United States Power Squadrons®

Ventura Sail and Power Squadron

Volume 62 February 2018 Number 2

Cdr Steve Johnston, P

Commander’s Corner

Hello everybody,

I am writing you from Colorado where I am

finishing up treatment and recovering from

surgery. It’s been unusually warm here - in

the 40s during the day.

The squadron has many great events

planned for the coming year and I encourage

all of you to participate as much as you can

and embrace the social aspects of joining

with other like-minded folks.

Education classes keep you safe and pre-

pared for on-water experiences and provide

the ability to share your knowledge and en-

thusiasm with others. Be sure to thank the

members of the Executive Board for all the

work they do on behalf of our group.

Lastly, I am sure most of you have by now re-

ceived your annual renewal notice from the

national headquarters. Please reply prompt-

ly, and check out all the opportunities that

come with membership. Those and having a

national voice for safe boating and legislation

are unavailable elsewhere.

I miss you all and the ocean; we are really

fortunate to live where we do and have the

access to marine recreation.

Lt/C Debbie Braun-Lawson

Squadron Education Officer

The latest on our Education Front…

We have had to cancel our Advanced Pilot-

ing course due to lack of students. Bum-

mer! I know Rick Metheny is disappointed

too. The one student who did sign up is

gung-ho to take the class. He is going to

proceed with the self-study course with

Rick’s assistance as needed.

The ABC course is still set to begin on

February 13

at 7:00 at the Ventura Yacht

Club, 1755 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Har-

bor, running for nine weeks for a cost of

$50 with John Bath at the helm. (How’s

that for a run-on sentence.) This course

is designed to introduce the fundamen-

tals of safe boating and to qualify for cer-

tification in California where it is required

for operating a watercraft.

The week following that, on February 20,

the Engine Maintenance course will begin

at 7:00 at the Pierpont Bay Yacht Club,

1363 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor,

running for nine weeks at a cost of $50

for members and $75 for nonmembers

with Instructor Alan Gosselin. This course

stresses the diagnosis of modern systems

and the basics of engine layout and oper-

ation.

The last class for the spring will be Sea-

manship. This class covers basic dock

seamanship, slow speed maneuvering,

handling your boat at sea in different

conditions, specific information about

cruising in the Channel Islands, rules of

the road in detail, anchoring, mooring,

rafting, emergencies at sea and much

more. It begins on Monday, April 23 at

7:00 p.m. at the Ventura Yacht Club with

Jan Lawson as the Instructor and runs for

eight weeks. The cost is $60 for members

and $90 for nonmembers.

Hope to see you at one of these classes.

NNNeeewwwsss fffrrrooommm NNNaaatttiiiooonnnaaalll

Stf/C Bob Bales

National Safety Committee.

National Safety Committee is promoting

America’s Boating Club.

The Decal Awareness Program received

a grant from the United States Power

Squadron’s Board of Governors to pur-

chase 35,000 Vessel Examiner (VE) busi-

ness cards and ship them to all VEs. This

card serves as a segue for promoting

America’s Boating Club which also bene-

fits the Vessel Safety Check program.

Please expect your cards to arrive later

this month, and thank you for your

support.

Lt/C Dan Coverdale

Executive Officer

Since the last issue of the Helm, I’ve taken

further steps towards getting us a live-

aboard motor yacht. I’m not sure that I’ve

made any progress however. The boat we

thought was IT turned out to have a num-

ber of problems that we may not be able

to resolve. Undaunted, we’re continuing

our search.

I’ve owned only sailboats. The ways of

power boats have been mysterious to me

and only now am I beginning to appreci-

ate the beauty of a Jack Hargrave or Ed

Monk design, just starting out under-

standing the issues: like twin versus single

screw, displacement versus planning hull,

pilot house versus fly bridge.

One friend, hearing of our dilemma, said

“boats are like trains: just wait and one

will come along.” My broker, and old

friend, reminds me that boats are a lot

easier to buy than to sell, so being cau-

tious when buying is a good thing. These

are good observations and I should take

them to heart.

Along with the patience and the caution,

however, there’s also some excitement. A

few months ago, pursuing another old

boat that didn’t work out, I found myself

doing 20 knots in Santa Monica Bay atop

45,000 lbs. of fiberglass and a couple of

new Cummins diesel engines. That was

pretty cool, I’ve got to admit.

