Meet Our PeopleMeet Lou Bott,, Flotilla 59 and Division V staff officer for vessel exams, and a qualified boat crew member.

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Hope to “Threepeat”Flotilla 59 hopes to “threepeat” as champi-ons of DSAR 2016, and will field two teams this year.

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USCGC EagleMembers of Flotilla 59 served as tour guides aboard the USCGC Barque Eagle at Norfolk Harbor.

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In this issue:

The Newsletter of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59 • Smithfield, VA • July 2016

Flotilla Hopes to “Threepeat” at DSAR

Meeting Highlights

See DSAR, page 2 See Meeting, page 2

Smithfield Flotilla 59 held its monthly meeting June 20, 7 p.m. at the American Legion in Smithfield. Here’s what you may have missed if you could not attend:Awards

Al Coke received his eighth sustained service award for over 6,000 cumulative hours.

Peter Faleski received his annual service performance award for 60 program visits and another sustained service award for 2,250 cumulative hours.

Anne Coke received her sustained service award for 2,250 cumulative hours. Chuck Mullen, Sr., Michelle Thornton and Fred Hetzel all received their AUXOP certification.

Michelle Thornton also received her eighth sustained service award for over 6,000 cumulative hours. Anderson Braswell received his fifth sustained service award for 3,750 cumulative hours.Announcements

There will be a new District Commodore and Chief of Staff at the end of this year. All ADSOs and DSOs must re-apply to keep their current positions.

Flotilla 59 has recruited five new

The 2014 winning DSAR team from Flotilla 59 operates the P-6 de-watering pump at TRACEN Yorktown. This year, Flotilla 59 hopes to field two teams - comprised of members of the winning teams from 2014 and 2015.

Search and rescue teams representing Smithfield’s Flotilla 5-9 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary hope to “threepeat” as champions in the District’s annual search and rescue competition (DSAR.)

DSAR 2016 will be held August 19-20 at the Coast Guard’s Training Center in Yorktown, VA. The competition is open to the entire southern region of Coast Guard District 5, which includes Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Over the course of two days teams will be tested on their proficiency in search and rescue tasks including seamanship, navigation chart exercises, marlinspike, ring buoy and heaving line throws, operating a P-6 de-watering pump, and damage control.

They will also participate in an emergency SAR callout simulation that tests additional skills including first aid, communications and team coordination.

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DSARcont. from page 1

Meetingcont. from page 1

In the Loopis the authorized newsletter of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59, Smithfield, VA. It is published monthly as a PDF and emailed to members. Hard copies are available by request from the editor. Members are encouraged to submit articles, photos, and letters to FSO-PB/FSO-CS Stephen Faleski at stephenfaleski@gmail.com. Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and content.

FC/FSO-MS: R. Anderson BraswellVFC: H. Fred HetzelFSO-FN/PA/MT: Peter FaleskiFSO-CS/PB/SR: Stephen Faleski

FSO-IS/PE: George LangdonFSO-HR: VacantFSO-DV/NS/DCAPT: Michelle ThorntonFSO-PV: Charlie More

FSO-VE: Lou BottFSO-OP: Al CokeFSO-MA: Anne Coke

Why did you join the Auxiliary:I found out about the Auxiliary

through a friend who was a member and thought it was good way learn better boating skills while giving back to the community.What are your duties as a Division Staff Officer:

My duties at the Division level include maintaining a liaison between the District and Flotillas to implement and administer the Vessel Examination Program and report to the Division Commander the effectiveness of the program.Future plans:

My future plans are to continue to maintain and improve my qualifications to promote Recreational Boater Safety, meet new people and have some fun in the process.

Name: Lou BottHometown: Newport News, VACurrent City: Smithfield, VAProfession: Retired (43 yrs in Communications & IT)Years in Auxiliary: 7 yrs Auxiliary,U.S. Army Signal Corps (1967-68)Last/Highest Office: Division Staff Officer - Vessel Exams - Division VQualifications: Boat Crew, Vessel Examiner, Program Visitor

Meet Our People

members so far this year.There is a new District-level award,

the Ted Potter Proficiency Award. To be eligible, an Auxiliarist must have earned the RBS device, AUXOP device, marine safety training ribbon, and PA specialist ribbon.Staff Reports

PA – Flotilla 59 was a vendor at Smithfield’s Olden Days festival the last weekend in June. The USCGC Barque Eagle made port in Norfolk Friday, July 22. Flotilla 59 auxiliarists served as tour guides aboard the Eagle for the day. Coast Guard Day at Station Portsmouth is Aug. 6. The Kiwanis Fishing Clinic was held July 19 at Buckroe Beach in Hampton. Flotilla 59 provided Coast Guard related kids’ activities and materials for the event.

