The Fighting 7-9 COMMANDER S CORNER

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1 79 NEWS Pt. Judith Auxiliary Public Affairs 07 May 2018 Official Newsletter of Flotilla 79, D1NR Vol. 2 Issue 3 The Fighting 7-9 COMMANDER S CORNER Well the good weather has finally arrived and will, hopefully, be staying for quite a while. Now starts our "busy time." ABS classes have already started and more are in the near future. As soon as the marinas start to fill up, we can schedule some vessel exams, paddle craft exams, and other ways to promote our mission of Safe Boating. Remember, weather permitting, we will kick off "Safe Boating Week" with our "Gold Side" counterparts on 19 MAY 18 at Station Pt. Judith. I hope to see as many of you as possible there to participate. VIEW FROM THE VICE v/r KEN OLSEN It seems the boating season is finally getting here. The days are getting longer and warmer. National Safe Boating Week is just around the corner, and we have a grand kick off planned for 19 MAY 18. This will be one of the largest undertakings for the flotilla this year and we will be partnering with Station Point Judith. We need to have a powerful presence. I hope all of the staff officers, and as many members as possible, can stop by for a while to help out. One of our focuses will be vessel safety checks. We will need every possible vessel examiner that day. Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend. Soon the boats will be back in the water and we will resume our marine dealer visits. We have already started to add paddle craft dealers to our recreational boating partners. Our effort to target paddle craft safety has begun. Also, vessel exams have started and we hope to do more than last year, including paddle craft. v/r SALLY HANSON FLOTILLA ACTIVITIES The flotilla was busy this Spring. On 24 MAR 18, we held an About Boating Safely (ABS) class at the Westerly Yacht Club. We had fifteen students, all of whom passed and got their certificates. On 25 MAR 18, members Sally Hanson and John Ouderkirk 1

2 attended the tenth annual memorial service for PS2 Gill at Sta. Point Judith. PS2 Gill was a Cranston native who was killed in the line of duty while serving in Alaska. BMCS Beasley conducted the service and the memorial remarks were delivered by CAPT Schultz. BMCS Barruzzi, who started the memorial, came down from Sta. Burlington (Vt.) to attend as well. On 31 MAR 18 and 01 APR 18, members Sally Hanson and John Ouderkirk were cooking for the active duty crew at Sta. Point Judith. On 26 MAR 18, members Sally Hanson, Jon Poppick and John Ouderkirk were invited to make a presentation to the Westerly Rotary Club about the Auxiliary. In addition to the spoken presentation, we had a slide show loop running throughout the dinner displaying the different mission activities available to members of the Auxiliary. As a result of this presentation, we added Avie s Ski and Sports in Westerly to our flotilla s family of participating recreational boating partners. The store owner agreed to let us put up a static display, to hand out paddle smart packages with paddle board sales and to let us have an information tent in the parking lot whenever the store has a tent sale. On a related note, Ure s Sports in Hope Valley has also agreed to hand out paddle smart packages with every canoe, kayak or paddle board sale. Ure s has also expressed an interest in hosting PaddleSmart classes. On 14 APR 18, we held an ABS class at the Narragansett Community Center. We had seventeen students, all of whom earned their certificates. On 16 APR 18, we held another ABS class at the American Legion Hall in Charlestown. We had thirty-three students, all of whom earned their certificates. On 27 APR 18, members Tom McHugh and Jim Beardsley reinstalled the refinished Bell Bracket and Pin Rail at Sta. Point Judith. On 05 MAY 18, we held an ABS class at the Quonnie Yacht Club in Charlestown. We had twenty-six students, all of whom earned their certificates. We also have two more ABS classes scheduled at the Neighborhood Guild in South Kingstown on 23 JUN 18, and at the Watch Hill Yacht Club on 24 JUN 18. How to Read a Nautical Chart is scheduled at the Westerly Police station starting 16 JUN 18. Bell Bracket Photo by Jim Beardsley Pin Rail Photo by Tom McHugh There will also be a Suddenly in Command presentation on 16 JUN 18 at the Westerly Police Station. Plans have been finalized for a NSBW kick off and have been publicized in media outlets throughout South County. NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK On Saturday, 19 MAY 18, from 0900 until 1500, the flotilla will be conducting free vessel safety checks to kick off National Safe Boating Week. The recreational boating public can bring their trailered boats and their kayaks, canoes and paddle boards to 1460 Ocean Road in Narragansett to ensure that boaters have all the required safety equipment prior to the start of the boating season. The flotilla has also made arrangements with the R.I. State Police Bomb Squad to dispose of expired pyrotechnic visual distress signaling devices. The Auxiliary will have an information table at the site and will have publications concerning recreational boating safety that the public can take. All recreational boaters, power, sail or paddlecraft, 2

