USCG Station Brunswick District 7 10 TH Division Flotilla 10

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Simons Island and the Golden Isles of Georgia GPS - Did you know?

1 the Watchstander USCG Station Brunswick District 7 10 TH Division Flotilla 10 The official publication of the U.S. Coast Guard & U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for Brunswick, St. Simons Island and the Golden Isles of Georgia GPS - Did you know? 9 Aux Members Qualify ATON Pollution Investigators Deploy Vessel Exam Blitz Issue 7 July - August 2013

Watchstander On the cover: BM2 Desormeaux and MK3 Carter, members of USCG sail past a RORO while on patrol and practicing towing exercises with the Auxiliary.

All submissions should be emailed to: fsopb@cgauxssi.

3 Watchstander On the cover: BM2 Desormeaux and MK3 Carter, members of USCG sail past a RORO while on patrol and practicing towing exercises with the Auxiliary. Contents: The Ward Room From The Top Station Brunswick News GPS - Did You Know COASTIE News API Mission Report View From The Pulpit Missions And Training BS&S Class Events Calendar The Watchstander is the official monthly newsletter publication for Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, District 7. Authorized Information and submissions are also provided by the U.S. Coast Guard Station Brunswick and printed in the Watchstander. All submissions should be ed to: fsopb@cgauxssi.us go to Photographic credits go to: Publication Editor: David Lawrence Ed Ladzinski Bob Shoreman Don Wellons Arlene Ingram David Lawrence facebook.com/uscgauxssi Visit our website at cgauxssi.us To request a copy of the Watchstander please fsopb@cgauxssi.us A PDF document of this newsletter will be sent

The Ward Room Flotilla Commander Donald Wellons Flotilla Commander THE BEST EVER! I am so proud of the members of Flotilla 10-10.

4 The Ward Room Flotilla Commander Donald Wellons Flotilla Commander THE BEST EVER! I am so proud of the members of Flotilla We have so many enthusiastic and active members working together as a big team to accomplish the flotilla s goals that it is just unbelievable. Everywhere I look I see progress. We have more vessel examiners and partner visitors than ever before. We have done more vessel exams and partner visits than last year. Our public education classes are growing. So far this year we have graduated 57 students in various boating classes. We have another BS&S class starting August 15. We have more TCO operators and more Aton verifiers than ever before. Division 10 has 18 radio facilities. Fourteen of them are in Flotilla and we have 2 more pending. We have another wonderful asset in addition to our members. Coast Guard Station Brunswick! Senior Chief Bennett, Chief Pollard, BM1 Jones (our AUXLO), BM2 Mercer (TPO) and all of the active members at Station Brunswick are just wonderful. You could not ask for a better group of people to work with. Truly Flotilla would not be where it is today without the help of the Coast Guard members at Station Brunswick! So far this year we have added 9 new members and are talking with 6 potential members. Sadly two members have passed away this year. Our pot luck dinners before our monthly meetings have been very successful. They are attended by our members and their spouses/dates. Senior Chief Bennett and his wife join us as well as some of the other day workers and all of the duty section members. Members of the off duty section attend as well. It provides a wonderful opportunity for the Auxiliary members and the Coast Guard members to become acquainted with each other. All of our staff officers are putting forth extra effort in their fields, and it shows! Some interesting statistics: Our membership demographics; age two members, none, six members, twenty two members, fourteen members, two members and none over 100! WE ARE THE BEST EVER! Donald Wellons Flotilla Commander

From The Top Clyde Bowman Vice Flotilla Commander WHY WE DO IT During the past few weeks I ve been spending a good deal of time thinking about the why of Auxiliary membership, at least for me.

