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Lazy Log May 2016

Come for the Boat ing Educat ion … Stay for the Fr iends SM The official publication of the Pensacola Sail and Power Squadron, a unit

of the United States Power Squadrons@ and a member of District 15.

Executive Officer

N ational Safe Boating Week is

May 21 to 27, 2016. The annual campaign kicks off the weekend before Memorial Day and continues through-out the year. The North American Safe Boating Campaign is focused on spreading

the message of boating safety and the critical importance of always wearing a life jacket each and every time you are on the water. It is the simplest strategy to stay safe while enjoying your favorite recreational water activity. Ac-cording to recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics, drowning was the reported cause of death in three-fourths of all boating fatalities in 2014. Of those, 84 percent were reported as not wearing their life jackets. The Wear It! cam-paign promotes boating safety and life jacket safety by encouraging boaters to wear their life jackets. Whether you’re going fishing or just enjoying a ride on the boat, there’s never an excuse not to wear a life jacket. You can have a great time, while choosing to always wear a life jacket and boating responsibly. In addition, the campaign also reminds boaters of the impor-tance of taking a boating safety course, never boating under the influence and knowing naviga-tional rules.

Lt/C Bill sends … thanks.

Commander

W e all think about our annual en-

gine and vessel mainte-nance about this time of year. There are many basic maintenance tasks we can do ourselves, such as changing crankcase oil/filters, changing gear case lubricants, inspect-ing and lubricating all throttle and shift link-

ages, and removing propellers to check for tangled fishing lines and lube. Also, don't forget to check the bearings, wheels, and lighting for your trailer. I just had a spindle for wheel literally fall off a few weeks ago (due to excessive rust) and just had the trailer worked on last year, but missed this when checking the axle!

One other key component is to run thru the Vessel Safety Checklist (VSC) to be certain we have all of our required items on board and in good working condition. To assist others in getting this vital list of "must have safety items on board." PSPS vessel safety examiners (VSEs) participated in a free vessel safety check day at Grand Lagoon Yacht Club on 23 April 2016. This is not only a vital public boating service that directly supports the mission of the PSPS, but also a way to "show the flag" and perhaps pickup a few enthusiastic new members. Thanks to the leadership of Todd Larson, we will be conducting a number of these VSC days for our local boating community this summer and hope you can join us.

Cdr Rod sends … thanks.

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Lazy Log The Lazy Log is the official publication of the Pensacola Sail and Power Squadron, Inc. It is published monthly and details the activities of the squadron.

The Pensacola Sail and Power Squadron is a pri-vate non-profit fraternal organization dedicated to “Safe Boating through Education.” We re-strict membership to no one requesting only that members express an interest in sharing our charter and learning the principals and practice

of safe boating through education.

We hold regular busi-ness meeting and social events during the calen-dar year. Membership information may be ob-tained by visiting our website at … www.usps-psps.org … or by con-tacting either the Commander or Secretary.

Safe Boating is no Accident; Come for the Boat-ing Education … Stay for the Friendssm

Officers and Staff Commander … Cdr Rod Powell, AP 850.637,1876 … roderick.2002@yahoo.com Executive Officer … Lt/C Bill Wickham, AP 850.941.8813 … billwickham50@hotmail.com Educational Officer … Lt/C Ron Swope, SN 850.453.5303 … seopsps@att.net Administrative Officer … Lt/C Dave Nicholson, AP 850.432.0527 … drdave944@yahoo.com Secretary … Lt/C Harry Hebb, SN 850.492.6477 … harry@hebb.me

Treasurer … Lt/C Harry Hebb, SN 850.492.6477 … harry@hebb.me

Past Commander … P/C Barbara Merrick, P 850.261.6444 … barbaramerrick16@att.net

Executive Committee Lt Phyllis Swope, JN and Staff Photographer 850.453.5303 … pswope55@att.net Lt Todd Larson, AP 850.497.0358 … xnaveng@cox.net Lt Polly Weaver 850.292.7694 … toriwe@cox.net