CS – The one-year anniversary of Flotilla 59’s music video is Aug. 3. Flotilla 59 asks anyone and everyone to help us try to reach 5,000 YouTube views by this date (we currently have 3,255.) National is currently auditing Flotilla 59’s website to determine our eligibility for another “best of the web” award for 2017.

PB – The Norfolk Angler’s Club gave Flotilla 59 a full-page thank you in their latest newsletter for our boater safety class in Norfolk last month. An article on Flotilla 59 will appear in Newport News Shipbuilding’s newsletter, “Yardlines,” soon.

PE – Anderson Braswell, Peter Faleski Michelle Thornton, and Scott Lauder taught a basic boater safety class to VDOT employees in June. The Flotilla also held a free boater safety class June 30 – July 1, 6-10 p.m. at the Isle of Wight Rescue Squad in Smithfield.

OP – Flotilla 59 currently leads the Division in operations hours with 200 for the year so far. All boats are operational. Flotilla 59 provided on-the-water operational support to Pride Fest and Harborfest in June. Flotilla 59 participated in joint training with Flotilla 33 on June 29. DSAR will be Aug. 19-20. We currently have three teams signed up, two of which are from Flotilla 59.

Speed and accuracy are both factors in grading.

The odds of winning the competition for the third year in a row are in Flotilla 59’s favor given that this year the flotilla will be fielding two separate teams.

The first team includes Mark Mills and 2014 DSAR champions George Langdon and Anderson Braswell (serving as

coxswain.) The second includes 2015 DSAR champions Fred Hetzel, Henry Troutner and Chuck Mullen, Sr. serving as coxswain. Mullen and Hetzel are recently

AUXOP certified.Flotilla 59’s immediate

past Flotilla Commander, Peter Faleski, will again serve as the teams’ coach.

John Curry, Lou Bott, and Michelle Thorntotn will serve as umpires alongside qualified auxiliarists from

Divisions three, five, six, eight, 12, 23 and 26.

• Anderson Braswell• Lou Bott• Peter Faleski• Stephen Faleski• Scott Lauder

Commander’s Corner

Flotilla

- Anderson BraswellFlotilla CommanderSmithfield Flotilla 59

USCGC Barque Eagle The USCGC Barque Eagle made port at Norfolk Harbor Friday, July 22. Members of Smithfield’s Flotilla 59 served as tour guides aboard the Eagle and also set up a public affairs booth to interact with the public and recruit potential new members. Photo by FSO-FN Peter Faleski.

Flares, Lights Top Causes of VSC Fail

Contributing Writersand Photographers

Watch Our Video:

When the Coast Guard Calls for “MOM”

“ALLCON - Marine Observation Mission scheduled for Tuesday.”

The “MOM” patrol has become the standard issue mission of the Auxiliary, and as a result, Auxiliarists have spent thousands of hours on our local waterways “observing” all aspects of the waterways, but what exactly does that mean?

Do we go on a 4-8 hour cruise and just look around? YES… we do.

One of the benefits of the Auxiliary has always been to act as the forward scouts for the Coast Guard. During the 1940’s it was Auxiliarists patrolling the beaches on horseback seeking out german landing parties, and it was auxiliarists patrolling the coasts in “stealth” sailing yachts radioing in the position of ill-fated u-boats.

Today we find ourselves in a new war - the war against terrorism. As part of the America’s Waterway Watch Campaign, our MOM patrols keep our tradition alive by gathering intelligence for the Coast Guard and assisting the Sector Command in maintaining situational awareness around our ports and waterways.

Spending countless hours underway, Flotilla 59 will continue to do our part in protecting our community during these dangerous times.

Expired flares and non-working navigational lights are the two most common reasons boats in the Hampton Roads area fail the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s courtesy vessel safety checks, according to USCG Auxiliary vessel examiners Scott Lauder and Lou Bott of Smithfield’s Flotilla 59.

“ W h e n purchasing flares, be sure to check the expiration dates before you buy,” Lauder warns. “Flares are manufactured typically with a three-year shelf life, but some stores will continue to sell them past their expiration date.”

As for navigational lights, Virginia state law mandates functional red and green, port and starboard sidelights and a 135

degree stern light for unpowered s a i l b o a t s . P o w e r e d sailboats must have a 225 degree masthead light in addition to sidelights and a stern light.

Motorboats must have sidelights and either a masthead light and stern

light or a single all-round 360 degree white light.

So far this year, Flotilla 59 has conducted a total of 103 vessel safety checks, of which 48 passed and 54 failed.