THE 15 SQUADRONS OF DISTRICT 8 COVERING THE BOATING MECCA OF THE WORLD
P I E C E S
O F
VOLUME 32 NUMBER 3
E I G H T
Official Publication of District 8, United States Power Squadrons
A Unit of United States Power Squadrons®
WINTER 2008
America’s Boating Club®
Report of the District 8 Nominating Committee
12 October 2008
In accordance with the Bylaws of District 8, Article 2, Section 2.9.1, Article 5,
Section 5.5 and Article 6, Section 6.5; the district Nominating Committee submits
the following proposed slate for election under Article 4, Section 4.3.1 at the 2009
Spring Conference, as called by D/C William R. Gillettte, AP.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1
Nominations for 2009 –2010 Bridge
2
D8 Fall Conference Awards
3
Administrative Officer
Conference Report
Message from D8 Recruiting
Chair
4
From your Editor
A Summer Cruise in Europe
The Power of 1 Award
5
Compass Article
Learning the Racing Ropes
6
VSC Corner
7
Boosters
8
Calendar of Events
8
Important Deadlines
® The USPS Ensign
(Flag Design),
"Wheel-and-Flag Design",
"Officer Trident Design",
"United States Power Squadrons",
"USPS", "The Ensign",
"the Squadron" with flag graphic,
"Boat Smart", "Jet Smart",
and "America's Boating Club"
are registered trademarks of
United States Power Squadrons
© 2006 United States Power Squadrons
Commander
D/Lt/C Malischka M. Dunlap, AP Port St. Lucie
Executive Officer
D/Lt/C Lena J. Parsons, AP Coral Ridge
Educational Officer
D/Lt/C Al C. Bruhin, SN Port St. Lucie
Asst Educational Officer
Cdr John T. Doyle, JN Pompano Beach
Administrative Officer
D/Lt/C Gary L. Ferguson, AP Palm Beach
Asst Administrative Officer
D/Lt Katherine L. Allen, P Coral Ridge
Secretary
Cdr Doris Pfenniger, P Hollywood
Asst Secretary
P/Lt/C Joyce Newman, S Palm Beach
Treasurer
D/Lt/C John Belkengren, AP Key West
Asst Treasurer
D/1st/Lt Connie Reeder, AP Key West
Auditing Committee
(1 year)
P/C Eva Popham, P Miami
(2 years)
P/C Klaus Reinwarth, AP Palm Beach
D/F/Lt Carl Miller, AP Marathon
(3 years)
Nominating Committee
(1 year)
R/C William E. Husted, SN St. Lucie River
(1 Year)
P/D/C Lee Popham, AP Miami
(2 years)
P/D/Lt/C Barbara Leon, AP Biscayne Bay
(2 years)
R/C Richard Pfenniger, SN Hollywood
(3 years)
D/C William R. Gillette, AP Key West
P/C William Schulke, P Sebastian Inlet
(3 years)
Planning Committee
(1 year)
Chaplain Rodney G. Landsman, AP Palm Beach
(1 year)
P/C Anthony Militello, P Coral Ridge
(2 years)
P/R/C Ronald A. Friedman, AP Coral Ridge
(2 years)
Lt/C Daniel Thomas, JN Vero Beach
(3 years)
Cdr Michael W. Turner, AP Coral Ridge
P/C Mary Dodd, SN Palm Beach
(3 years)
Rules Committee
(1 year)
P/D/C Albert C. Richard, JN Miami
(2 years)
P/R/C Peter Mitchelson, SN Sebastian Inlet
(3 years)
P/D/Lt/C Ronald M. Ray, JN Pompano Beach
Respectfully Submitted:
P/D/C Gloria J. Schulke, AP Chairman
P/C Richard L. Walker, SN
R/C William E. Husted, SN
P/D/C Lee Popham, AP
P/D/Lt/C Barbara Leon, AP
R/C Richard C. Pfenniger, SN
DISTRICT 8
BRIDGE OFFICERS
DISTRICT 8 FALL CONFERENCE 2008
COMMANDER
Let us congratulate the following members and squadrons that received awards
during the D/8 Fall Conference.
