United States Power Squadrons. The Potomac. Ribber

Transcription

1 United States Power Squadrons The Potomac Sail & Power Boating Ribber Newsletter of the Potomac River Power Squadron, Washington, DC Established in A District 5 Unit of the United States Power Squadrons America s Boating Club Commander s Report By Jim Gorman, AP Greetings, It is a couple of days after Thanksgiving as I am writing this and I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday. I feel very blessed especially this time of year with all the family, friends, and activities that are a part of my life. Life is busy, but life is good. Except if I have to watch another football game on TV, I am going to scream! PRPS s November meeting, Our Thanksgiving Meal, was well attended and the food was great. A big thank you goes to P/C Bonnie Gaskins for arranging the food and Capital Yacht Club for giving us a private room. Also, thanks go to P/C Tony Brown for getting the word out about the meeting to our members. We had plenty of food, enough to invite the Yacht Club members who were at the Club to join in our meal and enough to share with a few area homeless people. At the meeting we acknowledged awards and certificates we received at the District 5 Education Conference. P/C John Wilmot received the Charles I Chapman Excellence in Teaching Award which was presented to John by P/C Howard Gasaway, PRPS s Education Officer. We also received several Education Awards which I was pleased to give to Howard. Check out Howard s article for the particulars. Job well done to Howard and John! At the D-5 conference we received the 100 Year Certificate. PRPS is the second oldest Squadron in the United States Power Squadron. We should be very proud of this achievement and thankful to our forbearers for all their work and time helping to make the waterways a safer place to boat. We re on the Web Commander s Report-Cont Our Holiday Party and Meeting are on 15 December at Ft. McNair Officers Club. This will be a lot more party than meeting and I really hope you can make it. See the enclosed flyer for details. The uniform of the evening will be Blazer with holiday tie or appropriate attire. This is one of very few dress up affairs we have. Come join the fun! We will all have a better time with you with us. Cdr Jim December Holiday Party Meeting Tuesday, December 17th 6:00 p.m. Fort McNair Officers Club 4th St & P St. SW Washington, DC $20.00 a person $25.00 after December 1st See Flyer on Last Page PRPS BRIDGE December 2015 Commander Jim Gorman Executive Officer Scott McLellan Education Officer Howard Gasaway Admin. Officer Justin Chambers Secretary Janett Gasaway Treasurer Chris Pickwick Asst. Secretary Nancy Gorman Asst. Treasurer Lorraine Roberson Asst. Admin. Officer Edwin Gasaway Ribber Editor Nancy Gorman

2 Executive Officer s Report By Scott McLellan, P It s hard to believe that 2015 is drawing to a close. Reflecting back at the last eleven months, this has been a memorable year. Potomac River Power Squadron, with our re-established our routes in the District, celebrated our centennial as a Squadron. We continued to offer quality boating education and interesting meeting programs, attracting a number of enthusiastic new members. With New Year s just around the corner, this is also the time to plan for the future and make resolutions. I encourage you to include the Squadron in your resolutions. Here are some ways where you can show your commitment to boating safety and education: Resolve to be active in Squadron Activities. These are the stepping stones that keep our members active. Attend one of Potomac River Power Squadron s educational offerings. The safe boating courses are just the beginning. From Seamanship to Senior Navigator, or perhaps an engine maintenance course; there is always room to increase your knowledge or improve your skills. Take advantage of all of the Squadron meetings, but don t stop there. There are District and National events, too. Spring Conference is only a few months away. And most importantly, get out on our waters, whether the Potomac River or Chesapeake Bay. Fly our colors and be an example for our fellow boaters to admire. I look forward to seeing you at the December Holiday Dinner Meeting and hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday season. Yours in Boating, P/C Scott McLellan, P United States Power Squadrons - PRPS - The Ribber Administration Officer Report By Justin Chambers, S Hopefully, everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving with friends and family. As of this writing, I m enjoying time on the Potomac with friends. We had a delightful Thanksgiving dinner, with all the usual fixings, while enjoying a beautiful sunset over Nomini Bay. The weather was perfect for cruising and relaxing and eating! Speaking of holiday-related fun on the water, don t forget about the annual Parade of Lights taking place Saturday, Dec. 5. There will be two waterfront venues to enjoy the lit boats and the wharf at Southwest Washington DC. I will be entering my boat again this year with the theme Santa s Seagoing Sleigh, led by Rudolphin, the Red and Green-nosed dolphin. I think we re going to take the prize don t you? If you want to hop aboard, send me a message. If I don t see you then, I ll look forward to seeing all of you at our Holiday Party at Fort McNair on the 15 th. Alright, I better get back to decorating the boat! Page 2 Cdr Jim Gorman received a certificate for PRPS s 100 years as a Squadron. Congratulations..