Birthdays this Month Phyllis Swope … 05 Butch Seabrook … 04 Nancy Rathkamp … 12

Polly Weaver … 18 William Alexander … 22 Barbara Merrick … 22 Dewey Nall … 24 Ron Swope … 29

Contact Us Our website is available to assist you in answer-ing questions about us and what we stand for. The URL is www.usps-psps.org. As well, it lists all the officers of the squadron, the most re-cent details of our meetings and rendezvous, a squadron calendar of events which we try to maintain as up-to-date as possible, a complete listing of our educational program, our Vessel

Safety Check program and many of the other activi-ties we are involved in. Please feel free to peruse our site whenever you wish. If you don’t find what you are looking for, send an email to one of our officers or staff members. We will make every effort to answer your questions in as timely a manner as possible.

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Educational Officer Member Class

Underway

T he Marine Elec-trical Systems

class taught by P/C Chuck Fosha, AP, started earlier this month. It meets each Monday evening at the Main Library in Pensa-cola. This is the first

time we have used a public library facility for one of our classes. One of the students, Chuck Blair, provided a free multimeter for each stu-dent. Thanks, Chuck. The final exam is sched-uled for June 20.

Public Boating Classes Sched-uled

Dates, locations, times and classroom are con-firmed for two public boating classes scheduled for this spring and summer. The first will be held on two consecutive Tuesday/Thursday eve-nings, May 17, 19, 24 and 26 on the Warrington Campus of Pensacola State College. Class will start at 6 p.m. each evening. There is no regis-tration fee. The ABC3 book costs $40 and two people may share a book. The second will be held July 12, 14, 19 and 21. It will be at the same lo-cation and times and all are scheduled for Room 3407. We need your help in spreading the word. Please let your friends and neighbors know. They can contact me for more information or to register at (850) 453-5303. They can register online on our website at www.usps-psps.org. They just have to paste a link into their browser and it will take them to the registration form. Anyone under 18 must have written permission of a parent or guardian to attend.

Reef Fish Angler License Required

A new requirement last year required Florida fishermen to obtain a license to fish for reef

fish. This includes the popular species such as red snapper and other snapper species often found in the same habitat, trigger fish, amber-jack and grouper. There are also some other less popular species, such as scamp, caught off the bottom. This license is good for one year and is free. The easiest way to get it is to go to www.myfwc.com. Scroll down the right side to “Hunting and Fishing Permits.” Although it will indicate there is a fee for the license, the fee is zero. (This same form is used for other types of licenses that do have a charge) Everyone who fishes for reef fish must possess this special license, even old guys like me that long ago passed that magic age where the state of Flor-ida decided they could do without my saltwater fishing license fee. My previous license expired on 15 April and on 14 April I got an email from FWC reminding me to renew. I went online and in about 5 minutes downloaded and printed the new license, good for another year and at no charge. This license is supposed to help identify people who fish for reef species so they can be contacted or interviewed about their experi-ence, what they are catching, et cetera, with the goal of helping to get a better picture of the overall status of the stock of reef fish. In the year this has been in effect, I haven’t talked to anyone who has been contacted, other than being stopped out on the water or back on the dock.

Squadron Exhibit at Yacht Club

We are setting up an exhibit table at the Grand Lagoon Yacht Club on Saturday, April 23, to pro-mote safe boating and our squadron. The club is hosting a nautical yard sale and our vessel safety examiners will be on hand to offer free vessel safety checks. Lt Todd Larson, AP, is co-ordinating the event. The Yacht Club’s Fleet Captain, Mike Odom, teaches short sessions on a variety of topics about once per month to inter-ested members. He is interested in promoting our ABC3 class to his membership.

Lt/C Ron sends … thanks.

