STRAITLINES. THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH OLYMPIC SAIL AND POWER SQUADRON A Unit of UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS A Member of DISTRICT 16

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1 STRAITLINES THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH OLYMPIC SAIL AND POWER SQUADRON A Unit of UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS A Member of DISTRICT 16 Volume 12 Issue 3 March 2005 Commander s Report Ron Jones, N Tom Chandler Executive Officer Weather Stations, a follow up to last month s A Strait Crossing This past Monday was the final class room session of our JN class. Our JN students are now busy working their open book exams and will be taking the closed book exam on March 7th. I hope that they have enjoyed taking this class as much as I have enjoyed teaching it. I would encourage all of our AP s to consider taking JN when it will be offered again this fall. Our SEO Lt/C Richard Michels, AP has developed our new web site, and it is up and running. Check it out to see what is new! Our new web site contains all of the current schedules for NOSPS classes and other events along with the most up to date squadron roster and much other useful information and links to other boating related web sites. Thanks Richard for a job well done. The Nominating Committee presented the names of the candidates for the NOSPS Bridge at the February general membership meeting, and the new Bridge Members will be elected at our March general membership meeting. At our February Bridge meeting the NOSPS budget for was approved, see page 9 for details. The USPS District 16 Spring Conference is scheduled for March 18th & 19th and will be held at the Port of Everett Conference Center. Registration forms can be downloaded from the D16 web site at or contact Jim Bonner at to register. All NOSPS members are welcome to attend. All you seafaring boaters who happily cruise the San Juan's and Gulf Islands have sat huddled by your VHF-FM radio with the weather station on listening for the weather report for your area. You are especially concerned if there is a blow coming up. While listening to Canadian or American weather reports, unless you know where the station is located, it doesn't do much good to hear of four foot seas and thirtyfive knot winds in certain areas while seas are calm and the wind is mild in others. Remember this, at the start of the weather forecast they tell what time the weather was reported. Make sure you understand that the weather report can be three hours old. The 0500 report first broadcast at 0530 is the same one you get at Only at 0830 do you get a new 0800 report. Things could be a lot different than what is being reported. As for location of the stations, here is a list of weather stations within our local cruising areas which range from Puget Sound to Campbell River. Best way is to take this list and highlight on a chart the area and station name. That way you can tell at a glance what area the report is talking about.. Cape Mudge: The northernmost point on Georgia Strait south of Campbell River, the southern tip of Quadra Island CAPE LAZO or COMOX: Twenty-five nautical miles south of Cape Mudge on Vancouver Island. LAMBERT CHANNEL: South of Cape Lazo Between Denman and Hornby Islands. CHROME ISLAND: Off the south end of Denman Island. Continued on page 10

2 Commander Ron Jones, N Horizon Hills Rd. Sequim, WA Executive Officer Tom Chandler, N Herrick Rd. Port Angeles, WA Education Officer Richard Michels, AP E. Diane Dr. Sequim, WA Asst. Education Officer P/C Peyton Greenough, AP Dungeness Meadows Sequim, WA Administrative Officer Jim Jones Doe Run Rd. Sequim, WA BRIDGE OFFICERS Secretary P/C Nancy Magisos, AP Buck Loop Rd. Sequim, WA Assistant Treasurer Carol Brown AP Kirner Road Sequim, WA Treasurer Eric Mell Seagull Dr. Port Angeles, WA Past Commander P/C Ted Shanks, P North St. Port Angeles, WA General Meetings: Sept. through May on the 2nd Monday of the month. MEETINGS, DEADLINES and CONTACTS Web Master: JoAnn Thompson: bobthom37@tenforward.com Executive Board Meetings: 3rd Monday of every month at 9:00AM, at Joshua s. All members are welcome. Straitlines Deadline: All materials for publication must be submitted to the Editor by Friday following the Executive Board Meeting. Contacts: Cdr. Ron Jones, Editor. Phone: Mail: 51 Horizon Hills Rd, Sequim, WA ronandsandy@olympus.net Executive Committee Del Copeland, S George Schoenfeldt Nominating Committee P/C Ted Shanks, P Bob Stearns, P P/C Hank David, P Audit Committee Joe Richerts, P David Mattingly, AP Gene Haugen, JN Rules Committee Peyton Greenough, AP Bob Stearns, AP Budget and Finance Joel Magisos, AP Bob Stearns, AP Co-Op Charting Open Cruise Planning P/C Ted Shanks, P Joel Magisos AP P/C Peyton Greenough, AP Duke Sparks, P Public Relations Bob Stearns, AP Historian Open Education Committee Richard Michels, AP SEO P/C Peyton Greenough, AP ASEO Mark Lewis, JN Advanced Grades P/C Ted Shanks, AP Electives Judy Shanks, P Basic Boating Linda Yaruss, P Youth Safety Housing Committee Open Membership & Member Involvement Jim Fitzpatrick Gloria Fitzpatrick Merit Mark Coordinator P/C Ted Shanks, P Operations Training P/R/C Bob Brummett, SN Planning Committee Paul Mowery, P Robert Stearns, P Mary Stearns, S Duke Sparks, P Dodie Sparks, P Joel Magisos, AP Port Captains Sequim: P/C Ted Shanks, P Port Angeles Open Property Officer Open Radio/Technical Officer Hank David, P Telephone Carol Brown, AP Safety Committee Chris Muir, P Straitlines Editor Cdr. Ron Jones, N Supply Officer Open Vessel Safety Checks P/R/C Bob Brummett, SN P/C Ted Shanks, P Bob Thompson, P Crd. Ron Jones, N STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 2

