The Life Line VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Chris Jensen, flotilla commander 5th District SR Dawn Miller, Vice flotilla commander Flotilla 23-7 Herring Bay, MD [email protected]

Spring 2010 AHOY!

Welcome to the premier issue of Flotilla 23-7’s newsletter publication!

Our flotilla is made up of men and women from many walks of life that all have the

Inside This Issue same commitment in assisting the U.S. Coast Guard and the boating community.

1 AHOY! The title of this newsletter, “The Life Line” is a reference to the 1884 painting of the same name by Winslow Homer. In it he depicted the dramatic rescue of a 1 SERC Trek passenger from a stranded ship by a member of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the 2 Sea Partners Program fore runner of the U.S. Coast Guard, our parent organization.

2 Uniform Update This newsletter will be a line of communication for our flotilla as well as to other Auxiliarists. It will keep members informed on policies, procedures and 3 Boating Safety opportunities to gain more knowledge about boating safety. It will also present 4 Upcoming Events beneficial information on boating safety to the public and potential members as well. 4 Storm Warning Flags

4 Become a Member Frank Voltaggio, Editor

SERC Trek On May 10th, members of Flotilla 23-7 held their monthly meeting at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, MD. VFC Dawn Miller, who also works as a research scientist at the SERC, organized the tour of the facilities.

Located on the Rhode River, just off of Route 468, SERC encompasses 2800 acres of land and is home to a diverse staff of senior scientists. It supports an interdisciplinary team of more than 180 researchers, technicians, and students. They carry out their work at SERC and at field stations from Alaska to Antarctica, from Belize to Australia.

Since 1965, SERC has been involved in critical research, professional training for young scientists and environmental education. It is a unique outdoor laboratory and education center that serves as a hub for studies that extend around the globe and a leader for research focused on the connections between ecosystems and the land-sea margin.

Members get on atour tour at of SERC SERC. 1 Members of the flotilla hopped on an electric tram at the Schmidt Center and began the tour of the SERC campus viewing the outdoor laboratories where much of the ecological research is taking place. The flotilla intends to create an ongoing relationship with SERC in the area of marine science and environmental protection.

Afterwards, the flotilla held a shortened monthly meeting to discuss ongoing business.

PAGE 2 The Life Line

Sea Partners Program

Keeping the Bay Clean

The Sea Partners campaign is an environmental education and outreach program to develop community awareness of maritime pollution issues and to improve compliance with marine environmental protection laws and regulations.

As required by the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987, the Coast Guard has developed an outreach program to address plastic pollution’s harmful effects, the need to reduce and recycle plastic materials, and reducing the quantity of plastic debris in the ocean.

The campaign also covers the effects of oil, hazardous chemicals, waste and debris on the marine environment, how marine environmental protection laws and regulations apply to various marine users and ways groups and individuals can take action to protect the marine environment.

The Auxiliary can support the Sea Partners Campaign through existing programs. These include public education courses, public affairs, vessel safety checks, and marine dealer visits.

If you love boating in clean water, get involved in Sea Partners! Help spread the word to the boating public on how to protect our precious natural resources!

Dawn Miller, VFC

Uniform Update

For those members who have been in the Auxiliary for any number of years, you probably have collected a closet full of uniforms. The good news is that the Coast Guard has begun to reduce this number and the Auxiliary has begun to follow suit (no pun intended).

Uniforms being phased out:

Winter Dress Blue – this uniform consisted of the dress blue pants, dark blue long sleeve shirt and the four-in-hand blue necktie.

Work Uniform – dark blue utility pants with the dark blue short sleeve utility shirt and baseball cap. This uniform is being replaced by the Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) with either tucked or untucked shirt.

The phased out uniforms will still be allowed until they are no longer presentable to wear.

The Life Line PAGE 3

B oating Safety

The U.S. Coast Guard has expressed concern over recent statistics that reported a rise in recreational boating fatalities that have taken place in the last two years on our Chesapeake Bay.

Recently, at the Northern Area Workshop, USCG Captain Mark P. O’Malley, the current Coast Guard Sector Commander in Baltimore, made a point to address Auxiliarists about the importance of educating the boating public as to the hazards of improperly operating a vessel. He expressed his position that the Coast Guard Auxiliary, as being most visible to the public, can be the best mechanism in getting the number of fatalities down and asked for their help in providing more safety classes and conducting more vessel safety checks.

In 2008 alone, nine people died in Maryland boating accidents and 222 people were arrested for operating a vessel while under the influence.

The top ranking boating accidents occurred mainly due to boating while intoxicated, boater negligence or misconduct, operator inexperience, defective watercraft, and either not having or using personnel flotation devices.

But the most common cause of boating accidents appears to be simple boater ignorance. Boaters are just not being made aware of the boating laws and safety regulations that exist for their own protection. They also fail to understand that operator inexperience or carelessness can lead to catastrophic and sometimes fatal Boaters need to be consequences for themselves as well as others. made aware of the

laws and safety Rear Admiral Kevin Cook, the Coast Guard Director of Prevention Policy has stated that, “…boaters who have taken a boating safety regulations which are course are less likely to be involved in an accident. In addition, two- there for their own thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned; and of those, 90 protection. percent were not wearing a life jacket. The Coast Guard urges all boaters, whether as an operator or passenger, to take a boating safety course and to always wear your life jacket."

Flotilla 23-7 continues to do its part in the reduction of these statistics by providing public education courses in boating safety. At least twice a year, the flotilla holds classes at Tri State Marine located on Deale Road on Saturday mornings using the Maryland Department of Natural Resources boating course. It has become an important forum for reaching out to the boating public, especially new and younger boaters, and educating them on the safe and proper way to operate a vessel. Each member of the flotilla should consider qualifying to be an instructor or at the very least, volunteering their time to act as an aide during the classes. It would be time well spent.

PAGE 4 The Life Line

Upcoming Activities Become a Member

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed June 5 – Division 23 Picnic, Thomas Point Rd., Annapolis, volunteer component of the United States Coast 1200 Guard. Created by an Act of Congress in 1939, the Auxiliary directly supports the Coast Guard June 14 – Monthly meeting at Cedarhurst Community in all missions, except military and law Center, 1900 enforcement actions.

July 4 – Shady Side 4th of July parade, Shady Side, MD, 0900 Flotilla 23-7 is a fully functional arm of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and supports its many July 12 – Monthly meeting at Cedarhurst Community assignments. We normally meet at the Cedarhurst Center, 1900 Community Center on Chesapeake Avenue in Cedarhurst, MD across from the marina on the second Monday of each month at 1900 (7PM). Our members are actively involved in such programs as boating safety patrols, public education classes in boating safety, and vessel examinations as well as directly assisting the regular Coast Guard in standing radio watches and search and rescue operations.

Remember to check the local weather report We conduct safety patrols on local waterways, before getting under way! assist the Coast Guard with homeland security duties, teach boating safety classes, conduct free

vessel safety checks for the public, as well as many other activities. Storm Warning Flags Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 17 years old, and pass a basic security check. There are no upper age limits or height/weight standards, Small Craft Warning 21-38 mph (18-33 kts) although for operational activities, you must be physically able to perform certain tasks. There are no minimum service hours – you can serve as little or as much as you want.

Gale Warning 39-54 mph (34-47 kts) You do not have to own a boat or participate in water-based operations to join the Auxiliary.

E-mail us at [email protected].

Storm Warning 55-73 mph (48-63 kts)

Reminder The Fall District conference and Hurricane Warning 74+ mph (64+ kts) workshops will be held at the Marriot City Center in Newport News, VA from 24-26 September.