The Life Line VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 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] Summer 2010 Dog Days of Summer We are well into the summer boating season and based on recent statistics, Flotilla 23-7’s number of vessel safety checks is up significantly this year. Many thanks to all our vessel examiners especially George Pacharis who as of June had completed Inside This Issue 52 exams. Please note the important message from Bob Birane on page 4 1 Dog Days of concerning locating devices. Summer The flotilla has already participated in a number of local events most notably the 1 Member Awards Blue Angels fly-by at the Naval Academy, the Bay Bridge Swim, Shady Side Night Out, and the Shady Side 4th of July parade. Unfortunately, the South County Fair, 2 Rescue 21 normally on our schedule for a public affairs booth, was cancelled this year due to 2 Bay Bridge Swim funding issues. 3 Indian River Weekend boat patrols are in full swing however, and watch standers are still Lifesaving Station needed for Cove Point Radio. Contact John Cosgrove at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering. 4 Upcoming Activities 4 Notice to ALL Boating Instructors Frank Voltaggio, Editor 4 Auxiliary Vessel Examiners Member Awards At the June 14th monthly meeting, Flotilla Commander Chris Jensen awarded flotilla members Phil Wentz and Clarence Caesar the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation for their work with the Patuxent River Search and Rescue (SAR) team from 12 October to 17 October 2008. Phil and Clarence were part of 12 Auxiliarists who were involved in the search operations. On October 12th of that year, the 38 foot Formula Fastech boat Hot Licks barrel rolled at high speed near day marker 8 at Point Patience. This occurred on the Patuxent River near the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge. The helmsman and three passengers were ejected from the vessel in the accident. Nearby fishermen managed to pick up the three passengers but the helmsman went missing. Phil Clarence and Phil receive was immediately contacted by the Coast Guard to organize a SAR plan and initiate the Members on tour at SERC 1 Meritorious Team Auxiliary response. His operational vessel, Robin Marie, later got underway crewed by Commendation. Clarence and Tim Pannone from Flotilla 23-2 and conducted search patterns in the area. Their efforts contributed to the final recovery of the body of the missing boater five days later, thereby bringing a sense of closure to the family. The entire team was noted for contributing to over 170 man hours to the mission. The operational distinguishing device was additionally authorized to be worn with their ribbon. Congratulations, Phil and Clarence! PAGE 2 The Life Line Rescue 21 The Coast Guard is implementing a major systems acquisition program entitled Rescue 21 to the National Distress and Response System to correct the limitations of the previous communications system. The new system utilizes global positioning and the latest in communication technology. It closes 88 known coverage gaps in coastal areas of the United States, enhancing the safety of life at sea. The system's expanded system frequency capacity enables greater coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as other federal, state and local agencies and first responders and provides full coverage out to 20 nautical miles. Rescue 21 will provide an updated, leading-edge Very High Frequency – Frequency Modulated (VHF-FM) communications system. This will replace the aging, obsolete radio communications equipment installed and deployed during the 1970s such as consoles at Coast Guard Sectors and Stations and remote transceiver sites, as well as the network connecting them to thos e facilities. It will eventually cover coastline, navigable rivers and waterways in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico. When a distress call is transmitted, a Coast Guard command center receives the call and is able to record and replay the distress call. Rescue 21 allows that command center to determine a line of bearing between the vessel in distress and the tower that received the emergency transmission. Using this one line of bearing, the command center can begin a search down that line; however, with two or more lines of bearing the possible search areas can be greatly decreased through the process of triangulation. Rescue 21 currently covers 28,000 miles of coastline and is expanding with full coverage to be completed by 2017 with the last sites in the state of Alaska. Bay Bridge Swim On June 13th, over 650 swimmers from the U.S. and Canada competed in the annual Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim from Sandy Point Park to Hemingway’s Restaurant on Kent Island. Proceeds from the race went to help raise money for the March of Dimes as well as other local non-profit organizations. Flotilla 23-7 was aptly represented by members Suzanne Blais, John Fountain, Lynn Fountain, Chris Jensen, and Jose Pena. They participated in manning the picket line of Auxiliary vessels to help keep out any curious boaters from infringing on the swimmers’ course. This year’s winning swimmers were Andrew Gyenis of Reston, VA for the men with a time of 1:28:4 and Sherri Pickens of Baltimore for the women with a time of 1:36:28. The Life Line PAGE 3 Indian River Life Saving Station Located not far away from the Chesapeake Bay is one of the few truly restored lifesaving stations on the East Coast. Travel over to the Delaware Seashore State Park on Route 1 and three miles south of Dewey Beach you will come across the Indian River Lifesaving Station. The station was originally built in 1876, one of six stations along the Delaware shore. It remained an active station until 1962. It was initially located 400 feet closer to the shoreline but in 1877 it was moved due to a sand dune that had built up preventing the launching of the rescue boat. After its closing, the building and grounds were transferred from the federal government to the state of Delaware. It was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1976. Unique is its color scheme of pale orange and deep burgundy as opposed to the traditional white clapboard, green trim and red roof of most lifesaving stations. Inside you will get a tour of the meticulously restored facility from a guide who is decked out in the uniform from the early twentieth century. The first floor houses the keeper’s office and quarters, rescue boat, and lifesaving gear along with the mess deck and galley. The second floor contains the bunking area and storage of equipment. From there, a narrow stairway leads up to the observation deck inside the cupola. The U.S. Lifesaving During the summer months, volunteers recreate the lifesaving drills that were the mainstay of the service. Such events as the firing of a Service was life line from a Lyle gun, breeches buoy demonstrations and signaling considered one of the using “wig-wag” flags are exhibited for the public. most valorous organizations run by The museum also has a film about the history of the U.S. Lifesaving the U.S. Government. Service which helps to show the incredibly hard and lonely lives these brave surfmen lived. A small store is located on the premises for purchasing souvenirs. All in all, it is a worthwhile daytrip to re-live a famous chapter in the chronicles of U.S. lifesaving. PAGE 4 The Life Line Upcoming Activities Auxiliary Vessel Examiners June 5 – Division 23 Picnic, Thomas Point Rd., Annapolis, 1200 The Coast Guard has noticed that in many cases owners of recreational boats in this area that are June 14 – Monthly meeting at Cedarhurst Community equipped with VHF-FM radios that have Digital Center, 1900 Selective Calling capability--or with Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) or th July 4 – Shady Side 4 of July parade, Shady Side, MD, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)--have not 0900 installed these devices properly, have not registered them, or do not know how to use them. July 12 – Monthly meeting at Cedarhurst Community Center, 1900 As you can imagine, this significantly diminishes the effectiveness of these important devices in case of an emergency, and poses a serious threat to Notice to all Boating safety. Instructors As a consequence, the Fifth District and Sector Baltimore have asked all Coast Guard boarding The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officers to check on these factors when they board announced effective April 15, 2010, that a new law has recreational boats for safety inspections, and is gone into effect concerning personal flotation devices. requesting that Auxiliary Vessel Examiners talk It states that anyone under the age of 13, in a boat less with boat owners about them when they conduct than 21 feet in length, must be wearing a life jacket vessel safety checks. while the boat is underway. Also, any reference to a child or person weighing 50 pounds or less is no longer Note: We do not plan to change the vessel safety in effect. check reporting form, nor are we asking that you not pass a boat in which you find discrepancies in New textbooks with the changes will not be available any of these categories. All we're asking is that when you're inspecting the boat's distress signals until late fall however, the DNR will be sending out a (such as flares, etc.), you also check on whether revised final exam reflecting this change as soon as the vessel is equipped with DSC, EPIRBs and possible.