WAUKEELOG. June-July. Coming Events

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1 June-July 2009 WAUKEELOG Waukegan Sail & Power Squadron, a Unit of the United States Power Squadrons District 20 Promoting Safe Sail and Power Boating Published Six Times per Year wspsboating.org COMMANDERS COMMENTS CDR. OSCAR LUTZ, JN Most of our hard work is over the winter and spring months when we are providing many courses and seminars. There are also a good number of social events that occur during this time to take away the winter blahs. Now that boating time is upon us, our thoughts go from working on the boat to enjoying the boat and having a fun summer. As you know, under the leadership of Elisabeth Geltz, we have ramped up the social schedule and do not plan to rest on our laurels this summer and fall. So please check our calendar and see which events may appeal to you. For the Naval Station Great Lakes Cruise, we have 36 people signed up. This is a very good turnout for us. For the first time in four years, we are being joined by some Waukegan Yacht Club members and Waukegan Harbor patrons. Over all, participation in our social events has increased steadily. Under the guidance of Mike Ludtke our Used Equipment Sale/Picnic was a huge success. Sales and attendance were both up. More of our members wore a cap, shirt, or sweatshirt with our Waukegan logos. The flare shoot was guided by our Safety Officer, Dick Lazar. Hopefully, it will be repeated next year. It was a unique experience for some of us who never shot off or lit a flare. You should have seen Betty Moran and Marlene Cox handle a flare gun. NYPD watch out. Our next main event is the Pancake Breakfast on the patio of Waukegan Harbor at 8:30 am on June 7. We know it will be a success. Social events are planned for September 19 (the Patio Party), October 17 (Social Dinner) and the November 7 Membership Election Dinner. We are discussing possibly adding another dinner event in July or August. Join us for the Cruises this year to Milwaukee, North Point, Kenosha and Racine. Most of these are near home. If you cannot boat up to North Point on the Cruise, drive up for the Cruise and Rendezvous hosted by the Fox Valley Squadron on Saturday, July 25. This is always a fun social event to meet the other District 20 squadrons. Sign up for this ASAP. Hope to see you at some of these events. Have a wonderful summer season, boating is fun! We ll show you how to do it safely. Oscar Coming Events 7 June Pancake Breakfast Waukegan Harbor Patio 9 June 1900 Excom Tacos El Norte Gurnee 19 June WSPS Founders Day July Squadron Cruise Milwaukee 14 July 1900 Excom 18 July Mac & Hook Races 25 July D/20 Summer Cruise and Rendezvous Northpoint Marina 8-9 August Squadron Cruise Kenosha September Squadron Cruise Racine 19 September 1800 Rib Dinner Waukegan Patio October D/20 Fall Conference

