Commander's Message
Greetings to everyone
I wasn’t prepared for the arrival of spring. One day it was rainy and cold. The next day it was sunny and warm. I wasn’t thinking far enough ahead. I wasn’t thinking, “It’s time to start preparing the boats for launching. Now I’m weeks, maybe a whole month, behind in my preparation schedule. I hope all of you are more ready for the time your boats go into the water. I hope you are less the procrastinator than I am.
Our season is so short compared to the season for squadrons in the lower states. So, we have to pack a lot more into the ten weeks we have. The squadron plans to have a couple of events each month. Please check the schedule on the following pages and mark your calendars for the various get-togethers. We want to see all members this summer. We need your support!
Cleaning and scraping and painting and varnishing are on my schedule for the early part of the season. Also on my schedule is the annual safety inspection that I, and each of you, should schedule.
The Bridge has been toying with the idea of having all boaters meet one day at a central location to have our resident safety inspector, Ken Gricus, check out as many boats as possible. If we can guarantee a good attendance, it would surely save much of Ken’s time. Doris has suggested that we advertise for boat inspections with flyers at marinas, boatyards and marine stores in order to get a better turnout. Is anyone good with computer graphics and would be willing to develop and print out flyers? If so, please contact me. Ken has suggested another possibility for efficient use of his time. Before your boat is launched, but after you have reinstalled all safety equipment and registration sticker, Ken is willing to inspect your boat on land. This saves trips by dinghy out to your mooring in the cool/cold early days of the season. Regardless, it is important to get that inspection. You want your boat safe and in compliance with Coast Guard regulations. Displaying the safety inspection sticker may prevent you from being “pulled over”, boarded, and delayed on an outing with family and friends.
I am looking forward to seeing you all at the various functions. We will start off the season with the new member picnic. It is an opportunity for all members to meet and greet the new members and to get reacquainted with old friends.
We are planning rendezvous in new locations. I, for one, like to explore and try out new anchorages and become more familiar with the beautiful area in which we live. One rendezvous will be a raft-up with a chance to “boat hop” and maybe a chance to sample the cuisine of fellow members on their boats. As always, if you need a ride to the rendezvous, there will be members willing to accommodate.
The Power Squadron headquarters has developed a number of seminars, 2-hour classes to teach members and non-members some additional skills. Check these out under education. There are some great ones. If a number of you express an interest in a particular one, contact our SEO, Key Stage, and he will schedule them.
Last month, Doris and I attended the 50th anniversary of the Wawenock (Boothbay Region) Power Squadron. We met many friendly and dedicated members. I was surprised that they have a George R. Fricke bell just as we have. They ring it at their meetings, just as we do. George was a member of that squadron and Commander in the 1990’s. He and about a dozen members who lived closer to Penobscot Bay were instrumental in splitting away from Wawenock and founding the Midcoast Squadron in 1992. He served as our Commander for one year. The late George Hirtle succeeded him as commander, and was followed by Pat Jones. All three of these commanders came from the Wawenock squadron. It was great to see Pat and her husband, Rendel, our Law Officer, at the luncheon featuring George R. Fricke’s talk about his book. Please see the article about George.
I am looking forward to a safe boating season. I hope there are fewer rainy weekends this year. Be safe and have fun.
Cdr George Sayre
Education Update
The Instructor Development Course was completed in March, 2009. All students passed and were certified. Current instructors (as a result of successful completion of the course).now include Leslie Chatfield, Jack Farlow, Charles Faulkingham, Ken Gricus, George Sayre, Tom Schultz, Key Stage, Bruce Stedman and Stu Thro.
The Weather Course concluded in mid-April under the direction of Jack Farlow. Attendees included Eric and Adina Baseler, Brian Hebert, Key Stage, Bruce Weik, and Reggie LeHouillier.
Our first version of America’s Boating Course finished in mid-May. Attendance was small with only two students, both of whom passed the final exam.
The Piloting Course is now nearing completion with Royan & Neal Bartley, Leigh & Colleen Palmer, Eric & Adina Baseler, Ed Neisingh, Sandra Shute, Nanne Kennedy and Jim Cuthbertson preparing for the final exam in the next few weeks under the guidance of Instructor Bruce Stedman.
A two-hour USPS Seminar (which is open to the public as well as Squadron members) entitled Onboard Weather Forecasting, is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2009 from 7-9 PM at Rockland High School in Room #14. This will be led by Jack Farlow, and is limited to the first 25 registrants. To register, contact Key Stage at 236 6083.