5 From The Top Clyde Bowman Vice Flotilla Commander WHY WE DO IT During the past few weeks I ve been spending a good deal of time thinking about the why of Auxiliary membership, at least for me. Why spend all those hours studying, Why spend hours qualifying for VE, or MDV, or watch stander, or boat crew, or API, or hours taking care of the lighthouse, or maintaining the radio nets. Why do we spend so many hours looking after the funds, or taking care of supply, or public affairs or public education? We know that our flotilla has put in over 10,000 hours this year already. Those are hours that could have been spent with families or fishing or just sitting on the deck with mint juleps. Why do we spend so much time trying to get into shape, or taking care of appearance or uniforms? For me the light bulb finally switched on yesterday. During the past couple of months a few of us helped during a SAR where a puppy was saved and the two fishermen who were out in a 14 foot Jon boat during a small craft warning; and then again when Don and I were called out to investigate a possible oil spill. And when a neighbor let me know he bought new flares for his boat or when another neighbor asked me to check his boat for him. Most simply put, I believe we make a difference in our community. All of our different tasks and time expended mean something. All of our efforts make this community on the water a little safer, a little cleaner, a little better for everyone and for the next generation. I also believe that the past two months have really showed how much our flotilla has changed. Not just with all the new members, new certifications, and great pot luck socials before meetings, but perhaps of more importance our developing ability to assist Coast Guard Station Brunswick and MSU Savannah operationally. On 12 July Don Wellons and Clyde Bowman were dispatched as API s for MSU Savannah. On 18 July Don Wellons, Linda Clavin, Arlene Ingram, Clyde Bowman, Frank Porto, and Bob Shoreman were on a day/night Maritime Observation and ATON Training Mission. During this mission the crew trained with a Station boat and noted and reported ATON discrepancies. On 24 July, Bowman was standing watch at the station, and Bob Shoreman was training as a watch stander. They assumed ATON Boat CG26139 s radio guard while they were repairing the discrepancies noted on the 18 th. Earlier in that week, Linda Clavin and Arlene Ingram were called to assist the station with towing training. On the 27 th eight members completed AV certification training joining Ralph and Donna Ainger as ATON verifiers. When l look at all the things we already do, lighthouse maintenance, Vessel Exams, Partner Visits, etc. I am both humbled and proud to serve with such great people serving our community and supporting our Coast Guard in so many ways. Clyde Bowman Vice Flotilla Commander Vice Flotilla Commander

Station Brunswick Station Responds To Overturned Vessel On 27 July the F/V Captain Wilson, ran a g r o u n d a n d overturned in the East River Turning Basin.

The changing of the tides subsequently caused the vessel to capsize where it lay against the rock shoring in the turning basin, and it came to rest with its starboard side mostly submerged, it's keel

Since then, a few higher tides have lifted the vessel and set it further up on the bank, and it now appears to be as out of the water as it will get, though it is still over half-submerged at high

6 Station Brunswick Station Responds To Overturned Vessel On 27 July the F/V Captain Wilson, ran a g r o u n d a n d overturned in the East River Turning Basin. A l l o f t h e crewmembers onboard disembarked safely after the grounding, with no injuries reported. They were picked up while on foot on Andrews Island. The changing of the tides subsequently caused the vessel to capsize where it lay against the rock shoring in the turning basin, and it came to rest with its starboard side mostly submerged, it's keel facing the shore, and its masts and outriggers completely underwater, protruding into the turning basin. Since then, a few higher tides have lifted the vessel and set it further up on the bank, and it now appears to be as out of the water as it will get, though it is still over half-submerged at high water. During the initial grounding / capsizing, a substantial amount of fuel oil was spilled into the adjacent water, and the incident was responded to by several Federal and State agencies, among them Station Brunswick, CG MSU Savannah, and Army Corps of Engineers. A private pollution response company was contracted to place an oilabsorbing boom around the stricken vessel to contain the spill. The efforts were successful, and as no more pollution has been observed recently, the boom has been removed. Currently, the several agencies still involved with the case are discussing what is to be done with the vessel itself. Submitted by: BM2 Josh Masters Station Brunswick WPO Celebrating Summer Station Brunswick celebrated the 223rd birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard with a summer picnic and activities on 3 AUG at the Howard Coffin Park in Brunswick. The celebration was attended by many station personnel and their families. The Auxiliary and Navy League had a few attendees also. Great food and a big cake were served to the hungry crew. Fun and fellowship was enjoyed by all. Happy Birthday Coast Guard!

