November 2014 Annapolis, Maryland Volume 73, Number 11 Commander’s Message Kathy Nash, AP Happy Autumn! It is truly beginning to feel like the end of our boating season is approaching. While sailors are enjoying the wind and fishing boats are enjoying large strippers, the end to our season looms near. And what a boating season it was! We had two week long cruises, three weekend rendezvous, and two great raft ups. Our past month of activities has almost been nonstop! Our last raft up of the season was on 25 September in Lake Ogleton. We had five boats and 21 happy people. As usual this summer, the weather was fantastic! We sailed on the schooner Woodwind on Saturday, 4 October. The wind was blowing 25 knots, so when I say we sailed, we really did, heeling included. We again had 21 folks join us for this event. Captain Jen, who spoke to us at a dinner meeting earlier this year, made sure we all had a great time and offered everyone a turn at the helm. What fun! The Annapolis Sail & Power Boat Shows were our next big event. They were both a lot of fun. We have already re- ceived an application from a new member and hope to receive many more. We made some great contacts with local boaters and I believe the show will once again prove to be a very successful event for us. The show has provided a bump in vessel safety checks, and I am still working hard to get us to my goal of 500! The vessel safety committee has worked very hard this year and has made tremendous growth in examiners and number of vessel safety checks. We do tend to be less busy in the fall and winter, but there is still a lot going on in the squadron. The fundraiser at Red, Hot and Blue is 28 October and the flyer to take with you is in this publication. There is a dinner meeting on Thursday, 6 November which is very important. First, we will be having our Food Drive for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Second, our speaker will cover Maritime awareness and the “See Something. Say Something” program DNR has to en- able us all to know what to look for in this era of unsettled times. While on the water we need to be vigilant on what is unusual activity. We boat by the Table of Contents Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Annapolis, the United States Naval Academy, Cal- Commander’s Message 1 vert Cliffs, just to name a few sensitive locations. Please join us for this meeting. Executive Officer’s Report 2-3 Administrative Officer’s Report 3 On Saturday, 8 November Operations Training will be held at the Kent Nar- rows Yacht Club. This is a full day (normally 9am– 3pm) course that Educational Officer’s Report 4-5 teaches the structure and job descriptions of the United States Power Squad- Safety Officer 6-8 ron. The charge is only $12.00 to cover coffee, danishes, and lunch. I at- tended this course myself last year and found it very informative. All new Squadron Gear 8 members should consider taking this class, along with any potential new of- Boat Show Photos 9 ficers. Please watch for email notices or email me to sign up. Raft Up Photos, Red, Hot & Blue 10 Lt/C Joel Hilden, P has informed us the cost of our dinner meetings has in- creased slightly over the past year and recommended an increase in the Captain Chess A . Peake 11 member cost. It has been over four years since the cost of our dinners has Anchor Watch Deadline 12 been changed. The Executive Committee passed this recommendation over- whelmingly. Therefore effective January 2015 the cost a the dinner meeting Calendar of Events 12 will increase from $29.00 to $30.00 per person. Bridge Officers Contact Info 13 1 November 2014 Anchor Watch Executive Officer Lt/C John Wesley Nash, JN Another year of boat shows is behind us and once again the efforts of our squadron made positive impressions on the leadership of District 5, other squadrons and the boating public in general. Several membership leads were generated, many VSCs were scheduled, and countless amounts for boating safety and USPS educational documents were distributed. In general, it was a job well done. The new USPS Boating Skills Virtual Trainer (BSVT) was a big hit. Its performance and capabilities of simulating a realistic boating experience exceeded most expectations. And it became a very successful “booth magnet” that gener- ated many opportunities for quality interactions with those attending the shows. Both youngsters and adults enjoyed using the BSVT and were challenged by its lesson scenarios. I sincerely wish to thank everyone who volunteered their time and effort working this year’s boat shows. 