3 United States Power Squadrons - PRPS - The Ribber Educational Department By P/C Howard Gasaway, Sr., P American Boating Course will be offered in four sessions, two hour each: February 2, 4, 9 and 11, 2016 (6:30 pm-8:30 pm) at the Seafarers Yacht Club, 1950 M Street, SE, Washington, DC. The instructor will be P/C Christopher Pickwick, AP. Two certificates of Congratulations were presented to PRPS at the D/5 Fall Conference (Cherry Hill, NJ) 1) Second Place winner in 2015 Competition District 5 Seamanship Award in memory of P/R/C Kenneth G. Smith, SN. 2) Second Place winner in 2015 Competition. District 5 Commander s Trophy for Advance Grade Courses. P/C Howard Gasaway, P present P/C John Wilmot, JN the Charles I Chapman Excellence in Teaching Award 2015 presented at the D/5 Fall our monthly meeting. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped in the Education Department for a job well done. Wishing all of you a safe and happy holiday. P/C Howard Gasaway, P receives the Second Place winner in 2015 Competition District 5 Seamanship Award in memory of P/R/C Kenneth G. Smith, SN. PRPS members dressed up for the D/5 Costume Party. Safety Officer s Report By Lt Eugene Roberson, Jr., S Winter is on its way and don't let the cold catch you. Prior to your haul-out date, I recommend that you tap off your fuel and pump your waste tanks. This is the best time to remove loose gear and outboards where feasible. If you take your boat out of the water for the winter, reopen your thru hulls. Make sure props are cleaned, turned and balanced. Proper cleaning, turning, and balancing your props is proven to be an effective way to regain speed and make your boat run smoother. Take your props off each year for a quick once over. Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday, and a Happy New Year! Page 3 PRPS members clean up for the D/5 Banquet. We had a good time at D5 Education Conference in NJ. Mark You Calendars Activities for All Come and Join Us and Invite a Friend Dec. 15 Jan. 19 Feb. 16 Feb PRPS Holiday Meeting Ft. McNair PRPS Meeting PRPS Meeting USPS Annual Meeting Orlando, Fl

4 Boats and Women- We love them! United States Power Squadrons - PRPS - The Ribber This story starts while planning our major trip down the Intracoastal Waterway. For a 1000 mile trip you give her anything she needs or wants, so there will be no problems along the way. This applies to the First Lady as well as the Boat. This includes changes of oil, water, paint, clothes, shoes, alcohol, and spares of everything. Also, communications are very important, so you talk to her nicely, and promise not to scream at her while she is driving. BUT, you must remember that Boats and Women have a mind to their own, and if they don t want to do something, you just learn to say Yes Dear, or OK you *+~ And so it happened. We planned for months getting the Lady J and all men and women ready for the long ICW Trip including a bottom painting job. This was for the Lady J, not the guests. On the eve before departure day, we had all of the food, clothes, and guests, Jim and Nancy Gorman, aboard and ready for an early morning start. At this point, I smelled a little diesel fuel in the bilge, so I pumped it into a bucket, and decided to check again in the morning. The next morning I found about 3 gallons of diesel fuel in the bilge, so I knew the Lady J had made up her mind NOT to go to Florida. The nearby marina quickly determined that we had a starboard fuel tank leaking and that tank would have to be removed from the boat. After uttering a few well-chosen Chinese proverbs, I realized that my lovely 47 Mainship had made up her mind. I just left my billfold at the Marina. But wait, the story gets better. Since our ICW trip was dead, our traveling partners, Jim and Nancy Gorman kindly offered to take the Nansea Gale on a short Bay cruise to lift our spirits. Havre de Grace was the chosen port and maybe Chesapeake City on the C & D Canal. Of course the Nansea Gale had a few needs and wants, so we headed over to the fuel dock to get her ready. The fuel dock handed Nancy a green hose and Jim went about getting the needed pump-out. After pumping 65 Gallons into the starboard tank, we realized that we were using the same color hose that the man across the dock was using. You may have guessed-65 gallons of diesel fuel into a gasoline tank. At this point, Nansea Gale decided that she was not going anywhere until some- Page 4 one treated her right. Jim uttered a few little phrases and proceeded to locate someone to pump 150 gallons of no-good fuel out of the tank. The next day after the pump-out, it was back to the fuel dock for another 150 gallons of gasoline. And off on our Bay Cruise. The boat ran fine part of the time, but when we were close to our destination, she decided to act up and miss a little. Probably a little left over diesel fuel trying to get through the injectors. I think it was just that the Nansea Gale knew she had been treated badly and wanted to let us know it The moral of this story is: Treat that lovely Lady with care, give her everything she wants, but when she makes up her mind, just say Yes Dear By P/C John Wilmot, JN We walked around the beautiful city of Havre de Grace and went to the Concord Point Lighthouse. We also went on a Ghost Tour of the City. It was a fun time. We went to Chesapeake City and went to most of the shops. We went to Bohemia Café & Bakery for a wonderful breakfast. Chesapeake City is a great place to visit and stay for a night or two.

5 United States Power Squadrons - PRPS - The Ribber POTOMAC RIVER POWER SQUADRON HOLIDAY PARTY & MEETING Fort McNair Officers Club 4 th St & P St SW, Washington DC Plenty of Free Parking, But You Must Have Picture ID to Enter Gate Tuesday, December 15, :00 pm to 7:00 pm - Cash Bar 7:00 to 10:00 pm - Dinner and Gifts We will sing a few Christmas Carols then our Crazy CHRISTMAS GIFT EXCHANGE Each person brings a Gift ($10.00-$15.00) DON T MISS THIS FUN CHRISTMAS PROGRAM! DINNER WILL BE SERVED BY THE OFFICERS CLUB Menu will include Roast Beef or Salmon Cost for Dinner: $ RESERVATION FORM Names: = Roast Beef: Salmon: Make Checks Payable to: PRPS Mail to: Lorraine Roberson Kencrest Drive, Mitchellville, MD PLEASE Get Your Reservation in by December 1 Cost will be $25 after December 1