WAAS utilizes a network of ground stations and satellites to send a table of corrections Ed Ladzinski to your GPS.

7 News And Views Flotilla Staff Officer Vessel Examinations GPS Did you know! Did you know - that almost all newer GPS models regardless of price or size have the capability to enable WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) to make the GPS much more accurate? WAAS utilizes a network of ground stations and satellites to send a table of corrections Ed Ladzinski to your GPS. Your GPS receiver then applies these corrections to Flotilla Staff Officer improve your position accuracy to within about 10 feet. It may take your GPS a little longer to boot when you turn it on but the positional accuracy is worth the wait. You can check to see if you have this capability and determine if it s enable by typically looking into your Main Menu -> Setup -> System menu (your GPS unit may differ in menu structure). Did you know - that you may not be where you think you are based on the information your GPS is providing. Where was your GPS made and tested (perhaps in a country that uses a different Horizontal Datum)? There are a number of methods for modeling the irregular shape of the earth s surface and the lines of latitude and longitude may not match from one method s grid to another. Well, it may be worth checking your GPS to ensure that you have the correct Horizontal Datum loaded. Here s the list of Horizontal Datum that appear on my GPS. Yours may have more but the right choice for you on the east coast of the USA is WGS 84 since that s what NOAA uses for its charts. Tristan Ast 68 Tristan Astro Tristan da Cunha Viti Levu 1916 Viti Levu Viti Levu/Fiji Islands Wake-Eniwetok Wake-Eniwetok- Marshall WGS 72 World Geodetic System 72 WGS 84 World Geodetic System 84 Zanderij Zanderij- Surinam (excluding San Salvador Is.) User-defined custom datum: You can check to see if you have WGS 84 loaded by looking into your Main Menu -> Setup -> Position Format -> Maps Datum menu. (your GPS unit may differ in menu structure). Ed Ladzinski Flotilla Staff Officer Vessel Examinations

News And Views COASTIE Cruises St Simons Island On 4th Of July!

Flotilla 10-10 decided to show a presence in the community we serve and entered a golf cart pulling a big attraction Coastie!

would have been too long for little Coasties battery.

Six of us Auxies and Tara Anne (Arlene s Aux dog) had fun riding along as Coastie blasted his horn, sounded his siren, showed his lights and wet down

The PE department purchased 150 three chambered, 120 decibel, safety whistles that exceed SOLAS requirements. We have them for sale at $5.00 each.

8 News And Views COASTIE Cruises St Simons Island On 4th Of July! The annual St Simons Island Village 4th of July golf cart parade this year featured a new addition. Flotilla decided to show a presence in the community we serve and entered a golf cart pulling a big attraction Coastie! Our adopted member, Dennis Owens (Aux Gail Owens clever husband) built a trailer for Coastie light enough to pull behind a cart because the parade would have been too long for little Coasties battery. As expected, Coastie was the hit or should I say he hit the parade goers with squirts from his bow! Six of us Auxies and Tara Anne (Arlene s Aux dog) had fun riding along as Coastie blasted his horn, sounded his siren, showed his lights and wet down the crowd on that hot day. Rescue Whistles As a way to promote personal water safety and gain a little cash for the flotilla. The PE department purchased 150 three chambered, 120 decibel, safety whistles that exceed SOLAS requirements. We have them for sale at $5.00 each. (retail s at $7.95) This whistle is uniquely produced for the Search & Rescue community and approved by dozens of government and rescue originations including the National Safe Boating Council and the Coast Guard. Every member of your family, all your friends and neighbors need one of these; not just for the water, but in your purse or pocket for Personal Safety. Please contact Arlene Ingram for more information or to purchase. Visit for detailed manufacture information.

News And Views Auxiliary Pollution Investigators Deploy On July 12 th Don Wellons was standing watch at the station. He received a call at 0815 that a barge had sunk at the Federica Yacht Club.