D/C William R. Gillette, AP
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
50 year Member Awards
D/Lt/C Malishka M. Dunlap, AP
Donald T Francis, AP – Biscayne Bay
27 MM
EDUCATIONAL OFFICER
D/Lt/C Al C. Bruhin, SN
Howard G Mendon, SN – Marathon Sail &
Power 34 MM
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
D/Lt/C Lena J. Parsons, AP
P/C Jack Eidholz, AP – Miami Sail & Power
48 MM
SECRETARY
D/Lt/C Gary L. Ferguson, AP
TREASURER
D/Lt/C John A. Belkengren, AP
Robert M Marshall, AP – St Lucie River
21 MM
John W Zilg, JN – Vero Beach 18 MM
NBF/USPS Excellence in Recreational
Boating Education Awards
1st Place – Biscayne Bay
Place – Port St Lucie
3rd Place – Cutler Cove
Robert D Messingschlager Cooperative
Charting Award
Sebastian Inlet
Educational Proficiency Award
Palm Beach – Edward Voit AP
Pompano Beach – Allen Furtado, AP
Ronald Ziller, AP, Lyla Edwards, P
St Lucie River – Michael Knapp
Vero Beach—Francis Desmone,AP
Joseph Walsh, AP
the official publication of District 8,
USPS®, Inc. 8114 NW 100th Terrace,
Tamarac, FL 33321, a unit of United
States Power Squadrons® Sail and
Power Boating is published three times
annually (March, August, December).
Submissions may be sent to the
Publications Chairman.. All articles
appearing in this paper are assumed to
represent the opinion of the author and
are not to be considered as reflecting
the policy of District 8 or USPS® unless
so designated.
Harry J Mehrer Award for Proficiency in S, AP
& CP
1st Place - Vero Beach
Place - Pompano Beach
3rd Place – Palm Beach
2nd
“N” Club of South Florida Award
1st Place – Key West
nd
2 Place – Pompano Beach
3rd Place – Vero Beach
Robert W Rowlands Award for Achievement
in S, P, AP, IQ & SA
2nd
PIECES OF EIGHT
Prince Henry Award for Proficiency
in JN & N
1st Place – Key West
2nd Place - St Lucie River
3rd Place - Vero Beach
1st Place – Key West
Place – Ft Lauderdale
3rd Place – Port St Lucie
Saul Sabad Award for Overall Educational
Achievement
st
1 Place – Pompano Beach
2nd Place – Key West
3rd Place Vero Beach
2nd
D-8 Chapman Award Winner
1st Place – P/R/C William Eldridge, SN–
Palm Beach
2nd Place – Carin Imhoff, SN – Coral Ridge
3rd Place – Randal McDonald, AP - Key West
First Timers
After the afternoon meeting finished, First Timers to the
Conference were invited to join member of the Bridge
at a champagne reception.
District Web Site
www.uspsd8.com
PAGE 2
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
FALL 2008
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
D/Lt/C Lena J. Parsons, AP
H
appy Holidays from District 8 Administrative
Department, we are working hard to be of
service to all our squadrons.
individual, get involved to help your squadron and have fun
yourself. It’s not too late this year!
Thanks to Stf/C Nigel Hargreaves, SN, and ALL
the Conference Committee; Auxiliary Liaison, D/Lt Jean
Devane, Boating Activities Chair, D/Lt Ellen Ramey, JN, who
is planning our summer rendezvous, and to the presenters
at D/8 Fall Conference.
Chaplain Rodney Landsman, AP, presented an Operations
Training program for newer members with an inside look at
how USPS works. D/Lt Mary Dodd, SN, gave a PowerPoint
program on recruiting that is adaptable for squadrons with
different needs. She emphasized the four parts to getting
and keeping new members with recruitment as the third
step. D/Lt Anita Walker, AP, presented a “Down Home
Style” involvement program stressing how all Departments
impact involvement, which is the key to healthy growth and
retention. All presenters got their audience involved at the
workshops. If you missed the workshops, call one of them.