2 EDUCATION OFFICER LT/C TOM PARKINSON, JN The conclusion of the America s Boating Course at Libertyville High School brings our spring public boating classes to an end. For the fall educational schedule our public boating chair, John Josko, has arranged an ABC class at the College of Lake County. This is a new venture for the squadron in fact for the last two years we have not had any public class in the fall. Please promote this class among boaters that you meet over the summer. Congratulations to the Advanced Piloting class all of whom passed (see sidebar for names). This is a class which has the classic USPS combination of practical knowledge and sound application background. We are waiting exam results for the Sail and Weather classes while the Navigation class is ongoing. This Navigation course is so new that the class was started without the materials from USPS. Thankfully we are fully equipped now, but as the class uses two computer programs there are the usual software glitches as the students try out different functions. I myself am having a lot of trouble finding a true horizon during twilight. The on-line Seamanship class has concluded with a second meeting in person for Marlinspike Seamanship and the exam. Since the first introductory class, all others have been held via the WebEx seminar system arranged by ASEO Jeff Geltz. The presentations were made direct to each student s computer, and as our experience increased we added homework via on-line polling and a demo via web-cam. Each student had a microphone and headset to ask questions and to comment. Although this system is not suitable for all USPS classes it will be very helpful for some. Our membership and instructor cadre are scattered and a system that allows a class to be taken from ones own home should find many takers. Please drop me an at wspsseo@gmail.com if you have ideas on how to make our classes more accessible (it doesn t have to be a comment on the on-line approach) The Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club again offered a wide range of subjects in their Spring Educational series. We were invited to provide a seminar on Marine Radar which was given by Rex Miller, Boat Handling which was cancelled, and Use of GPS which was given by me. We thank the WHYC for the opportunity to meet and show our stuff to boaters outside our normal group. Talk to Dave Sallmann about seminar opportunities. While on the subject of seminars I have to mention Rex Miller s seminar on the marine application of Batteries. Rex gave the squadron a special presentation and an opportunity to keep up-to-date on this interesting and technical subject. For those who missed it - watch out for repeat opportunities or have your club contact Rex (see adv. below for Telrex Marine Services). It is also not too late to sign up for the seminar series at North Point Marina put on by Skokie Valley Sail and Power Squadron see this link for details: 1%2015%202009%20%20_1_.pdf (refreshments provided) If you boat in the Racine area the Racine Squadron is presenting a selection of the USPS seminars over the summer. Visit them as a fraternal gesture to encourage boater education in Racine and say Hi to SEO Connie Runge. Fair boating winds to all (As a graduate of the Weather class I now know to watch out for those cumulus clouds when the wind veers from SE to SW) Tom In this Issue Commanders Notes SEO Comments XO Comments AO Comments Birthdays Cool Web Sites Editor-A Lesson Learned Upcoming Cruises Pancake Breakfast Trident Extra WSPS Officers Commander Cdr Oscar Lutz JN ojlutz@aol.com Executive Officer Lt/C Michael Ludtke JN wspsxo@gmail.com Educational Officer Lt/C Tom Parkinson JN tprknsn@gmail.com Administrative Officer Lt/C Elisabeth A. Geltz, JN elisabeth@egeltz.com Treasurer Lt/C Tenney Ford S illinoiscarbide@sbcglobal.net Secretary Lt/C Jan Guthrie, S jan@buy-a-boat.com Waukeelog Editor Bob Kunath, AP bobkunath@gmail.com

3 EXECUTIVE OFFICER LT/C MIKE LUDTKE JN The XO department continues to promote the squadron with our web site, kids loaner PFD displays and other programs. We kicked off Safe Boating Week (May 16-23) with our annual Used Equipment Sale. We also held a flare shoot demonstration. We are already talking about another flare shoot next year, and possibly some other hands on safety events. We are planning something new in Waukegan Harbor this year, by assigning WSPS Dock Captains. What is a Dock Captain? Dock Captains will be ambassadors to their docks for WSPS. The Dock Captain job is simple enough, just introduce yourself to others on your dock and let them know you are a power squadron member. Let them know they can come to you if they have questions on safe boating, boating classes, how to get a VSC. The Dock Captain should be their first stop. I've already got a few Dock Captains signed up, so if you would like to volunteer for your dock let me know. It's VSC Mega-Weeks from now until July 5. Vessel Examiners will be making an extra effort to make themselves available around the harbors for your Vessel Safety Check. While we can do a VSC anytime of year, most get done during these seven weeks. It's best to get your VSC early in the season to be sure you are in full compliance with the USCG regulations all summer long. USED EQUIPMENT SALE - We had a great turnout of sellers and buyers on May 16. Moving the event to the harbor building proved to be a success as we had a lot more walk in traffic then years past. Everyone must have gone home happy, there wasn't much left for the sellers to pickup when we closed at 1pm. Thanks to everyone that helped setup and helped during the sale. Special thanks to Helaine Baldwin and Betty Moran who did an excellent job as cashiers. We had total sales of $852 and $120 was collected in the 50/50 raffle, which was won by Chuck Perkins. Congratulations Chuck! FLARE SHOOT DEMONSTRATION - Dick Lazar organized a terrific flare shoot demonstration on Saturday May 16. About a dozen shooters showed up to practice this important skill. No one got hurt and everyone had a lot of fun Demonstrating your ability to properly use Visual Distress Signals (VDS) is a requirement for the new USPS Coastal Boat Operators Certification, so if you missed the event this year, we'll probably be planning another in coming years so you can obtain your certification. Here are a few things I learned during the shoot: 1. Practice using the signals before you have an emergency. When the time comes to use the VDS in a real emergency, you are probably already in a lot of trouble, not knowing how to handle the flares properly could make a bad situation worse. 2. Hand held flares drop a lot of burning slag. You don't want to light one of these in your cockpit where burning embers will drop, hold them over the side, so the slag drops in the water. (see lesson #1, "practice"). When shooting flares from the flare gun, shoot two, one right after the other. The odds your rescuer will see the first shot is remote. Assuming they did catch it from the corner of their eye and are looking in your direction, the 2nd flare they should notice. Cool Web Sites USPS MEMBER DISCOUNTS membenefits.htm Get discounts on insurance, marine equipment, Dell computers, charts and other stuff. Real Time Buoy Data Log on to NOAA buoys for the latest waves, wind, etc. Links to Marine weather forecasts. Free Electronic Charts Wind Projections/Weather Waterway Guide Cruising news, boaters links, discount on guides (WWG20) Advanced Piloting Grads Instructor: Keith Baldwin, Tom Parkinson. Proctor: Sue Lutz Mitch Koziol AP Helen Green AP Patrick Egan AP Randy Rossi AP Also from Evanston: John Chalmers AP Don Allen AP 3. Carry a variety of signals (smoke, hand-held and aerial). The 12-gauge signal flares (USCG # ) we used during the demonstration, while technically meet the USCG requirements for Day/Night VDS, were not clearly visible to me in the daylight. I was standing right next to the shooters and had a difficult time finding the aerial flare much more than a couple seconds before it hit the water. Each type of signal has its merits. Mike Continued on right.