By 0928 Bowman was on scene, advising, reporting, taking witness statements, pictures and speaking with the EPA, NRC, and DNR in addition to the Station and MSU.

9 News And Views Auxiliary Pollution Investigators Deploy On July 12 th Don Wellons was standing watch at the station. He received a call at 0815 that a barge had sunk at the Federica Yacht Club. After notifying the OOD, MSU Savannah was notified. They requested an Assistant Pollution Investigator (API) go to the scene, evaluate, and report to Chief Barnes at MSU. By 0928 Bowman was on scene, advising, reporting, taking witness statements, pictures and speaking with the EPA, NRC, and DNR in addition to the Station and MSU. By 1215 Wellons joined Bowman and corroborated all site information. By 1430 MSU advised that we no longer needed to monitor the recovery. As a result, MSU didn t have to dispatch a team saving the Coast Guard time, and money. Pictures were taken and reports were filed with MSU Savannah. API s Don Wellons and Clyde Bowman View From The Pulpit Most Christian churches place special emphases on Christmas and Easter even if they don t follow what is known in more liturgical churches as the Christian Year. This begins with Advent in the fall and continues until Christmas and Epiphany when the wise men came to worship Jesus as a young child in a house. After that comes Lent, a time of preparation for Easter. Then Pentecost known as the birthday of the church. There are others but these are the main ones. But between Pentecost in the spring and Advent in the fall there is this long period referred to as Ordinary Time. It occurred to me that much of our life is not special celebrations but ordinary. We get up, go to work, come home, maybe relax, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. If we are retired from full time work, life may become a little too ordinary. That s why the Coast Guard Auxiliary is such a good way to find fulfillment in meaningful service. For persons of faith there is a life dimension which makes celebration a daily experience. In the Message translation the psalmist in Psalm 139 says, Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! speaking of God. In Psalm 118 (NRSV) it says, This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. May we receive each day as a gift and open it moment by moment with joy and expectation. Then life will not be just ordinary but extraordinary. John Farmer Volunteer Chaplain John Farmer, Volunteer Chaplain

Missions Get / Training To Know Us Bravo Zulu! Flotilla 10-10 is leading all other flotillas in combined hours. For a small flotilla we are doing a big job. Keep up the good work!

And a strong and capable force multiplier for our Station and it s crew. VE Blitz Big Success! USCG Aux 10-10 celebrated a successful Vessel Examination Day at Morning Star Marina on August 3rd.

Additionally, one of our own was able to fulfill the requirement for five (5) vessel exams. Congratulations to the team!

10 Missions Get / Training To Know Us Bravo Zulu! Flotilla is leading all other flotillas in combined hours. For a small flotilla we are doing a big job. Keep up the good work! We will continue to train and carry out our RBS functions and improve operations. Working hard to become one of the best Flotillas in District 7. And a strong and capable force multiplier for our Station and it s crew. VE Blitz Big Success! USCG Aux celebrated a successful Vessel Examination Day at Morning Star Marina on August 3rd. Supported by a dedicated team of vessel examiners, sixteen (16) more vessels were examined and fourteen (14) are now displaying the VE emblem. That may be a one day record! Additionally, one of our own was able to fulfill the requirement for five (5) vessel exams. Congratulations to the team! Participating VE s Ed Ladzinski Don Wellons Clyde Bowman Randy Irwin Arlene Ingram Zack Hasbrouck THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! ATON Class The Coast Guard Auxiliary modified the requirements to be an Aton Verifier last year. Now members have to attend an 8 hour ATON class, pass a quiz and complete a number of other requirements. Candidates must perform two day time Aton Missions and two night time Aton missions and properly fill out all required forms. Candidates have to complete ICS 100 and ICS 700. Also they must be BQ, AUXOP or AUXOP2. Upon satisfying all requirements the candidates will receive the AV-PQS certification. July 27, 2013 Don Funderburke from Flotilla 10-2 and Don Wellons from Flotilla taught an 8 hour Aton class. Members attending were Arlene Ingram, Frank Porto, Al Dixon, Bob Shoreman, Ed Ladzinski, Clyde Bowman, Randy Irwin and David Lawrence from Flotilla and Cynthia Bonnett from Flotilla Donna Ainger and Ralph Ainger, from 10-10, took the class in Savannah earlier.