They would be happy to share their presentations.
This year D/8 did not have a winner in the Boarman
National USPS Youth Poster Contest. Check it out at
www.usps.org/national/membership/youth/poster.htm
The 2008-09 contest is now open and the theme is
“Boating Is Fun”.
Contact D/Lt Patricia Walker for information at e-mail
[email protected] or download the entry form
for your newsletter. Get involved with youth and show them
how boating IS FUN.
Message from D/8 Recruiting Chair
D/Lt Mary Dodd, SN
I’d like to thank everyone who attended the Recruiting
Seminar during the D/8 Fall Conference. The members
who attended the seminar learned that Recruiting is the
third step in obtaining new member.
Step 1. Decide whom you want to recruit.
Step 2. Know what you want your recruits to do.
Step 3. Recruit.
They also learned that the process of recruiting is, itself
broken into four parts. These are:
Planning
Involvement is not just for new members. As squadrons
come to the end of this year and plans are made for your
Change Of Watch, Commanders, don’t forget to send the
information and requests to the D/8 Executive Officer, D/
Lt/C Malischka Dunlap, AP ([email protected]). These are
special events with which your District Bridge would be
privileged to be involved.
We will be having another interesting and informative
seminar during the D/8 Spring Conference. We are hoping
to see you there.
Also, the Administrative Department encourages all
members to seriously think about our theme for this year,
“Boating is fun—we’ll show you how”. Make sure you, as an
If your squadron would like a copy of the presentation or
have any questions on recruiting I can be contacted at
[email protected].
PIECES OF EIGHT
Tools Needed
Presentation
Signing Them Up
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
PAGE 3
FROM YOUR EDITOR
D/Lt/ Pauline McCormick Franko
As Editor, I have the privilege of being sent the Newsletters
of the D/8 squadrons . It is wonderful to see the differences
in the way each newsletter is put together. I have found that,
in many of the newsletters, there are articles of general
interest, not just specific to the squadron. It is with that in
mind that I am including in this issue, an article written by
Lt/C Robert Crouse, AP, Executive Officer of the Marathon
Sail and Power Squadron. I hope you agree.
Acknowledging the “Power of 1”
Our D/8 Administrative Officer, D/Lt/C Lena J. Parson, AP
was awarded the Power of 1 award at the September
Governing Board Meeting in Kansas, MO.
CO N
GR
ATU
L
LEN ATIONS
A
A Summer River Cruise in Europe
This summer has been a busy one for Carol and I. We
cruised the Danube from the Black Sea, thru Romania,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Germany (south to north)
and finally Holland. While we were one day out of Bucharest,
Radovan Karadzic was arrested. We saw the riot police
moving in the streets the day we were there.
I highly recommend a river cruise if you are interested in
traveling through Europe. Not only are you exposed to a
diverse view of the histories and economies; you don't find
yourself packing, unpacking, & moving from place to place.
As boaters, I know you understand the joy of cruising.
A
Peters Post script
Our Past Commander sent me the following post script for
his term of office. Unfortunately, I was unable to get it into
the Fall Edition. so here it is.
I
would like to thank all of the district 8 squadrons and
bridge officers that worked with me during my year as
Commander for my retiring gift, a zoom lens for my digital
camera.
During my farewell speech I mentioned a “monument on a
rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean”. The picture shows this
monument – the Discovery Marker at Sagres, Portugal; the
United States Power Squadrons® plaque placed at its foot.
When we arrived in Holland, we were greeted by some
friends that we had met on a Baltic cruise. We had taken
them from the wilds of the Everglades to the "wilds" of Key
West and points between. We also had time for boating and
fishing.
This time, in Holland, they took us for a Canal Cruise in their
cruiser, which is over 10 meters long, stopping in many
interesting and bucolic towns with histories and churches
dating from the first century. What an experience it was, six
days in canals above and below the landscape.