222000111888 BBBrrriiidddgggeee

Cdr – Steve Johnston

Lt/Cdr Executive Officer –

Dan Coverdale

Lt/Cdr Squadron Education Of-

ficer – Debbie Braun-Lawson

Lt/Cdr Administrative Officer –

Lorna Londborg

Lt/Cdr Secretary – Chris Stine

Lt/Cdr Treasurer – Dan Cahn

Nomination Committee

P/C Gary Wolfe

P/C Robyn Miller

Darrell O’Connell

Rules Committee

P/C Jan Lawson

P/D/C Don Shultz

Auditing Committee

P/C Gary Wolfe

P/C Robyn Miller

Members at Large

Fred DeLamarter

Vince Gerretz

AAAnnnnnnuuuaaalll MMMeeeeeetttiiinnnggg

(And Appetizer Contest)

Lt/C Lorna Londborg, P

Administrative Officer

February 3 welcomes our 2018 Board at

the Change of Watch ceremony. Although

the writing of this article precedes the

event, I have no doubt those who attend

will have an enjoyable time with good food

and great company.

The Board remains the same as last

year’s, with the exception of our Treasur-

er. Kim Morris has stepped down this

year, after many years of service.

Join me in thanking Kim for all her time

and dedication to the job, you are greatly

appreciated Kim! With the 2018 Board we

welcome Dan Cahn as the new Treasurer.

It’s time to fire up those engines and hoist

those sails to get your boat ready for the

2018 cruising season! On, Saturday,

March 10 VSPS has been invited to join the

Ventura Yacht Club for a “shake-down”

cruise to Anacapa Island. Depending on

the availability of a docent, the trip may

also offer a guided hike of the island.

Anacapa Island has breathtaking beauty

to be enjoyed whether you see it while hik-

ing or taking a leisurely cruise around it!

If you have any questions, please email me

at londborg@gmail.com. See you on the

water!

CCCooommmiiinnnggg EEEvvveeennntttsss

February

3

Change of Watch

Ventura Yacht Club

February

5

Exe. Com. Meeting

Old Coast Guard

Training Station

February

13

ABC Class Begins

Ventura Yacht Club

February

20

Engine Maintenance

Pierpont Bay

Yacht Club

VVVSSSPPPSSS CCCHHHAAANNNGGGEEE OOOFFF WWWAAATTTCCCHHH

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Ventura Yacht Club

1755 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura

(Elevator to the dining room is available.)

COCKTAIL HOUR BEGINS AT 17:30 (5:30 p.m.)

DINNER SERVICE BEGINS AT 18:30 (6:30 p.m.)

$40.00 Per Person (Tax and Tip Included) Cash Bar

THE MENU: Rosemary baguettes, homemade vege-

table barley soup, salad bar, roast beef carving

station, chicken Florentine, twice-baked potatoes,

green bean almandine, cherry cheesecake and/or

chocolate cake. Coffee station.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: Please RSVP by email

to londborg@gmail.com. Send a check made out

to VSPS for $40.00 per person to:

Lorna Londborg

1198 Navigator Drive #172

Ventura, CA 93001

There are a few seats left. Call Lorna at:

661 204-2357 to reserve a place.

Lt/C Chris Stine, S

Secretary

Ventura Sail and Power Squadron

Executive Committee Meeting

Ventura, CA

January 15, 2018

Preliminary Minutes

Called to order at 1916.

Attendees:

1. Exe. Officer Lt/C Dan Coverdale

2. SEO Lt/C Debbie Braun-Lawson

3. Admin Officer Lt/C Lorna Londborg

4. Secretary Lt/C Chris Stine

5. Don Shultz

6. Janet Shultz

7. Darrell O'Connell

8. Dan Cahn

Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dan Cov-

erdale

A quorum was present.

Reports of Officers:

SEO Lt/C Debbie Braun-Lawson

The Advanced Piloting Class has been can-

celled due to lack to sign-ups.

Pierpont Bay Yacht Club (PBYC) is willing

to let VSPS use its facility for the Engine

Maintenance Class, with the understand-

ing that PBYC members could attend us-

ing the VSPS “member” enrollment rate.

The class starts Feb 20, 7:00 p.m. at PBYC,

1363 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura, CA 93001.

PBYC also said they would welcome a

presentation by VSPS to the yacht club

about what our organization does. Dan

Coverdale will be doing the presentation.

Preparations for the ABC Class are in pro-

gress and flyers will be posted soon.

Admin Officer Lt/C Lorna Londborg

Lorna said The Change of Watch RSVPs

and checks have been slow in coming, be-

lieved due to the recent flooding and asso-

ciated delays in mail service. The deadline

for the Change of Watch Ceremony and

Dinner is January 27.

Lorna discussed the proposed dates and

activities for 2018.

Treasurer Lt/C Kim Morris

Absent – no report. The Treasurer’s Re-

port will be presented at the Annual Meet-

ing.

Secretary Lt/C Chris Stine

A motion was made, seconded and ap-

proved to accept the December 2017

minutes.

Executive Officer Lt/C Dan Coverdale

Dan mentioned that the Boating Safety

Expo is coming up. The event chairman is

Henry Goldman.

Commander Steve Johnston

Absent – no report

Ongoing Business/Activities/Classes:

Don Shultz reported that the review of the

VSPS old records is nearly complete.