39 mem- bers of our squadron manned shifts at one or both of the shows. In addition we had 35 members from other D5 squadrons, including Absecon, Delsea, Dundalk, Kent Narrows, Main Line, Mid Potomac, Miles River, Nanticoke River, Northern Virginia, Potomac, Rockville, and Susquehannock that volunteered their time. We even had the Commander and Executive Officer from the Fort Worth Sail and Power Squadron working in our booth. Everyone did a fabulous job and deserves my deepest gratitude, but there are three squadron members that went above and beyond the call of duty and must receive my special thanks and the squadron’s recognition. Cdr Kathy Nash, AP, P/C Marianne Ponzio, P and Capt. Al Ponzio, AP set-up, tour down and transported the contents of our booths for both shows. In addition, they worked several shifts and helped secure all the materials necessary to make the shows successful. Kathy also directly coordinated with the boat show officials and maintained the work schedule for volunteers. Please help me in showing the squadron’s appreciation for their outstanding efforts. The ASPS Food Drive to benefit the Anne Arundel County Food & Resource Bank is off to a great start. So far, two couples within our squadron have both donated $100 each to this cause. In addition, a recliner, two twin beds sets (mattress and box spring), and a bed frame have been picked up by the AA Co Food Bank directly. That’s a great start, but there are hopes our squadron will do much more and provide many other donations. It’s easy to participate in this good cause. Here is a list of items being accepted: Food Items: All food items are accepted. Canned goods may be up to 5 years expired. Rice & Pasta may be 1 year expired and cereal may be 6 months expired. (They are currently most in need of canned meats.) Financial Donations: Checks made out to Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Medical Supplies: Walkers, potty chairs, canes, etc… Baby Goods: Diapers, formula and clothes. Clothing: Winter coats and other warm clothing of any size. Furniture: Any usable furniture. Appliances: Any usable appliances, such as washers, dryers, microwave ovens, etc… Please give whatever possible to this cause between now and 10 November. Tax receipts will be issued for clothing, furniture and financial donations. Here’s how to donate: 1. Bring transportable items to the 06 November ASPS dinner meeting. 2. If you are unable to attend the dinner meeting or transport your donated items, contact Toni Hughes via 410- 224-4155 or [email protected] to arrange pickup from your home or office. (Large items will be picked up by the AA Co Food Bank directly.) And remember, donations are not restricted to squadron members. Share this information with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. (Continued on Page 3) ANNAPOLIS SAIL AND POWER SQUADRON 2 November 2014 Anchor Watch (Continued from Page 2) As of 20 October, ASPS has completed 486 VSCs for 2014. We still need 14 more exams to reach our Commander’s goal of 500 VSCs by the end of the year. There are several VSC’s still pending from the boat shows, but help from our squadron members is needed to make our goal. If you were lucky enough to obtain a new vessel during the boat shows, (or know someone who was), please contact D/Lt Homer Sandridge, N, Cdr Kathy Nash, AP or myself to schedule a VSC as soon as possible. Administrative Officer Lt/C Joel Hilden, P Our next monthly meeting will be 6 November, with social hour beginning at 6:00 PM. Our guest speaker will be P/D/C John Brian Becker, who will give a presentation on the Maryland DNR's Water Watch program —“See Something, Say Something”. It’s a very important pro- gram about Maritime Domain Awareness and encouraging the public and private sector to become aware and report suspicious activity. The menu will be: Pan seared salmon with lemon chive butter and cucumber salsa Fingerling potatoes Zucchini & squash sauté Apple pie cake Where: Annapolis Sheraton on Jennifer Road Cost: $29/ per person, payable by cash or check at the door Please RSVP by Tuesday, 4 November through our website at http://tinyurl.com/ASPSdinner or by calling ASPS Voicemail at (410) 263-8777. Choose Option 4 at the voice prompt. Wine Tasting Fundraiser – 22 Nov 2014 Please join your squadron friends and enjoy some terrific wines while helping ASPS. Look for a Lunch Hook email soon for details. Future Monthly Meeting Price Increase The ASPS Executive Committee has authorized a price increase for the monthly dinner meetings beginning in 2015. The price will increase from $29.00 to $30.00 per person.