We will continue to set up courses and seminars based on interest, both from our members as well as inquiries from the public. My largest concern as your new Squadron Education Officer is advertising and how to “get out the word” about all we have of offer with regard to our education efforts. Any suggestions or offers to help in this endeavor would be greatly appreciated.
Lastly, please watch for an announcement in the very near future about the launching of our new Mid-Coast Sail & Power Squadron website. This will allow member log-in, course and seminar registration, on-line payment, posting of pictures, articles, announcements, and, of course, current and past issues of Prevailing Winds! I am sure you all will be very pleased.
Key Stage, Squadron Education Officer
Email Key Stage or 236 6083
George Fricke Luncheon Meeting
On May second, nineteen squadron members and friends gathered for a luncheon meeting at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. We initially convened around the bar in the Breakwater Café but soon moved to a table for 20 set up in Marcel’s restaurant where we ordered off the luncheon menu.
After a leisurely meal, Commander Sayre called the meeting to order and gave a short review of the squadron’s status and upcoming plans.
He then yielded the floor to Mid-Coast’s charter Commander, George Fricke JN, who put a stop watch on the table and commenced a 30 minute synopsis of a lifetime of sailing adventures, drawing heavily from his book “Fighting the Fog and Winning; 20 years of Minor Mishaps at Sea in New England and Nova Scotia Waters”
George also sold and signed books for those who wanted them. It is a great read, and
I encourage all who haven’t done so to put it on the summer reading list.
We were distressed to hear of the drama on George’s return trip to Milo. In his words, “Larry, my son-in-law, was driving, thank goodness, since well before we hit Route 1, I suffered a complete white-out! We hurried to Pen Bay, where I became a resident for 5 days. The diagnosis was a TIA - not quite a stroke, although I believe that I had had a minor stroke a couple of days previously. Anyway, I came home last Friday, with no apparent damage other than feeling pretty tired as the day goes on. I shall be very careful, though, for the next year or so.”
We wish you the best of luck as you sort through this concern.
Stu Thro, Owls Head
Learn to Forecast the Weather
USPS Seminar-Open to Public and all USPS Members
Instructor: Jack Farlow Cost: $35
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7-9 PM
Place: Rockland High School, Room #14
Onboard Weather ForecastingChanging weather conditions can convert what was a delightful day on the water into a real challenge. Forecasting what weather you will encounter is one of the top priorities for safe boating. Should we go out? When should we come in? These are important questions, but some fundamental understanding of the weather can help you make these decisions. That’s what this seminar is all about.
While not a course in weather, this seminar explains how just using your own senses can help you determine what conditions you will encounter where you are. By all means, a forecast is important. It will tell you what weather systems are headed your way, but they are challenged to tell exactly where and when conditions will change. Add your own observations and you have an extra edge. Add a couple of instruments and you can verify your observations. The seminar explains weather systems, how to understand clouds and their changes, using changing wind direction, temperature, and pressure to hone in on emerging weather fronts. The seminar includes the McGraw-Hill, waterproof, Captain’s QuickGuides Onboard Weather Forecasting to take aboard your boat.
Registration limited to first 25 students. To register, notify your intention via email to Key Stage, Squadron Education Officer, Key Stage and mail your $35 check (made out to “Mid-Coast Sail & Power Squadron”) to: Neal Bartley, Treasurer, M-CS&PS, 6 Robinson Drive, Rockport, ME 04856
New Member Picnic
Our Squadron New Member Picnic on June 21st will again be held in the Belfast City Park at 11:00 am. The intent is for all Mid-Coast Squadron members to get together in a pleasant spot for a relaxed picnic lunch and a chance to socialize. It’s a great opportunity for all members to renew old acquaintances, make new friends, swap stories, and plan more fun activities for the upcoming summer boating season. An added advantage is the zero cost (except for what you choose to spend on your bag lunch!).
Please contact Marsha Oakes (at 207 338-2763) if you plan to attend (so that we can be sure of getting a suitable spot).
A relaxed enjoyable, sociable time is usual-ly enjoyed by all. We hope you’ll come, too! We’d like to meet you!
Membership Corner
Happy New Year from the Membership team! Here’s to a happy and healthy 2002 to you and your families – and a great boating season to look forward to!