Don also mentioned that Headquarters

(HQ) has had a problem capturing Merit

Mark data. Other squadrons have en-

countered this also, not just VSPS. HQ is

working on getting this corrected.

The calendar on the VSPS website doesn’t

have much information.

Completed Business/Activities/Classes

None reported.

Future Business/Activities/Classes

None reported.

Adjourned at 2005.

FFFeeebbbrrruuuaaarrryyy BBBiiirrrttthhhdddaaayyysss

Nickolas T. Gast 1-Feb

Brent Kerr 2-Feb

Karl Torfi Esrason 3-Feb

John H. Davis IV 4-Feb

Jacob Mazon 7-Feb

Robert J. Stine 8-Feb

Patrick R. Worth 11-Feb

Hector A. Marrache 13-Feb

Susan Reed Matthews 13-Feb

Christine A. Stine 14-Feb

Janet A. Lawson 15-Feb

TTThhheee AAAppppppeeetttiiizzzeeerrr WWWiiinnnnnneeerrrsss

Jan Lawson: Third place – BBQ Chicken Wings

Janet Shultz: First place – Glazed Meatballs

Carolyn & Dan Cahn: Second Place –

Pepperoni Garlic Rolls

AAAtttttteeennntttiiiooonnn

There are a few seats left for the Change

of Watch Feb. 3.

Call Lorna: 661 204-2357 to reserve a place.

NNNeeewww MMMeeemmmbbbeeerrr ooofff ttthhheee YYYeeeaaarrr

Kevin Mallon – Congratulations.

OOOffffffiiiccciiiaaalll---LLLooooookkkiiinnnggg VVVeeesssssseeelll DDDooocccuuummmeeennntttaaatttiiiooonnn

RRReeennneeewwwaaalll NNNoootttiiiccceeesss CCCaaannn LLLeeeaaaddd tttooo

CCCooonnnfffuuusssiiiooonnn aaannnddd HHHiiiggghhheeerrr CCCooossstttsss

BoatUS is informing boaters to be alert when renewing US Coast Guard documentation this

year (credit: BDOutdoors.com)

Download hi-res photo.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 6, 2017 – Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) Con-

sumer Protection Department is advising boaters with vessels having a US Coast Guard Cer-

tificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by US mail offering renewal. An

increasing number of BoatUS members have complained that these letters direct them to

websites that may be mistaken for the actual US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Center

located in Falling Waters, West Virginia, and appear to show a significant increase in the an-

nual fee to renew US Coast Guard (USCG) documentation.

BoatUS advises that while the USCG does send official annual renewal notices by US mail,

other notices being received by members are not from the USCG but rather third-party

companies whose name or return addresses may appear similar to that of the official USCG

Vessel Documentation Center. Members of the half-million boat owners group report the let-

ters look like “real” USCG communications. Some examples members have forwarded to

BoatUS do not have any disclaimers noting that they are not official USCG correspondence.

While third-party companies may legitimately provide services to assist with vessel docu-

mentation renewals, the USCG’s own renewal process is simple for most vessels and the

price, $26, is often much lower than what third-party services may charge. To renew, go to

the USCG National Documentation Center website at www.uscg.mil/nvdc and click on “in-

structions and forms.”

2017 Bridge

Commander

Cdr Steven Johnston, P

(805) 573-4429

Cheesehead1@gmail.com

Executive Officer

Lt/C Daniel Coverdale

(323) 810-8887

Coverdale47@msn.com

Administrative Officer

Lt/C Lorna Londborg, P

(661) 204-2357

londborg@gmail.com

SEO

Lt/C Deborah Braun-Lawson, AP

(805) 407-4777

debbiebraunlawson@gmail.com

Treasurer

Lt/C Kimberly Morris, S

(805) 320-1441

kim@vhby.com

Secretary

Lt/C Christine Stine, S

(805) 498-4018

chrisstine@verizon.net

The Helm Editor

Lt. Sheridan Green, JN

(661) 414-6915

sheridan713@gmail.com

Contacts for Local Mariners

24-Hour Emergency Telephone Numbers

US Coast Guard Search & Rescue(805)985-9822

Channel Islands Harbor Patrol (805)382-3000

Ventura Harbor Patrol. (805)642-8618

Port Hueneme…………………… (805)982-4571

Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol (805)564-5530

Harbormasters – Administrative

Channel Islands (805)382-6864

Channel Islands Harbor Patrol (805)382-3007

Ventura Port District (805)642-8538

Port Hueneme Public Affairs (805)982-4493

Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol (805)564-5520

National Weather Service

Oxnard .............................. (805)988-6610

Web site: http://www.nwsla.noaa.gov

Ventura Sail & Power Squadron

Lt. Sheridan Green, JN, Editor

1755 Spinnaker Drive

Ventura, CA 93001

Address Correction Requested

February 2018