4 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER LT/C ELISABETH GELTZ JN Welcome to June and warm weather..!! Hope you are all in the water, soon to be or are enjoying being on someone else s boat. We have a fun summer planned and hope you can all join us. June starts off with a Pancake Breakfast at the Harbor on the 7 th. This has become a great Harbor event and we are hoping to feed many of the boaters in Waukegan as well as our members. We will be offering vessel safety checks as well to all and look forward to many participants. Our second cruise of the season will be July to Milwaukee for Festa Italiana. We have slips reserved at Performance Marine which is within walking distance to the grounds at Summerfest. We are also planning a dingy ride to dinner on the river Friday evening. Please contact Paul Green for slip reservations at Paul@HelenandPaul.net or SOON!! Welcome To Festa Italiana We re talking Italian food, Italian music, Italian fireworks, and lots of Italian family FUN whether your family s Italian or not. Festa is more than just an Italian Festival. It s America s premiere Italian cultural event. And it s right here along the Lakefront in Milwaukee, WI. So gather up your family and friends, and join us for all the FUN at the 32th annual Festa Italiana, July 16, 17, 18, and 19, The district cruise and rendezvous is July 25 th. As we receive more details we will be sure to get them to you quickly. Our August cruise will be to the new Southport Marina in Kenosha. We were there last Sunday and it really is very nice. If you haven t had a chance to get there you are in for a treat. Kenosha Cruise August 8-9 Book your slips NOW!!! Activities will include a cocktail reception on the dock followed by a planned dinner on Saturday and a potluck breakfast on the dock Sunday morning. Feel free to come Friday and have a casual dinner with other WSPS members arriving early. The marina s amenities include a pool, hot tub, free wifi, an ice cream stand, and an Irish Pub all within 5 minutes walking! To reserve your slip - Call Aly Hunt, at the marina. Let her know you are with WSPS and you will receive a special rate of $45.00/night. Cancellation policy is 24 hours in advance so. if you think you d like to attend please book now as they have VERY limited slip availability. The September Cruise will be from the 12 th to the 14 th to Racine, WI and hosted by the Kunaths. Please plan to save the date and we will forward more details as we get closer. Thank you to all who attended the Blessing of The Fleet as well as to all the captains who so kindly brought many guests on their boats. Please read the calendar carefully as there are many events I have not highlighted due to the volume - Hope to see you at many of them. Wishing you happy and safe boating. Elisabeth New Members!! William Strauss and Roseanne Turow of Chicago dock their sailboat Speranza in Waukegan Welcome!!! Happy Jane Mikucki June 2 Diane Loiselle June 9 Evelyn Birthday Rossi June 12 Tom Diane Parkinson Loiselle June 16 9 Julie Evelyn Thieme Rossi June Mark Tom Parkinsoin Villano June Keith Bachar June 17 David Julie Thieme Shoemaker June July 293 Ken Mark Hallen Villano June July 295 Katherine Strange July 6 Jan David Guthrie Shoemaker July 3 7 Jeff Ken Geltz Hallen July 5 9 Jim Jan Mast Guthrie July 710 Diane Jeff Geltz Eskoz July 915 Keith Jim Mast Baldwin July 1018 Alice Paula Koziol Eskoz July 1521 Jim Keith Moran Baldwin July July 1823 Ellen Alice Ludtke Koziol July July Jim Moran July 23 Ellen Ludtke July 24 If you don t see your special day listed contact Roster Chairman Ellen Ludtke