3 Minutes of the NOSPS Executive Board Meeting held at Joshua s on 21 February 2005 appointed and suggested a possible candidate. Cdr Jones will follow up. Present: Cdr. Ron Jones, ExO Tom Chandler, AdmO Jim Jones, Treasurer Eric Mell, P/C Ted Shanks, ASEO Peyton Greenough, Assistant Treasurer Carol Brown, Jim Fitzpatrick, Del Copeland, Bob Stearns, and Joel Magisos. Cdr Jones opened the Executive Board meeting. The January minutes were approved as published. Magisos and Stearns presented the tentative NOSPS budget. Greenough offered major revisions for Education Department and these were accepted after extended discussion of rates. Adjustments were also accepted regarding dues income, Straitlines costs and insurance. Estimated income exceeded estimated costs by $1,821. Stearns will work with Judy Shanks to announce the Boating classes. Cdr Jones announced the District Spring Conference on March 18-19; At least three officers will attend on March 19. NOSPS is allowed up to five delegates. Members wishing to attend should contact Jones. Cdr Jones announced that Joe Richerts reported a satisfactory audit. Richerts recommended that an inventory of NOSPS assets be conducted. Mell suggested using a previous inventory be used as a baseline. Cdr Jones announced that five VSCs have been conducted and others are ongoing. Greenough announced that Richard Michels would be conducting a seminal on Power Point. Volunteer instructors are needed for the Engine Maintenance course. Fitzpatrick announced that NOSPS has 99 members. Straitlines articles are due to Cdr Jones by Mar. 14. Mell emphasized that his resignation as Treasurer is effective at the end of March. He has rented a Post Office Box for the Squadron (POB 381, Port Angeles 98362). He urged that a Treasurer be Shanks, Fitzpatrick, and Magisos will meet to discuss cruise options. Meeting adjourned. Minutes recorded by P/LtC Joel H. Magisos, AP *************************************** EDUCATION COMMITTEE Congratulations to the following members who completed the Operations Training/Membership Orientation course taught last January 11th by P/R/C Bob Brummett, SN Carol Brown, Charlie Brown, Tom Chandler, Jim Jones, & Ron Jones. Congratulations to the following members who completed the Instructor Development course taught by P/LtC Joel Magisos, AP Tom Chandler, Jim Fitzpatrick, Jim Jones, Ron Jones, Mark Lewis, Richard Michels, Ted Shanks, &Harvey Smith. NEW NOSPS NAVIGATOR Congratulations to Mark Lewis for passing all the requirements of the Navigator course. Way to go Mark. If you ever have stars in your eyes, Mark should be able to interpret them for you! *************************************** COURSE INFORMATION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE Members can now access course information online at Course schedules, course descriptions, and the course planner is available by clicking on the class schedule link. Course prices are available in the 'members only' area and clicking on course prices. STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 3