As most of you know, we have begun a new member information program where we email and/or call all members with a reminder of upcoming events and upcoming courses. While this program has only just started, it appears to be a success! As a result of the emails / phone callse, we had some members attend recent events who otherwise might not have come for various reasons, e.g. they had forgotten, or they had been away and thought it was too late to sign up.
We are still looking for a couple more volunteers to make phone calls. Please contact membership involvement chair Lt. Marsha Oakes at 338-2763 or Membership Committee chair Lt. Diane Hebert at 596-5994 if you are interested.
As we announced last month, we are publishing our first “Member Profile” this month. Huntley S. Pierson, recently of Belfast, is a reinstated member who joined our Squadron last Summer. Huntley developed his love of sailing over 30 years ago while living in Manhattan. His career in advertising and fashion photography took him from Manhattan to Connecticut to Miami, where he first joined the Power Squadron in 1989 after he took the Basic Boating course.
He joined the Squadron because he was interested in meeting other people who sailed and also in taking some of the advanced courses. He has passed Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Cruise Planning, Sail and other electives, and has an interest in pursuing a JN and N rating.
He has crewed on or owned many boats, including a Mason 43, a 31’ Pacific Seacraft, and even a 25’ Catalina that he sailed ton Lake Winnipesaukee. Last season he crewed with Tom and Carol Latta and now looks forward to acquiring another boat.
Huntley is semi-retired but still does photography part time. Please join us in welcoming him when you meet him at a function or in an advanced course!
Squadron Lunch
The mystery of mussels will be unraveled at this month’s Squadron meeting set for January 19th at Cappy’s Chowder House in Camden. As founder of the Great eastern Mussel Farm in Tenants Harbor, Chip Davison will reveal how he turned the “poor man’s seafood” into nuggets of gold.
David G. Smith, AP
On December 2, David G. Smith, 89, passed away at his home in Camden. Dave was a very active and enthusiastic member of the Mid-Coast Sail & Power Squadron as well as many other boat-related and civic organizations. He was one of the driving forces in establishing our Squadron in 1992, and was the first editor of Prevailing Winds, winning an “Excellence in Journalism” award. He always made his home available for Executive and Squadron meetings while his good works earned him more than a dozen merit Awards. To an individual, those Squadron members who knew and worked with Dave honor him with the phrase, “He was a wonderful person.” He’ll be missed.
Cruising on the Road
Some of you may wonder about the travel gear we are using for this six-month cruise about the country, so I thought I’d take some time to describe our rig. The trailer a is 30’ Carri Lite fifth wheel made by the Carriage Company in Millersburgh, Indiana. Price wise it’s considered a high-end trailer constructed with an aluminum frame rather than wood, and pretty heavily insulated for cold or hot weather. It has two axles which both use shock absorbers to keep the dishes from breaking when you drive over bumps. The trailer has a full kitchen in the rear which includes a stove with an oven and a microwave. It has both a hot air furnace and an oversized air conditioner. The furnace and stove are fueled by two 30 pound propane tanks. The entertainment center includes a 20 inch television and a stereo system which will play either CDs or cassettes. We also have a smaller TV in the bedroom. We have two slide-outs which with the push of a button cause the side wall of the dinning/living room and bedroom to extend out beyond the frame of the trailer about three feet which vastly increases the interior space of the trailer. When it’s time to leave you press the button and the walls move back in over its wheels.
The truck that pulls the trailer is a 2001 Chevy Silverado one ton, dual rear wheel pickup truck. It’s rated to pull nearly 15,000 pounds. The truck is powered by a 300 horsepower 6.6 Liter turbo-charged diesel engine and a 5-speed automatic Allison transmission. This engine enables us to easily climb steep hills without losing our forward speed like we used to when we had our other gas powered pickup. It has an extended cab which means it has a back seat so we can take friends out to dinner when we are living away from home or load up the back seat with lunch, travel guides, camping guides, and various other paraphernalia we might need during the day when we are traveling.
The truck has many bells and whistles that make long drives more comfortable and safer such as leather heated and electrically operated seats, compass, and outside temperature meter, good sound system for cassettes or CDs, air conditioning, ham radio transceiver, cell phone and last but not least On Star, which is a satellite radio system that allows us to be in contact with their travel center in case of emergency of any type or if we get lost they can tell us exactly where we are and how to get where we want to go. This system will also allow the driver to request a diagnostic analysis of the engine’s performance as you are driving along in case it suddenly starts skipping. They will tell you what is wrong and whether or not you should continue to drive or seek out a repair facility. If it’s the latter, the will direct you to the nearest one or if the vehicle is disabled they will send help to you. This is a GPS based system so they always know where you are.
