Voice of the Balboa Sail and Power Squadron, District 28 A Unit of United States Power Squadrons Sail and Power Boating. Cdr Boris Buzan, AP

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1 THE TRIDENT Voice of the Balboa Sail and Power Squadron, District 28 A Unit of United States Power Squadrons Sail and Power Boating December 2012 Commander s Log Cdr Boris Buzan, AP It is hard to believe we are finishing up another banner year for the Balboa Sail and Power Squadron. It has been an honor to be your Commander for the second year in a row. Our most recent event was a field trip to the USS Iowa in San Pedro. Dave Thomas, our Executive Officer, proposed this event at our August Executive Committee meeting and single-handedly Cdr Boris Buzan, AP put together a great day. We had 26 members and guests attend and all had a marvelous time. We met at the Newport Beach Tennis Club (thanks to club member Lou Loth for arranging parking for us) and bussed up to San Pedro for lunch at a great restaurant. I expected two or three items to choose from but Dave had them create a special menu just for us with more than a dozen choices! After lunch we boarded the USS Iowa for a self-guided tour. The ship has docents along the tour route to explain the details of this great ship. I was really impressed by how well organized the tour is given the short time the ship has been open to the public. I noticed at the end that the tour covered just the first of four areas that are going to be opened over the next few seasons, so we will do this again. In my book Dave can be our permanent tour coordinator; he put the whole package, bus, lunch and admission together for just $50 per person. A comparable commercial tour would have been over $100. [photographs from the tour appear elsewhere in this issue.] Our Education Department under Peter Barbour has had a banner year, details are elsewhere here in this issue of the Trident, and your Squadron has been honored by District 28 with the Donald L. Shockey Memorial Award. This award is for the District 28 Squadron that conducts the greatest number of Elective courses in a calendar year. (continued on page 5) Visit to the USS Iowa Lt/C Dave Thomas, XO Volume 72, No. 12 This was a very successful outing. Twenty-seven members and friends left Newport Beach Tennis Club on time and ready to have fun in San Pedro on the USS Iowa. First, we stopped over at the San Pedro Brewery for a great lunch and then proceeded to the USS Iowa for a two-and-a-half hour tour. The battleship was built in 1940 and several Presidents called it home during XO Dave Thomas various assignments throughout the world (for more about the Iowa, go to: Our day on the Iowa was wonderful. First of all it was Navy Day, and we also had delightful 80-degree weather - kind of warm for our group but that didn t deter us. We visited five decks, climbing up and down over 200 stepsas we went from one deck to the other. It was surprising to see Lu Jenkins having such a wonderful time; she climbed every companionway without any problem, and later told me she slept 14 hours the next day, but had a great time. We all got back on time at 16:30. All 27 people on board for this outing wanted to do something like it again, so I am planning an outing for the first quarter next year, maybe to the USS Midway in San Diego. Let me know if you would be interested. Educational Department News Lt/C Peter Barbour, SEO The educational efforts undertaken in 2012 to fulfill our chartered mission could not have been more successful. We ve just concluded our third America s Boating Course (ABC) class and have six more graduates who are now members of the organization. Instructor extraordinaire P/C Wolfgang Kutter, SN has conducted three ABC classes this year. [See photo on the back page of the latest group of graduates who (continued on page 3)

