session will be. This is a "MUST" seminar for any: crew/coxswain or watch-stander at least once every five years; after getting it the first time; within a year after your certified at one of these positions. It's well worth the time & effort to sit in class and realize how we can make or get ourselves in a bad situtation very easy dealing with the boating public.
FSO-IS Davis will be instructing the crew class & I'll be with the coxswain trainees so come on out on Saturday mornings from 9 til 3 and help us out; especially those members who need their five year check-rides this year.
Anyone wanting patrol times this year don't hesitate to call and check when Bobby & I are heading out on our boat or we'll crew on yours if need be.
See you at the meeting on the 26th.
Flotilla 12-3 has done an excellent job in assisting with the search for the missing fisherman on lake Murray and all of our members who have participated are to be commended for their assistance. While the search has scaled back from formal search efforts vessels on patrol should include regular sweeps in the area from Bomb Island to Shull Island as part of their regular patrol efforts. As you are aware one victims has been recovered and the other victim is expected to be located in the same area. Please remember not to touch or take the victim out of the water and notify DNR by phone and secure the area if you locate a victim. No radio traffic should occur that includes discovery or location of the victim, use the phone.
Our radio traffic is monitored by others so it is very important that we use professional radio etiquette and not CB jargon or chit-chat.
As we begin to approach the boating season please look at your schedules to see when you are available for patrols. Starting in April it would be nice to begin scheduling at least one patrol on Saturday and one on Sunday. Many boaters experience problems the first time they have their boats out of winter storage. As we enter May we need to begin looking at an early and late patrol on both days. Please check your schedules for April, we will begin passing around Patrol sign-up sheets at the March 26 meeting.
During the month, Flotilla 12-3 Public Affairs activities included:
Booth at the Columbia Boat Show
Photo Shoot, January 24, 2001 for the upcoming Lake Murray Magazine feature edition on the efforts and role of the USCGA and Flotilla 12-3.
Two newspaper articles were written in reference to Flotilla 12-3's involvement in the SAR for the 2 missing fishermen.
TV reports were taken out on John O'Farrell's boat to observe the SAR in progress.
Please be reminded that in order to maintain consistent and proper voice for Flotilla 12-3 and the USCGA, inquiries and conversation with the press are to be referred to the FC, VFC, FSO-OP or FSO-PA only.
If anyone is getting this newsletter by regular mail and you have an e-mail address, please send it to me so I can add you to our on-line distribution list. You will get your newsletter quicker, see it in color, and save me a little work too.
Speaking of e-mail, some of you may have seen the messages about getting a "uscg.net" address. The website is www.uscg.net. The website has the following disclaimer: "USCG.net is in no official way affiliated with the United States Government. USCG.net is a private company and a member of The BigFish Group of e-mail services websites."
Just in case you are interested, Bigfish is a company in the Netherlands, www.bigfish.nl. I visited their website and learned that their revenue is generated by having people forward e-mail through them so they can build a targeted marketing database with the plan of tagging advertising messages onto the end of the e-mails. I have tried it and it seems to work OK. Just aware that you may see a few ads, but I haven't experienced a problem with that. After all, if you are reading this on the members' web site, you usually will see a small block advertisement in the upper right hand corner of the page. You can click the "X" and it will go away. Somebody has to pay for this "free stuff." In addition to my regular e-mail listed at the beginning of this article, you can also reach me at [email protected] or [email protected].
The calendar on the members' web site has been updated. Please check it to keep up with scheduled events. Also, let me know what needs to be added.
Have you ever seen a boat and wondered who the owner is? Well, if it a vessel documented with the USCG, thanks to the National Marine Fisheries web site, you can easily find out. They maintain a copy of the USCG vessel documentation database, updated quarterly. Click the following link to go to the name look up page. Click here: Vessel look up by name. Enter a vessel name and it will tell you the owners name, address, home port, documentation number, HIN, boat manufacturer, year built, size, etc. as well as a history of previous owners, if any. Because many boats have the same name, it will return a detailed list of up to 20 boats with the same or similar names, and you can scroll through to find the one you want. If there are more than 20 boats listed, it will return up to 400 names in an abbreviated listing.
Vessels can also be looked up by the documentation number at the following link. Click here: Vessel look up by documentation number
By the way, the National Marine Fisheries site has some interesting stuff too. Their home page is: National Marine Fisheries
The following story might be true. It was told to me by a reliable source, but he might have the names wrong, I'm not real sure.
Bill and Joe rented a boat and fished in the lake every day. One day they caught 30 fish. Bill said to Joe,
"Mark this here spot so that we can come back right here again tomorrow."
The next day, when they were driving to rent the boat, Bill asked Joe, "Did you mark that there spot like ah tole ya?"
Joe replied, "Shore nuff, I put a big ole 'X' on the bottom of the boat."
"You stupid fool! Now, what we gonna do if we don't get that same boat today?!
The first VSC program for this boating season will be held at the Dreher Island State Park boat ramp on April 7 and 14 from 1000 to 1300 hours. VEs who are available for these dates are asked to contact me for scheduling.
The new VSC decals are here. Let know if you need decals or forms.
I have new South Carolina Boating Laws handbooks. They are the same as last year. I also have miscellaneous handouts and DNR whistles. See me for your supply.
Lighthouse Marina VSCs are schedule for May 5 at 0900. Mark your calendars.
Subject: Fw: Carbon Monoxide
Date sent: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 07:25:21 -0800
Forwarded by: [email protected]
Colleagues, Please give wide distribution to this safety message. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is "sneaky" and all boaters (and RV operators too) must be vigilant to assure that they and their guests and crew are both aware of the potential dangers as well as how to enjoy boating safely and avoid CO problems. Resp., Viggo Bertelsen, Jr. NACO
Most of you by now are aware of the issue of carbon monoxide poisoning deaths associated with houseboat generator exhausts. While this issue is concentrated in houseboats users in the southwest, there have been CO poisoning deaths elsewhere, and CO intrusion into cabin or enclosed spaces in ANY BOAT, ANYWHERE, is still a lethal threat. Please help the get the word out via the enclosed news release, and ask our public outreach folks (VEs, MVs, ITs, PAs, etc.) to help get the word out also. Thank you.
CDR Bob Thomson
Acting Chief Director of Auxiliary (G-OCX)
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.