For ham radio communications we have 2 meters of VHF in the truck and we have an all-band HF transceiver in the trailer. The HF gear enables me to stay in touch with all my ham friends all over the world.
Finding diesel fuel hasn’t been a problem for us. There are plenty of places around that sell it but these stations are not always easy to get into or get out of when the trailer is attached, so we end up going to a lot of trailer truck travel centers and fueling up alongside the eighteen wheelers. If the trailer is not attached we can get diesel at just about any station.
As to campgrounds we sometimes make reservations ahead but so far we haven’t had any trouble just showing up. We have several very thick books which list all the campgrounds in the US and give a good description of their facilities. We can see how we progress with our travels during the day, then look up a campground in mid afternoon and give them a call on the cell phone as we move down the highway.
We also carry another thich book called Next Exit which has all the Interstate Highways listed and tells us where all the rest areas are and what services such as restaurants and fuel are located at each exit. It also tells you which way to turn to get to a specific service as you come off the interstate.
This has been sort of a thumbnail sketch as to what it’s like to get into RVing mode.
Commander’s Message
Squadron Openings
Here’s a quick review of the special committees active within our Squadron. Most are headed by dedicated members, but a few assignments need help.
Of these 11 committees, two need volunteers to head them starting with our Change of Watch ceremony in March 2002. Here’s my brief description of each position:
Safety Officer: The Safety Officer is our link between Squadron safety activities and the public. Ideally, he or she should have an interest in boating safety. Along with the usual distribution of information on safety issues to the Bridge, the Safety Officer maintains safety oversight at Squadron boating events and organizes a Safety Day for the entire Squadron. For the past two years, our Safety Officer has been involved with the National Vessel Safety Check (VSC) program.
Boating Activities: This is a great position for someone who loves to be “on the water.” This person helps organize our annual rendezvous and any other cruises or boating events. Responsibilities include monitoring VHF radio to check with all boats participating and generally making sure everyone enjoys the activity.
Cmdr. Andy Nichols, AP
A Great Christmas Party
Gentlemen in “creative” black ties, ladies in gowns and dresses made, as you can see, for a very festive occasion at the beautifully decorated Londonderry Inn in Belfast. It was the annual Christmas party for our Mid-Coast Sail & Power Squadron.
It was hosted by Marsh and Fletcher Oakes, who graciously provided the facilities an dthe dinner for more than 30. A feast of turkey, port loin, salad, desserts and wine followed cocktails and good cheer beforehand. Joyous caroling, led by Marsh Oakes and Ann Hurtt, and a pick-a-present event rounded out the evening.
What’s in a Word
Dolphin:
- A small group of piles in the water tied together into a single structure generally used as a mooring or part of an aid to navigation. (Chapman’s)
- Any of a variety of small-toothed whales with the snout more or less elongated into a beak. [A mammal like Flipper]
- Either of two active pelagic bony fishes of tropical and temperate seas that are used for food. Also called dolphinfish. (Webster) [A fish.]
Trash to Treasure
In 1977, Yale graduate Endicott “Chip” Davison left the new York District Attorney’s office and came to Maine looking for adventure and a better quality of life. He found that adventure in farming “poor man’s seafood.” Through research, entrepreneurship and hard work, he founded and owns the Great Eastern Mussel Farm in Tenants Harbor. Come hear his story of converting “trash to treasure” and the history of mussel aquaculture.
Location: Cappy’s Chowder House at 1 Main Street (across from the Camden National Bank) in Camden. Park in the public lot behind the restaurant.
Details: Foregathering 11:30 with lunch at 12:30. Order from the menu. Spend as little or as much as you want. Cash bar, too.
Reservations: First come, first served. Call Lt/C pete Theis at 338-4799. Reserve early as meeting room holds only 35 people.
Within each Squadron of the United States Power Squadrons there are many important and satisfying jobs. While the “Bridge,” comprised of division heads, organizes and leads the overall direction of the Squadron, there are many specific tasks that require the leadership of dedicated volunteers. The scope and responsibilities of these “Specialty” jobs are detailed in written assignments directions available to those Squadron members who take up the challenges. Those who “serve” can perform their functions on their own time and at their own pace, only reporting progress to the Bridge.