2 Monthly GMMs Lt Denise Erwin Ahoy Squadron members. It s November and the holiday season is upon us. Jack-o-Lanterns and goblins have been put away, Thanksgiving leftovers have been consumed and Christmas decorations are going up. I d like to thank everyone for a year of fun evenings at our General Member- ship Meetings and extend a warm in- vitation to come to our big Christ- mas bash on 21 December for the Newport Harbor Parade of Lights. I d also like to get some feedback from you regarding the restaurants we have Lt/C Denise Erwin, AO attended in Plans will soon be underway for the 2013 meetings and I want to make sure you, our members, are pleased with our meeting locations. Locations we have visited this year include: BCYC ( January Change of Watch); Coco s; Golden Dragon; Mimi s; Elks Lodge; and Jack Shrimp. Unfortunately, we lost our favorite Coco s Restaurant in Fashion Island due to its closing. Please let me know your preference as to location and let me know any ideas you have for future meeting sites. I, meanwhile, will do some research too. Thank you for you attendance in the past. Together, with your help, I hope to find locations that will draw more members to our monthly meetings. Likewise, if you have guest speaker suggestions I would love to hear them. Our guest speakers should reflect your interests, needs and desires, so your input is invaluable. Lastly, if anyone has raffle donation items at home please contact me and I d be glad to make arrangements to pick them up from you. The raffles are fun and add to our treasury so we can provide better meetings for you. They help support our Christmas pot luck, our Squadron s hosting of the District 28 conference, HQ rent on our building on Balboa Peninsula, and our on-the-water events in the summer. The GMMs are for you; I would like them to be something you look forward to each month. See you on at the boat parade! Boat Parade Lt Denise Erwin It s that time of year again when we meet for the festive Newport Harbor Parade of Lights and the December GMM. It will be held on Friday, 21 December, starting at 18:30 and last until until the parade passes. This year the meeting will again be at the lovely waterfront home of Lu Jenkins, 1236 West Bay Avenue, Newport Beach, CA Lu has generously opened her home to us for years now and a big thank-you goes out to her. There will be plenty of seating with the addition of banquet tables and chairs in her back yard. Also, there will be heaters on the patio so we will be cozy and warm while watching the beautifully lighted and decorated boats parade past. As in the past, we are asking everyone to bring new, unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots (USMC) to support the wonderful job they do distributing gifts to underprivileged children in our area. Our dinner menu will be ham, turkey and hot sides from Honey Baked Hams and we are asking each family to bring a salad or dessert to share: your cost will be $15 per person. After dinner we will be holding a raffle: tickets will be available at the door and throughout the evening. I can t wait to see you all there. Scout News Lt Denise Erwin The Sea Scouts have been busy since late September sharpening their skills, practicing for the big Southwestern Region Rendezvous, a regatta that draws Sea Scouts from up and down the coast of California. Dozens of ships attend this fun event every Thanksgiving weekend at the Naval base at Port Hueneme. Events on the schedule include knots, first aid, small boat sailing, marlinespike, code flags, boatswain s chair, rope climb, ring toss, swimming, breeches buoy, compass and relative bearing and scuttlebutt, just to name some. All of the participants, adult and youth alike, sleep in one of the barracks and share meals in mess with the active duty military personnel. Our Sea Scouts leave on Thanksgiving evening and the competitions begin Friday morning running all day till 16:00, then again all day on Saturday. Saturday evening after dinner there is a big Sea Scout ball and Sunday morning, during a landship ceremony, the winners of the events and awards are announced and given out. The tradition for the Orange County ships, after packing up our gear and loading the cars, is to go to In-n-Out for burgers then start the two hour drive home, happy, tired and full. A compete list of events, awards and places will be announced in the next newsletter. Wish the scouts and leaders fair winds and following seas. - Page 2 -

3 Educational Department, from page 1 recently passed the first class in a broad range of education opportunities that await them in the USPS organization.] Another of our Senior Navigators Dr. Rich Honey, SN taught one of the most demanding and difficult courses this year - Junior Navigation. The course was so difficult our students are still in the process of absorbing the boatload of material, finishing their sight folders and preparing for one of the toughest examinations ever. SEO Peter Barbour, JN SEO Peter Barbour, JN taught a timely Cruise Planning course and just as the class finished left with Squadron Secretary Renere Lopez on a week s bareboat charter in St Lucia. You ll be happy to know that the entire class passed the examination with flying colors and that Peter and Renere had a perfect vacation charter to seal the deal. The plan for educational programs for 2013 are focused on providing opportunities for all our new ABC graduates and focusing on the Boat Operator s Certification Program. I think we can do both at the same time and continue to do a bit of outreach to our supportive yacht club friends as well. What I d like to offer is a five-event series of afternoon seminars on subjects like: Rules of the Road, Anchoring, Mariner s Compass, Tides and Currents, and Marine Radar. These one-day events are a perfect introduction to the educational resources of the USPS when held at a partner yacht club, and provide a great relationship-building opportunity as well as the core educational value the seminars provide. In addition to this seminar program, we plan to offer a Piloting course to our new ABC graduates who are ready to continue their program of nautical education. This set of education opportunities will provide all the educational programs needed to complete the prescribed educational elements for the Coastal Navigator Boat Operator s Certification Program. The final element of the Coastal Navigator program is an on-the-water evaluation and, if we have our class work done by summer, we can schedule a summer-time evaluation day and finish the skill demonstration requirement under a classic sunny southern California sky. Again congratulations to our fantastic array of students this year and hats off to our instructors. Wes and Peter are looking for help next year in managing the educational efforts of the organization. If the 2013 plan outlined above looks like a rewarding effort to undertake, and you would like to help out, please give a shout and get involved in your Squadron s activities. USPS National Activities P/D/C Lou Loth, AP You may know that I am active in the Power Squadron at the District and National level. In this article I summarize some activities that could be of interest to you. The next USPS Annual Meeting is in Jacksonville, Florida in mid-january I will attend many informative meetings including the CPR + First Aid course offered by the American Heart Association. I have obtained a group discount for a 15-day Panama Canal cruise in early November It s westbound, ending in San Diego. An information sheet is included elsewhere in the Trident. The 100th anniversary of USPS will kick off at the 2013 Annual Meeting. Special flags have been prepared and will be presented and circulated amongst the squadrons. The 2014 Annual Meeting is also in Jacksonville. As part of the 100th anniversty celebration and immediately following, a seven-day cruise to the eastern Caribbean is planned. Training Seminars in Leadership are ongoing and often paid for by our national or district organizations. They apply to volunteer organizations such as ours, and equally to the for-profit business world. Look into this. For more information on any of these activities, contact me at (949) or Louloth@cox.net - Page 3-