5 WAUKEELOG EDITOR Bob Kunath, AP Operations Graduates Linda Beck P Gayle Booth S James Booth S Brian Cox Marlene Cox Helen Green AP Cmdr. Oscar Lutz JN Training Pancake Breakfast! Sunday June 7 08:30 11:00 am Waukegan Port Authority Building Patio Donations Accepted In Memoriam John Labre, owner of Dover Flag and Map in Racine passed away on April 7, John ran a great shop and was a good friend to all travelers. He s known for his fun phrase, All of our maps are guaranteed. If you ever get lost, just call me and I ll tell you where to go! His wife Jo will continue to run the shop. Travel well, John. A lesson learned.again! We all heard about the accident a few months ago where NFL players Victor Cooper and Corey Smith and former USF player William Bleakly died in the Gulf when a fishing trip went tragically wrong. Fortunately, a fourth man, Nick Schuyler survived and was able to relate the events leading to the accident. We learn again how inadequate equipment and lack of boating knowledge combine with careless, ill-advised decisions to produce tragedy. The official cause of the accident as determined by authorities is as follows. The men were fishing about 50 miles out in 50 feet of water when they decided to return at 5:30 PM. Finding their anchor stuck on the bottom, they untied the rode from the bow and retied it to a stern eye, then tried to pull the anchor loose by applying full forward power from their 200 HP outboard. The turbulence of that maneuver and recoil from the stretched nylon rode combined with heavy waves from an approaching front, overturning the boat and throwing all four men into the water. They were not wearing PFD s but were able to swim under the boat to retrieve and don them. They were not able to send a VHF signal since the boat stayed overturned. Only Schuyler was able to hold on to the hull until he was found 40 hours later, the other three slipped away after a time. The action to free the anchor may be the direct cause, but there were many more errors made by the crew that directly and indirectly led to their deaths. Everyone in Florida knew the predicted front was coming; most boaters were safely in harbor by early afternoon. Fishing until 5:30 when the seas had already kicked up was just plain reckless pounds of football player is a lot of payload for a 20 foot center cockpit boat. Probably legal, but certainly near limit. You guessed it, alcohol was involved. I had made plenty of similar offshore fishing trips when we lived in New Jersey, but equipped my boat with an EPIRB, which automatically floats free and transmits a distress call when a boat is capsized. They simply offer the best way to be found and are no longer very costly. Cooper had no EPIRB. No PFD s were worn when their ill-advised, dangerous maneuver was attempted. Cooper, the reportedly experienced boat owner, had lost an anchor several weeks prior to this accident, having cut it free to return home, which made him determined to not lose this one. You would think he might have rigged a trip line or bought a different type of anchor. Cooper had no boat education; he was apparently never instructed in the proper techniques that should be used to free a stuck anchor. Maybe he was just sacked once too often. Power and Motoryacht magazine published an article in the June edition where they characterize that a simple mistake was the cause of this accident. That conclusion is in itself a mistake! Serious accidents are rarely the result of one mistake but rather a series of errors that combine with disastrous effect. Power Squadron or similar education would almost certainly have averted this disaster. Let s vow to stay true to our mission. Bob