4 March 2005 Navigation Exercise: After attending the District 16 Spring Conference in Everett by boat, you decide to take the long way home and spend a few days cruising the South Sound. Earlier in the day you discovered your depth sounder was out of calibration and you were not sure of your other electronic equipment. Over the winter you had placed a piece of tape around your port and starboard life lines aligned perpendicular (90 ) to the boats lubber line with a corresponding small piece of tape inside the port and starboard cabin windows. This tape arrangement can be used as sighting vanes so you can easily obtain port or starboard beam bearings. You decide to use your new device to check the accuracy of your GPS while heading down Nisqually Reach on your way to Olympia. When Fl R 4sec 16 ft. light at Devils Head is abeam to starboard, your spouse obtained a bearing of 281 on Fl 4 sec 22 ft. light on Johnson Pt. As you record your GPS position. Your boats compas course is 317. The variation in the area is 18 East and your boats compass and the hand held bearing compass have zero deviation. What are the two true bearings that you will plot on your chart to obtain a fix to compare with your GPS position? Send your answer with all calculations to: Robert E. Brummett N. U. S. Hwy. 101 Lilliwaup, WA ***************************************** Solution for February Navigation Quiz: The depths on many charts are depicted as fathoms and feet for the shallower water such as that in the lower end of Discovery Bay. The 62 means 6 fathoms and 2 feet. Thus the charted depth is 38 feet. (A fathoms is 6 feet so 6 fathoms x 6 ft / fathom = 36 ft. +2 ft. = 38 ft.) Therefore: 40 ft Depth indicated by your depth sounder. -38 ft charted depth (at zero ft. tide) 2 ft height of tide. You should be able to do this in your head and whenever possible check your depth sounder at every opportunity. A quick look at your tide table should give you a good guess as to the height of the tide and you need to make a judgment as to whether your answer is reasonable. You must always keep in mind that charted depths may be in error. Some of the depth data on charts is many years old. An easy way to check your depth sounder is with a lead line that is marked in feet or fathoms. If you know the water depth at known locations near where you keep your boat, such as your slip, you can check the depth sounder every time you use the boat. Of course all of you have a current tide table aboard your boat at all times. P/R/C Bob Brummett, SN ***************************************** United States Coast Guard Safety Alert 1-05 F GPS Receiver Manually-Entered Position Offsets May Cause Safety Hazard when Interconnected to Navigation Devices It has come to the attention of the U.S. Coast Guard that certain Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers do not provide a proper indication to other connected equipment when manuallyentered position offsets are entered into the GPS receiver. Even a small offset could result in danger of collision or other navigation safety hazard when the receiver is interconnected to devices such as an automatic identification system (AIS), Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), integrated navigation systems (INS) or track control system (TCS). The problem is caused by an error in the NMEA 0183/IEC data interface Datum Reference ("DTM") "local datum" field. Navigation systems interconnected to the GPS receiver use this field to determine whether the position received is referenced to World Geodetic System 84 (WGS84) or something different. AIS equipment, for example, disregards external position information for reasons of safety if the "local datum" field does not indicate WGS84. As a result, equipment that is continued on page 5 STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 4

5 Continuation of Safety Alert 1-05 F from page 4 interfaced to receivers having this problem would act as if the position were referenced to the WGS84 datum, when in fact the position differs from the WGS84 datum by the manual offsets entered by the vessel's crew or captain. Treasurer s Report Rick Mell We are still operating in the black and should finish the year without having to dip into the reserve account. The problem can be identified if own ship position displayed on an AIS changes in proportion to manually-entered offsets entered into the GPS receiver interconnected to the AIS. The GPS is operating correctly in such a situation if the AIS reverts to its integral GPS and disregards the manuallyentered offsets sent from the externally-connected GPS. GPS Receivers identified having this problem: Furuno GP80 Furuno GP90 Mariners having these receivers are advised to either take steps to ensure that the manually-offset feature is never and can never be used, or to disconnect these receivers from the AIS, ECDIS, INS, TCS or other navigation or communications system. Technical questions relating to this alert may be addressed to Mr. Lee Luft at (860) or LLuft@rdc.uscg.mil This material is provided for informational purpose only and does not relieve any existing domestic or international safety, operational or material requirement. Distributed by: Office of Investigations and Analysis U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Administrative Officer s Report Jim Jones March 14th 2005 DINNER MEETING Join us for our regular monthly meeting our program will be a current topic by the US Coast Guard representatives! Come and learn what their priorities are and how they may impact boaters. Where: Secret Garden Located at 1936 E. First St. in P.A. When: Monday, March 14, Social Hour BYOB; 1815 Business Meeting & Navigation Quiz 1830 Buffet dinner 1900 Program US Coast Guard 2000 Adjourn The all you can eat dinner cost is $8.75 w/tax for Seniors over 60 and $9.90 w/tax for younger adults. BYO for the social hour; soft drinks may be purchased. The Secret Garden Buffet is located at 1936 E. First St, PA; it is in the Rite Aid, Joanne Fabric, Radio Shack parking lot, east of downtown PA. For additional safety alerts: For marine casualty information: ************************************************* STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 5