Their boat was very comfortable, and the topsides, inside
and out were varnished mahogany. It was beautiful. Those
Europeans know how to treat their boats, and how to
preserve their buildings.
You can rent cruisers up to 45' in Holland. Maybe we should
book a “bare boating” cruise of the canals in Holland.
PAGE 4
I know that the District is in good hands and hope that you
all give Commander Bill the same support that I received.
P/R/C Peter Mitchelson, SN
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
FALL 2008
a position and raise the blue awning to protect us from the
sun. The boat rocks gently, and we decide to set the course
and anchor. When the wind shifts to northwest, Charlie pulls
anchor, Dave starts the engine, and we move. The radio
crackles occasionally whenever a boater wants assurance
that we know what we’re doing.
This article is from the current USPS® E-Newsletter.
NOVICE SAILOR GETS RACE RULES
PRIMER
Learning the racing ropes
A
s my friend Charlie and I walk along the dock in
Oriental, N.C., on a sunny Saturday morning,
we see white sails in the distance slip smoothly
over blue water reflecting sapphire skies and
puffy white clouds.
We pass a 42-foot luxury catamaran, a sleek 26-foot sloop
and a new 44-foot cat before stopping at an old 26-foot Navy
workboat that has seen better days.
“This is it?” I ask. This is the boat that will take us out on the
Neuse River?
Charlie thinks being aboard a race
committee boat will help me
understand sailing. What do I
know—I come from the Adirondacks.
He’s overseeing a race for another
class of boats, and these sailors will
time him when he races in his
Ensign class.
Although the boat is functional, no
proud owner has lovingly polished
its white sides or named it
whimsically. Before we board, Bill,
an octogenarian, and Dave, a young
CEO type, join us.
After introductions, the three men open the large storage
box by the slip and take out race instructions, a course
board and a variety of flags. The race will start at noon.
Dave will man the radio and drive the boat. Charlie, who is
the presiding race officer, will pull up the anchor.
We stow our things on board, and Dave checks the radio and
starts the engine. Spray and seagulls accompany us as we
motor out to the course. When Dave shuts down the engine,
it’s suddenly quiet.
Bill removes a compass, special watch and rule book from
his backpack and sets them aside. He opens a box
containing a tangled jumble of items, removes a metal
cylinder with two openings and attaches shiny orange plastic
to one end. The orange plastic grows like an invading alien
until I squirm out of its reach. The floating orange pyramid
will establish the start and finish line.
At noon there’s no wind, so we raise the red-and-white
postponement pennant.
When the wind finally comes from the southwest, we choose
PIECES OF EIGHT
As we change position, a 35-foot boat sails beside us,
blocking our path. Charlie calls for right-of-way, and the
skipper replies, “Sailboats have right-of-way over
powerboats.”
True enough, but Charlie explodes. “We’re trying to set a
course, God damn it! Get out of the way!”
“Temper, Charlie, temper,” Bill quietly reproves. The boat
moves off, and Charlie gives the thumbs up, his genial self
again.
With a new windward starting line, the course changes. This
time the wind cooperates, and we anchor, drop the
postponement flag and raise the white class flag a minute
later, signaling that this is a jib and mainsail handicap race.
In another minute the blue-andwhite warning flag goes up. We
sound the horn as a courtesy,
but the flag is the official signal
that racers look for. Three
minutes later as the boats circle
for a starting position, we drop
the warning flag. Exactly one
minute after that, our official
timer, Bill, announces the time,
and the white flag is removed. At
exactly 1300 with no flags flying,
the race begins!
Now we get to sit … and sit …
and sit. The race won’t end until
30 minutes after the first boat
crosses the finish line.
I write down the numbers on the large sails, so we know that
14 boats are in the race. I also jot down unfamiliar words
and ask lots of questions. I learn that tweaking your sails is
based on wind conditions. And when Dave tells me about
different winds and that a “lift” shifts you closer to the wind,
Bill dryly remarks, “A lift is for your shoes.” The craggy-faced
New Englander eyes me from under the wide brim of his old
hat and smiles. Charlie later tells me that Bill is an
acknowledged sailing expert and has sailed the Newport
Bermuda Race.