Missions / Training BS&S Class Starting Soon Arlene Ingram, FSO-PE The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) course is a modern and comprehensive course designed for both the experienced and the novice boater.

Our August 2013 BS&S course is set to take place at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Brunswick, beginning on August 17th from 9:00am-4:00pm.

11 Missions / Training BS&S Class Starting Soon Arlene Ingram, FSO-PE The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) course is a modern and comprehensive course designed for both the experienced and the novice boater. The course, now in its 14th edition published in 2007, consists of 8 core required two hour lessons plus five elective lessons, providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats in all conditions. Our August 2013 BS&S course is set to take place at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Brunswick, beginning on August 17th from 9:00am-4:00pm. And resuming for 3 week nights (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) from 6:00pm -9:15pm. And then finishing on Saturday; 9:00am Topics Include Which Boat Is For You? Boater's language; types of boats; outboard motors and stern drives; hull design; uses of boats; other power plants; materials for constructing boats; your intended use; the Coast Guard Customer Info line; marine surveyors; buying a boat. Equipment For Your Boat Requirements for your boat; your boat's equipment; legal considerations; substance abuse; boating accident reports; Courtesy Marine Examinations. Handling Your Boat Leave with a full tank; fueling your boat; your boat's propeller; cars and boats; twin screws; jet drives; loading your boat; getting started; leaving a pier; "man" overboard; docking; mooring to a permanent anchor; anchoring; towing a skier; heavy weather; small boat safety. Your "Highway" Signs Protection of ATONs; buoyage systems; waterway marks; how waterways are marked; light characteristics; chart symbols; light structures; lights on bridges; electronic aids to navigation; a word to the wise; navigation publications. The Rules You Must Follow Two sets of rules; to whom do the rules apply; what is a vessel; the general responsibility rule; general considerations; conduct in narrow channels; traffic separation schemes; vessel traffic services; stand-on or give-way; rules for special vessels; risk of collision; bend signals; restricted visibility; vessel lights and shapes; vessels at anchor; diving operations; distress signals; drawbridge signals; penalties. Introduction To Navigation Piloting tools; maps and charts; chart features; your chart's general information block; other charted information; your magnetic compass; position on the earth's surface; locating a point on a chart; distance on the earth's surface; measuring distance; course plotting; sources of compass error; correcting a compass reading; positioning; speed-time-distance; dead reckoning; practice your art. Lines & Knots For Your Boat Line or rope; rope materials; kinds of rope; measuring rope; selecting your ropes; care of rope; making up line; knots, bends, and hitches; splices; securing lines; dipping the eye. Weather & Boating Sources of weather information; wind and boating; wind and waves; understanding weather; weather and heat; fog; non-frontal weather. Your Boat's Radio Radios used on boats; functions of radios; licenses; selecting your VHF-FM radio; installation; operating your VHF-FM; maintain a radio watch; channels have special purposes; some "no no's"; copies of the rules; calling another station; procedure words; phonetic alphabet; routine radio check; distress, urgency, and safety calls; crew training...and more! Ralph Ainger, teaching BS&S Class INVITE A FRIEND!

One of the things that you can do to help is go to the Flotilla Facebook page

12 Events Calendar Facebook Facebook is a great tool for getting the word out about the Flotilla and our events. One of the things that you can do to help is go to the Flotilla Facebook page and Like us. We encourages all members to post pictures and comments about the Flottila on the page. go to facebook.com/uscgauxssi

2 Boating Rules and Regulations... 73

Contents at a Glance Chapter 1 Boat Design and Construction Chapter 2 Boating Rules and Regulations Chapter 3 Navigation Rules (ColRegs) Chapter 4 Boat Operating and Seamanship Chapter 5 Piloting and Navigation