6 Support your WSPS Sponsors Contact for Ad rates WSPS MEMBER Buy, Sell, Trade No Charge to WSPS Members. Pictures OK. Will run one issue unless advised to rerun. Send ad to YOUR FREE AD HERE! Hilton Head Villa 2BR 2BA 1400 sf Villa for rent, weeks open in August and November or WS&PS BENEFIT - Waterway Guide Discount Editor Bob Kunath AP is also Cruising Editor, Lake Michigan for Waterway Guides Lake Great Lakes edition. Bob has arranged for WS&PS and D/20 members to get a 20% discount on all Waterway Guides, and no sales tax. Log on to to order, use coupon code WWG20 to get this special discount. Now available: 2009 Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic ICW, Southern, Northern and Great Lakes Editions, cover price $39.95.

7 Milwaukee Cruise July Performance Marine Contact cruise captain Paul Green for slip reservations NOW at or Enjoy Festa Italiana Watch for flyer at WSPS Flash! Kenosha Cruise August 8-9 Book your slips NOW!!! Activities will include a cocktail reception on the dock followed by a planned dinner on Saturday and a potluck breakfast on the dock Sunday morning. Feel free to come Friday and have a casual dinner with other WSPS members arriving early. Call Aly Hunt at Southport Marina let her know you are with WSPS and you will receive a special rate of $45.00/night. Cancellation policy is 24 hours in advance so. if you think you d like to attend please book now as they have VERY limited slip availability. FREE PANCAKE BREAKFAST Details Sunday June 7 08:30 11:00 0 am Waukegan Port Authority Building Patio Donations Accepted MENU Pancakes Sausages Juice Fruit Coffee Hosted bythe Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron FREE VESSEL SAFETY CHECK RIGHT AFTER BREAKFAST

8 WSPS Photo Gallery Who is this guy? Jim Moran P/D/C/ Keith Baldwin SN Colorguard at Blessing of the Fleet Cmdr. Oscar Lutz Marlene Cox Bob Kunath Mike Ludtke Sadie A Zackly dog both ends look Zackly the same!

9 D/20 Cruise and Rendezvous 25 July Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club North Point Marina Winthrop Harbor, IL (847) AGENDA Registrati...WHYC Complimentary coffee and doughnuts Nominating Committee Meetings...WHYC Individual interviews scheduled throughout the day D/20 Executive Committee Meeting......WHYC Great Room All members are invited to attend D/20 Council Meeting... WHYC Great Room All members are invited and encouraged to attend the Council Meeting Lunch... WHYC Great Room Pass In Review...North Point Marina Channel On shore view for those not participating in the Pass In Review Cruising the Great Loop...WHYC Training Room A 6,000 mile adventure presented by Doug Shuman; America's Great Loop Cruising Association Game Show by SoundQ Productions...WHYC Great Room Spin the wheel, ring a buzzer, choose a category... can you outsmart Commander Burger? Raffle...WHYC Great Room UNIFORM OF THE DAY Uniform D: White trousers without cuffs, short-sleeved, open neck white shirt, white shoes Uniform E: White Bermudatype shorts, short-sleeved, open neck white shirt, white shoes Casual summer wear EVENT DAY CONTACTS Clyde lversen (847) * John Rowland (847) * Cindy Rowland (847) PARKING Free public parking within walking distance. NEARBY PLACES TO STAY Sandpiper Inn 301 Sheridan Road, Winthrop Harbor, IL (800) Candiewood Suites 1151 So Waukegan Road, Waukegan, IL (877) LaQuinta Inn and Suites th Avenue, Pleasant Prairie, WI (800) Best Western Executive Inn "d Avenue, Kenosha, WI (262)

10 D/20 Cruise and Rendezvous 25 July Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club North Point Marina Winthrop Harbor, IL (847)