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Administrative Officer The Battle of

Hampton Roads

M y March 2016 article showed

how the Confederates developed and de-ployed the Merrimack and rechristened it the Virginia. Both names have stuck. On March 8, 1862, the Virginia

was sent out to clear the channel at Hampton Roads so as to break the blockade of Richmond and Norfolk, VA. Commanded by Commodore Franklin Buchanan and supported by several other Confederate vessels, the Virginia virtu-ally decimated a Union fleet of wooden war-ships off Newport News, Virginia, destroying the sloop Cumberland and the 50-gun frigate Congress, while forcing the frigate Minnesota

aground. By nightfall the Merrimack retired but planned to finish off the Minnesota the next morning. To put this in perspective, the United States Navy never again sustained a defeat in battle such as this until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

This apparently invulnerable warship had ter-rorized the Union. President Lincoln had or-dered plans to be made to sink several old ships in the Potomac River intending to block the Confederate warship from entering the river and bombarding the capital.

USS Monitor, a 987-ton armored turret gun-boat, had been built in New York to the design of John Ericsson. She was the first of what became a large number of "monitors" in the United States and other navies. Commissioned on 25 February 1862, she soon was underway for Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Monitor ar-rived there on 9 March. This happened to be just in time for the battle. The Union ironclad was under the command of Lieutenant John Worden. The stage was set for one of the world’s most famous naval battles.

On Sunday morning March 9, 1862, the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack was fought. The engagement lasted three to four hours and is known as the Battle of Hampton Roads. Thousands of Confederate and Yankee

spectators lined the opposite shores of the waterways hoping to observe the battle. At about 8:00AM the Merrimack was preparing to

(Continued on page 5)

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open fire on the grounded Minnesota. The Con-federates found their course blocked, how-ever, by the newly arrived Monitor. At first, not realizing the nature of the opponent, the Monitor was thought to be some type of barge. Soon, however, it was apparent that it was a warship. The first shot of the engagement was fired at the Monitor by the Virginia. Soon the Monitor returned fire.

The ships passed back and forth in opposite directions. They circled one another, jockeying for position as they fired their guns, at times their hulls almost touching. The cannon balls of

each ship bounced harmlessly off of one an-other’s hulls but they made a deafening noise inside Monitor’s turret. Ericsson, the Monitor’s designer was afraid to use a full 30 pounds of black powder to fire the huge cannons because he feared the guns would explode. He had or-dered that a standard charge of 15 pounds be used to lessen this possibility. It was later de-termined that the guns were capable of firing the 30 pound charge. What would have been the results if full charges, armor piercing am-munition or more powerful rifled cannons had been used by either side? The Monitor’s highly

vulnerable poorly placed pilothouse was hit, driving iron splinters into Lieutenant Worden’s eyes. The location of the pilothouse and the lack of proper ability to elevate the Monitor’s guns made it somewhat ineffective. Both crews lacked basic fire training in the use of their arms. There was horrible ventilation and the turret was very hot and smoky inside, particu-larly in warm weather. The Monitor could fire only once in seven or eight minutes but was faster and more maneuverable than her larger opponent. After additional action the ship ran into shallow water because the commander was partially blinded, and the Virginia, concluding that the enemy was disabled, turned to again attack the Minnesota. But her officers re-

ported low ammunition, a leak in the bow and difficulty in keeping up steam. At about 12:30PM the Virginia headed for its navy yard; the battle was over. But both sides thought they had won.

The Virginia’s spectacular success on March 8 had not only marked an end to the day of wooden navies but had also thrilled the South and raised the hope that the Union blockade might be broken. The Monitor, however, and other Union forces held the blockade, but they were afraid to proceed up the James River to

(Continued from page 4)

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Richmond for almost the remainder of the war.

The two ironclads faced off once more, on April 11, 1862, but did not engage, neither be-ing willing to fight on the other’s terms. The Union side wanted the encounter to take place in the open sea. The Virginia, on the other hand, tried unsuccessfully to lure the Monitor into another battle in Hampton Roads harbor.