6 NOSPS COURSE PLANNER Fall Wntr Spr Fall Wntr Spr Fall Seamanship X X Piloting X X X Adv Piloting X X JN X X X Navigation X Engine Maint X Marine Electronics X X Weather X Instructor Development X Ops Training X X Cruise Planning X Schedule subject to change without notice STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 6

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8 Cruising Is It Important? For some reason NOSPS members are not cruise addicts why is this? Our 2004 Cruise Chairman worked hard to set up a few cruises, and while the Shake Down Cruise to Paulsbo was great - participation fell off after that and we really don t know why did everyone stay at home? There is great satisfaction in being good at doing something you love, (assume that is boating) in this case! Learning the lore and the craft of boating brings you great pleasure and the sense that you are accomplishing something and not wasting your time. Passing on that knowledge and those skills can yield even more satisfaction just think about the time that some one on a dock at Friday Harbor caught your bow line as you came in and showed you how to tie up at that crowded pier, or when someone told you the best place to anchor at Sucia Island. You as Captain or First Mate can be on the receiving end or telling end of so many boating experiences but you have to get out there you have to cruise in order to experience the camaraderie that exists in boating. You have a series of opportunities to practice boating in a safe and friendly environment. If it takes you six tries to dock, a dozen people might be there to guide you in, and laugh about the time that they hit a dock post. This is why squadron cruises are important to you. You gain a lot of experience! During cruises, there is usually some time to talk over your new GPS or Radar system; find out why your battery charger is not working or to discuss where is the best place to get your bottom painted. We are lucky in that we can cruise with both the PA and Sequim Bay Yacht Clubs, and they have active cruising schedules. However there are many Power Squadron chapters that cruise on their own because of the strength of boating knowledge among their members after all, WE teach boating classes. Let s see what we can do to strengthen the NOSPS Cruising schedule. Let s go on a cruise or cruises this year or at least, have a good representation with the Yacht Club cruises! *************************************** Are You Ready? The boating and cruising season is rapidly approaching and many of us are making plans, painting and refreshing the family yacht in preparation therefore. Your boat s annual vessel safety check is now due (2005). These must be redone every calendar year. Besides ensuring that your boat and occupants are ready you should have your check done as early in the season as possible. It only takes about half an hour, costs nothing and serves as a review of your safety equipment and procedures. Call a vessel examiner to make an appointment soonest. But wait; do you need another reason to go to the Marina? There will be a fire extinguisher demonstration at the South parking lot of John Wayne Marina on Sunday April 3 rd at 11:00 o clock. Why not bring your trusty fire extinguisher to the demo, shoot out the fire and have the extinguisher recharged afresh and checked by the extinguisher company technician after the demo? There will be Power Squadron and USCG Auxiliary Vessel Examiners there also. They will be glad to conduct an examination for you either before or after the fire demonstration. It would be convenient if you could contact an examiner to schedule a time for your safety check so that there will be enough examiners available that Sunday. The lead Vessel Examiner for the NOSPS is Commander Ron Jones. STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 8

9 NOSPS BUDGET APPROVED BY BRIDGE Budget and Finance Committee members Joel Magisos and Bob Stearns and the Bridge jointly developed a budget for (April 1, 2005-March 31, 2006). The detailed budget will serve as a financial guide for operations during the term of office for the upcoming Bridge. A summary of income and expense by department follows: Income Expenses Commander (USPS Educational Fund and District meetings) $ $ 424 Executive Officer (Coop charting, PR, safety, VSC, cruises and awards) 550 Administrative Officer (Dues, membership, meetings, fund raisers, picnic, and ship store) 7,470 3,820 Education Officer (Courses: B, S, P, AP, JN, N, EM, CP, ME, W, Canadian cert., supplies, and equipment) 3,771 3,856 Secretary (Straitlines, membership roster, website) Treasurer (Taxes, fees, facilities) 625 TOTALS 11,571 9,750 NET 1,821 STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 9