“What’s a handicap race?” I ask.
“When you have sailboats of different size and design as we
do today, adjustments are made to make the race fair for
all,” Charlie answers. This is different from Ensign races, in
which all the boats are the same and skill makes the
difference. In a handicap race, faster boats give so many
seconds per mile to slower boats. Each boat has a specific
handicap, and the first boat to finish might not be the
winner. After we turn in each boat’s time at the end of the
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS
(Continued on page 6)
®
PAGE 5
Vessel Safety Check Corner
By D/Lt. Allan B. Furtado, AP
I
believe in doing routine
maintenance on my vessel. I
change the oil and filters on a
schedule based on the number of
hours on the engine. Just prior to
changing oil I take a sample and send
it off to a lab to analyze the oil. This
can tell you a lot about how your
engine is wearing. By that I mean are
some of the bearings starting to scuff off material? Is there
excess tin or lead in the oil? Is the head leaking and is there
coolant in the oil? How about is there fuel in the oil? These
and other things can be very useful information as to how
your engine is doing. The oil filters are changed at the same
intervals as the oil.
Changing the fuel filters is important as well. I try to do this
on the same schedule as above-sooner if I notice any
change in the performance of the engines; such as visible
smoke coming out of the exhaust. I have been very lucky
that my filters have always been nominally clean, without
large amounts of sludge in them.
This has been true until recently. The other day as we were
on board during the early evening, a lightning storm came
through the area. A hit was close and the power was
interrupted on the boat. So, I simply started the generator.
Hurray for the generator! We were back in business, along
with the A/C. Well after about 10 minutes, the generator just
died. This has been the most reliable piece of equipment on
my boat for 17 years, and I was wondering why did it decide
to fail now? I went into the engine room, had my wife Jan pre
-heat the glow plugs, this starts the fuel pump, and start the
generator again. Well it started and again after about 30
seconds it failed.
From my Engine Maintenance Class I took last spring, all a
diesel engine needs is clean fuel, oil and water. It had fresh
fuel, was full of oil and the cooling system was not even up
to operating temperature. The class also mentioned to listen
and try to determine what happened. It was running and
then seemed to just slow down like it ran out of fuel.
After tracing the fuel system through 3 fuel filters, one a
Racor, another on the electric fuel pump, and the third on
the input to the fuel injector system all looked ok. I had new
elements and being the filters were open, I replaced all of
them. I started the gen-set again and the same thing
happened.
Further investigation revealed another fuel pump I was
unaware of. It was located way in the rear of the boat on the
aft bulkhead that had a fuel filter in it. I had not paid
attention to or serviced this pump in the 17 years I had my
boat so you can imagine what that was like. I could not open
the filter for it was frozen with rust. So I just purchased a
PAGE 6
new one and replaced it. (Yea another couple of bucks in
that hole-- LOL) Now the generator runs just fine and I will
remember that there are 4 filters in that circuit.
So what does this have to do with VSC? It just goes to show
that there are more items to check than just your navigation
lights, horn, flairs and life jackets. All systems should be
checked by either a qualified technician or a knowledgeable
boat captain on a regular basis. This includes making sure
that the bilges are clean, battery terminals covered and
decks clean and clear of loose gear.
As I have often asked at this point, have YOU had your
Vessel Safety Check this year? If not, why not?
(Continued from page 5)
race, the race coordinator will use software to determine
the finish order and declare a winner.
Dave announces that sailboats are returning. Bill sits quietly
across from me, his hat shading his eyes as he studies his
GPS timepiece. As each boat crosses the finish line Dave
calls out, “Over,” and Charlie announces the boat’s number
and blows the horn. Bill tells me the exact GPS time, and I
record it on the forms. The first boat finishes at 1400 hours,
eight minutes and 59 seconds.