On May 9, 1862, following the Confederate evacuation of Norfolk, the Virginia was de-stroyed by its crew. It was thought to be too heavy and deep to tow up to Richmond. So this huge investment in weaponry was lost.

The Monitor—with 16 crewmen—was lost dur-ing a gale off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on December 31, 1862, showing that the design was inherently unseaworthy. Many other moni-tors were built and similar vessels proved themselves in the river wars in the West. The wreck of the original Monitor was located in 1973. In 2002 marine salvagers raised the ship’s gun turret and other artifacts from the wreckage.

Lt/C Dave sends … thanks.

(Continued from page 5) Administrative Officer Many Thanks …

c hip, chip, cheerio to P/C Dean Hoffman, P, for hosting the annual Saint Patrick’s day

celebration at her home on April 19th. The corned beef, cabbage and other assorted good-ies were GREAT. As well, we thank her son Dan Hoffman, who is ever ready to cook and co-host this gala celebration as well as grandson Joseph for helping out.

Deano, it was great of you, Dan and Joseph to host this celebration of life again as you have done many time in the past. A toast as well to Al Hoffman who could not be with us as he is cele-brating his reward in the afterlife after passing over the bar.

The Secretary sends …

Captain’s Questions 1) What type cloud do tornados originate from?

2) What is the principal season for tornadoes in Florida and Alabama?

Answers below ...

P/C Bob Burton sends … thanks.

Captain’s Answers 1) Cumulonimbus 2) January, February, and March

P/D/C Robbie Jarrell, AP Be advised that Robbie Jarrell, a member of the New Orleans Power Squadron and a Past Com-mander of District 15, passed over the bar the 13th of April 2016. I was Robbie’s Executive Officer at District. He was a friend and mentor as we both rose through the district ranks. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

The Secretary sends ...

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Past Commander Pineapple Cake

2 sticks butter 3 (20 oz) cans of pine-apple chunks drained. 1/3 cup pineapple juice 1 box yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 stick of butter

in 9x13 pan in oven. Remove. Stir juice and chunks into pan. Spoon cake mix all over pineapple chunks. Cut remaining butter into small pieces and spread over cake mix. Place cherries over the top and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Rotate 90 degrees every 15 minutes until done.

Olive Garden Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup white vinegar 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoon corn syrup or honey 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes 1 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix and serve … yum …

How to make heavy cream

2/3 cups whole milk 1/3 cup unsalted melted butter Whip until creamy Makes 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Fried Green Tomatoes

1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup yellow corn meal 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Mix together and set aside.

2 eggs, beat and set aside

Pour about 1/2 inch of oil in pan.

3 large green tomatoes sliced thick or thin de-pending on your choice. Salt and pepper to suit.

Heat the oil then dip tomatoes in eggs then flour mixture. Repeat for all tomato slices.

Carefully drop in hot oil cook until golden brown on each side. Enjoy!

P/C Barbara sends … thanks.

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General Meeting

T he Pensacola Sail and Power Squadron thanks Dr. Robert Althar for his well

received presentation concerning the treatment program he uses for opiate dependency. This kind of program is not available in every commu-nity. We are fortunate it is available in Pensa-cola from the Lakeview Center and Baptist Hos-pital.

Next month on Tuesday, May 10th, we will have our final meeting before the Summer break. The meeting will be at Franco's Restaurant in the back room (for better audiovisual presenta-tion). The speaker will be our own past com-mander, P/C Chuck Fosha, AP. The talk will be about astrophysics and satellite research. Vari-ous types of satellite functions of interest to mariners and other people will be discussed. The meeting starts at 1730 with a social time and will be called to order at 1600. After a brief meeting and a hearty meal our presentation will begin.

Lt/C Dave sends … thanks.

Astronomy Note The moon is new on May 6th, at first quarter on the 13th; full on the 21st and at last quarter on the 29th.

The Secretary sends ...

Photos by Phyllis Swope, JN

Thanks …