4 Panama Canal Cruise Update P/D/C Lou Loth, AP Planning is underway for a 15-day cruise which includes the Panama Canal. I have selected the Infinity, an elegant ship of Celebrity Cruises. This voyage departs Miami, Florida on 7 Nov 2013 and disembarks in San Diego, CA on 22 Nov 2013, along the way stopping in Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. Sixteen cabins have been reserved, including the categories of Inside, Ocean View, Veranda and Super Veranda. Depending on category, the cost of the cruise ranges from $1,084 to $2,274 per passenger, plus Port Charges and Taxes of $ per passenger. Frequent cruisers know that cruise charges increases for popular destinations as bookings accrue. Our prices are guaranteed as deposits are received. Special group amenities will be offered by Celebrity Cruises. (Note that as of 27 October 2012, online Celebrity prices exceed our guaranteed prices for non-inside cabins by more than $100 per reserved category!) Now is the time to reserve these dates for you and friends and family. This means that a FULLY REFUNDABLE Initial Deposit of $250 is expected by 1 December Total Deposit, an additional $200, will be due in March Please note that DEPOSITS ARE FULLY REFUNDABLE without penalty up until the time of final payment. Deposits should be directed to Signature Travel Series of California, 344 Pacific Street, Tustin, CA Our Point of Contact is Dan O Connor. Our Group Name is DO-Balboa Squadron. I will continue in this Cruise Planning role and Dan can be reached at: wdaniel.oconnor@gte.net Travelers with club membership on RCCL or Celebrity will need to provide membership information so that benefits may accrue. More on this later. Deck views of the USS Iowa. Photographs courtesy of Cdr Buzan - Page 4-

5 COMMANDER S LOG, from page 1 Thanks are due to all our instructors for their hard work and dedication. Our Administrative Officer Denise Erwin put together a great series of GMMs this year, alternating speakers with raffles. I really encourage members to try to make at least one of these next year as they are great social as well as educational gatherings. On the Vessel Safety Check front Wes Heusser is once again on the far side of 700 Vessel Checks, great job Wes. I promise I will get my five this year and do much better next year. We will have some turnover on our Bridge for 2013, I will be stepping down as Commander but will be on the Bridge as Immediate Past Commander. Renere Lopez will be stepping down as Secretary because of travel commitments, Peter Barbour will be stepping down as Education Officer but will still be active in our Education Department, and Wolfgang Kutter has informed me that he will not be able to stand as Member-At-Large next year. So there are opportunities for some of you to step up and actively support your Squadron on our Executive Committee. Last, but not least, once again Lu Jenkins has kindly offered her home in Balboa for our annual Christmas Party. The party will be on Friday 21 December. As usual we ask that you bring a potluck salad or dessert and an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots donations. Cost will be $15 per person. Because of the difficulty finding appropriate donations in this down economy for our raffle, we are going to do a 50/50 raffle at the event, tickets available at the door. Please RSVP to Denise Erwin with the number of guests in your party and the potluck item you are bringing. I am looking forward to seeing all of you on the 21st and look forward to your participation in next year s activities. THE TRIDENT is the Official Publication of the Balboa Sail & Power Squadron and is published monthly by the Executive Committee of the Balboa Sail & Power Squadron, a unit of United States Power Squadrons, P.O. Box 1603, Newport Beach, CA Our website address is: Editor and layout: Lt Peter Redwood, SN Circulation: Lynne Keltner Copy Deadline: 21st of the month prior to publication. Send to: Lt Peter Redwood, SN, 34 Terraza Del Mar, Dana Point, CA phsr1@cox.net Balboa Sail & Power Squadron Commander Executive Officer 2012 Bridge Cdr Boris Buzan, AP balboanav@me.com Dave Thomas davethomas@earlydetectpro.net Educational Officer Lt/C Peter Barbour, JN peter@tude.org Treasurer Secretary Admin. Officer Lt/C John Tarlos jtarlos@hotmail.com Lt/C Renere Lopez, AP renere@aol.com Lt/C Denise Erwin denlvspigs@hotmail.com On the deck of the USS Iowa And on the bus... - Page 5 -

6 DATED MATERIAL Return service requested NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Santa Ana, CA Permit No BALBOA SAIL & POWER SQUADRON A Unit of United States Power Squadrons P.O. Box 1603, Newport Beach CA Graduates of the latest ABC class with instructor P/C Wolfgang Kutter, SN (right) - Page 6 -