10 Continued from page 1 GRIEF POINT: Southern of Powell River oh northern end of Malaspina Strait, which is East of Texada Island. MERRY ISLAND: Southern end of Malaspina Strait. POINT ATKINSON: Opposite Burrard Inlet from City of Vancouver, B.C. FIRST NARROWS: Lion's Gate Bridge (first bridge on entering) Burrard Inlet. JERICO: On southern shore of Burrard Inlet (inside Point Grey & Spanish Bank). TSAWWASSEN: Between Frazier River and Point Roberts. SISTERS: Northwest side of Lasqueti Island in Strait of Georgia passage between it and Hornby Island. BALINAS ISLANDS: North of Nanaimo and on north side of the torpedo range. ENTRANCE ISLAND: Northeast side of north end of Gabriola Island. HALIBUT BANK BUOY: Middle of Strait of Georgia, northeast of Gabriola Is-land. PAM ROCK: In Howe Sound, east of Gambier and south of Anvil Islands. SAND HEADS: At mouth of Frazier River between Tsawwassen & Vancouver B.C. EAST POINT or SATURINA ISLAND: Eastern most point of Saturina Island. KELP REEF: In middle of Haro Strait, southeast of D'Arcy Island. GONZALIES HEIGHTS: North of Trial Island near Gonzalies Point. VICTORIA HARBOR: Outer entrance into Victoria B.C. harbor. ESQUIMAULT HARBOR: West of Victoria Harbor. CARMANAH POINT: North side of entrance to Strait of Juan de Fuca. SHERINGHAM: North side of Strait of Juan de Fuca opposite Pillar Point. RACE ROCKS: East end of narrow portion of Strait of Juan de Fuca, opposite Angeles Point DISCOVERY ISLAND: East of Victoria, at southern end of Haro Strait. TRIAL ISLAND (S): Trial and Discovery "frame" the southern entrance to "Baines Channel" as seen from Port Angeles. SMITH ISLAND: Off Whidby where Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and Rosairo Strait meet. FRIDAY HARBOR: Located on west side of San Juan Island. POINT WILSON: On northeast tip of Quimper Peninsula north of Port Townsend. PORT ANGELES or EDIZ HOOK: Near end of spit that forms harbor of Port Angeles. Station Reports Different stations use different sequences and even different names for the same locations. Sometimes parts of the names like "Island" or "Point" are omitted, i.e. "Merry" may be used for "Merry Island". Only stations in the local Yacht Clubs and North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron normal cruising areas are listed.. General Forecasts These are given for the following areas: Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound, Haro Strait, Camano Island (off Anacortes) to Point Roberts, Juan De Fuca Strait (American and Canadian waters may be given separately) Puget Sound and Hood Canal, North Coast Vancouver Island, South Coast Vancouver Island, and Cape Flattery to mouth of Columbia River. ******************************************** STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 10

11 Invest in Involvement USPS District 16 Spring Conference March 2005 Port of Everett Conference Center th Street, Everett, Washington Name: (Please include rank and/or grade) (Please include spouse/guest name) Address: Phone: Squadron 1 st Time at a D16 Conference Y N Arriving by boat? Y N City/State/Zip Activity Registration Form There is no charge to attend Saturday Conference Meetings Early Bird prices apply only for prepaid reservations postmarked no later than 15 February 2005 Regular prices apply to any reservation postmarked 16 February or later, plus walk-ins. (All prices include a 17% service charge plus State of Washington sales tax.) Activity Early Bird Regular #People Total Friday (3/18) Reception: $14.00 $16.00 $ Saturday Officer Breakfast: Commander/Exec Officer $16.00 $18.00 $ Educational Officer/ASEO $16.00 $18.00 $ P/D/C $16.00 $18.00 $ All Others $16.00 $18.00 $ Saturday Conference Luncheon: $18.50 $20.00 $ Saturday (03/19) Alternative Midday Activities (Lunch is no host): Snohomish Antique Hunting & Wine Tour (30 People Max) $12.00 $ Saturday Evening Banquet: Buffet $32.00 $35.00 $ Total $ Payment and Conference Reservations: Please mail this form and payment in US funds by 15 February 2005 to the Everett Sail & Power Squadron, D16 Spring Conference, c/o Lt/C James A Bonner, JN, th Dr NE, Marysville, WA Please make checks payable to Everett Sail & Power Squadron. Contacts: Conference Chairperson Tony Gobernatz, , , tgobern@aol.com Conference Registration - Jim Bonner, , jim.bonner@comcast.net STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 11

12 North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron General Membership Meeting Monday 14 March 2005 At the Secret Garden Buffet Located at 1936 E. First St. in P.A. in the Rite Aid, Joanne Fabrics Plaza Social Hour BYOB; 1815 Business Meeting & Navigation Quiz 1830 Buffet dinner 1900 Program 2000 Adjourn Visit the NOSPS Web Site at http// The District 16 Web Page is at NOSPS TIPS Before you head out on your boat or haul it out for the winter, have your FREE Boat Safety Check. Contact Cdr. Ron Jones, N for an appointment. North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron Cdr. Ronald T. Jones, N 51 Horizon Hills Rd. Sequim, WA STRAITLINES North Olympic Sail And Power Squadron February 2005 Page 12