The boats arrive quickly after that, one after another. The
last boat finishes close to the ending time, 30 minutes after
the first boat crossed the finish line, but we wait a couple of
minutes and record it anyway. One boat doesn’t finish and
is designated DNF.
We retrieve and deflate our orange pyramid, pull anchor,
put everything away and head home. With the sounds of the
engine and waves slapping the sides of the boat, we race
the seagulls back to the dock.
Dave maneuvers the boat into the slip and cuts the engine.
He and Charlie carry gear to the onshore locker box, and Bill
and I follow. Charlie hands in the race results, and though
we don’t stay to listen to tall tales and gripes about the
wind, we happily accept our reward: cold beers.
–Rosemary Miner
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
FALL 2008
BOOSTERS
D/Lt Katherine Allen
Shirley Becker
D/Lt/C Lena J. Parsons, AP, 5341 SW 1st St, Plantation, FL 33317
D/Lt/C John Belkengren
P/C Woody & Karen Boarman
P/C William & Edith Brady
P/C Constance Bretz
P/D/C Reinhard & Ruth Bruderer
Hal Burke II & Wendy Mervis
P/Lt/C Janet Dean
N/F/Lt Frank & D/Lt Kathy Dougherty
P/R/C Ronald & Helena Friedman
D/Lt/C Gary Ferguson, AP
D/C William Gillette
P/D/C Marlene & P/C Michael Herbig
R/C William & Lynne Husted
N/Chaplain Rodney & Lt Sandy Landsman
Miami Sail and Power Squadron
P/D/C William & Jan Morrison
Palm Beach Sail & Power Squadron
D/Lt/C Lena J. Parsons
From Your Editor
Your District Newsletter is available by e-mail and the
electronic version has many advantages over the printed
version
1.It is in color! If you are receiving your squadron’s newsletter
this way you know just what a BIG and enjoyable difference
that makes.
2.You can print just the pages or items you want to keep.
3. By accessing the Newsletter through a web link, your e-mail
box is not filling up with larger than normal files
4. You can access it at your leisure by either saving the file or
using the webpage link whenever you want.
5. Last but not least, D/8 can save significant monies in
printing and postage.
Sign Up Today for E-mail notification
Lt Eunice Polloway & P/C Dean Jackson
P/D/C Lee & P/C Eva Popham
P/R/C James Ramey
D/Lt (P/D/C) Stuart M. Rapee, SN
D/Lt James & P/Stf/C Carolyn Sanislo
1st/Lt Clifford & Rosetta Scholz
P/D/C Gloria & P/C William Schulke
Sebastian Inlet Sail & Power Squadron
St. Lucie River Power Squadron - compliments of:
Vincent & Katie Whalen
Vero Beach Power Squadron
P/D/Lt/C Sally Williams
P/R/C Ina Fay & P/R/C Harold Zitter
Thank You All!
E-mail your name to [email protected]
Of course, you can still get it the old fashioned way by “Sail
Mail”, it just takes about 3 more weeks
PIECES OF EIGHT
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
PAGE 7
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2009
17 - 22 Feb
USPS Annual Meeting
Hyatt Regency, Anaheim, CA
24 - 26 Apr
D/8 Spring Conference
Ft Lauderdale Marriott N
17—19 July
Summer Rendezvous
8 - 14 Sept
USPS Governing Board
Hyatt Regency, Kansas City, MO
18 - 20 Sept
D/8 Fall Council and Conference
Ft Lauderdale Marriott N
2010
1 –6 Feb
USPS Annual Meeting
Disney Coronado Springs, FL
30 Aug –4 Sept
USPS Governing Board
Bellevue, WA
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
15 Feb
DISTRICT 8 EDITOR
D/Lt/Pauline M. Franko
8114 NW 100th Terrace
Tamarac, FL 33321-1259
Submissions D8 Spring Newsletter
Non-Profit Organization
U.S POSTAGE PAID
Boca Raton, Fl
PERMIT NO. 729
Dated Material
Please Do Not Delay
PAGE 8
©2002- 2008 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS®
FALL 2008