3 are encouraged to participate. The purpose of this event is to promote a safe and enjoyable season on the water this year. The uniform of the day will be trops, EXCEPT for vessel examiners. Vessel examiners will wear their ODU s as they will be on or in the boats. There is no rain date. Inclement weather will cancel the event. MAY MEETING SPEAKERS The speakers for the May meeting will be Brian and Judy Tarpey and Tom and Catherine Paquette. They will be talking about their trip around The Great Loop. The Great Loop is a continuous waterway that recreational mariners can travel which includes part of the Atlantic, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals and the inland rivers of America s heartland. They will be talking about how they prepared for the trip and will share some of their personal experiences along the way. OUR NAMESAKE STATION IN THE NEWS BOSTON Coast Guard Station Point Judith hosted a National Association of State Boating Law and Administration boat crewman course April 23-27, in Narragansett, Rhode Island, for marine units who are part of the Narragansett Bay Task Force. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Groll The National Association of State Boating Law and Administration is a national nonprofit organization working to strengthen the ability of state and territorial boating authorities to reduce death, injury and property damage associated with recreational boating and ensure a safe, secure, and enjoyable boating environment. Members from Cranston Fire Department, Narragansett Police and Fire Departments, and North Kingstown Fire Department prepared for the upcoming summer boating season by training on line handling, man-overboard drills, towing evolutions, and conducting search patterns for potential water emergencies. "It's important during a search and rescue case that our partner agencies understand how we communicate and how we can best communicate as a team," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Grant. "Making sure task force response skills and communication are on the same page can greatly increase the chance of survival for a person in a life or death situation." (Article courtesy of USCG PA Detachment, 1 st District North) 3

4 MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION The following members were recognized for their achievements: Theresa Livolsi was recognized for completing four hours of TCT. Joe Livolsi was recognized for completing four hours of TCT. Pat Cunniff received his third Sustained Service Award. Flotilla 79 received the Division s Flotilla of the Year Award! Photo by Ken Olsen FLOTILLA CALENDAR Saturday, 19 MAY 18, , NSBW event near Sta. Point Judith, 1460 Ocean Drive, Narragansett, R.I. Monday, 21 MAY 18, 1900, regular monthly meeting, Westerly Yacht Club, 1 Watch Hill Road, Westerly, R.I. There will be no regular monthly meeting in June because the picnic takes the place of the meeting. Saturday, 16JUN18, , Suddenly in Command, Westerly Police Department, 60 Airport Road, Westerly, R.I. Saturday, 16 JUN 18, and Saturday, 23 JUN 18, , How to Read a Nautical Chart, Westerly Police Department, 60 Airport Road, Westerly R.I. Saturday, 23 JUN 18, , About Boating Safely, Neighborhood Guild, 325 Columbia Street, South Kingstown, R.I. Sunday, 24 JUN 18, , About Boating Safely, Watch Hill Yacht Club, 1 Fort Road, Westerly, R.I. 4

5 FLOTILLA PICNIC Friday, 15 JUN 18, , 155 West Beach Road, Charlestown R.I. Don t miss the flotilla cookout at the Quonnie Yacht Club. It is our summertime social gathering with dinner served around There will be littlenecks and stuffies on the grill as appetizers. Plan on about $10 to $15 per person. The final amount will depend on the number of attendees and grocery prices. Please pay on the evening of the event. Bring a favorite homemade salad, appetizer or desert, but don t go buy anything! We will have ice and plenty of room in the coolers for your own favorite beverage, so feel free to BYOB also. Don t miss this opportunity for another memorable evening! Civilian attire - NO UNIFORMS. Please RSVP Tom tamchugh007@gmail.com or Jim jtebeardsley@gmail.com to reserve your place at the table. DIRECTIONS: Route 1 to Charlestown. West Beach Road exit, go 0.4 miles and clubhouse is small white house on right, opposite Briarwood Road. SUBMISSIONS FROM MEMBERS Submissions from the membership are not only welcome, but encouraged. The next issue will come out in the beginning of July To have your article in the newsletter, please submit it before 05JUL18. See you at the May meeting! For more news and information visit the Flotilla website at The Privacy Act of 1974: The disclosure of any personal information published within this newsletter is subject to the provisions contained in the Privacy Act of Except for official business, this act strictly prohibits the misuse, disclosure, distribution, dissemination or copying of any material containing Auxiliary member s names, home addresses, telephone numbers and addresses without authorized consent. Any violations of this Act will result in legal action by the U.S. Coast Guard or civilian sanctions. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in For more information, please visit This newsletter received clearance on 06 MAY 18 5