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NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 1
NORTHWIND Volume: 17 Edition: 4 Date: October, 2011
DISTRICT ELEVEN NORTH
Heaving line heading towards Auxiliary vessel Melody (Bob Cockley) from Station
S.F’s new RB-M 45667 during towing evolutions of YBI on Sunday 28 August, 2011.
Photo by Linda Vetter
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 2
Contents Page
2011 EDITION DEADLINES
Jan 06 * Apr 08 * Jul 01 * Oct 01
Please submit all articles in
Microsoft Word to:
Wesley Craig, DSO-PB
NORTHWIND
The official publication of the
United States Coast Guard Auxil-
iary, District 11North.
Vol. 17 Issue 4 October, 2011
Editor: Wesley Craig, DSO-PB 11N
Contributing Editors:
Victor Beelik ADSO-PB 11N
Design and Production:
Wesley Craig, DSO-PB 11N
Proofreaders:
Victor Beelik, ADSO-PB 11N
Chris Jewell
Jen Wuest Garcia
Kenna Craig, D-AA
Webmaster:
Jimmin Chang, DSO-CS
Web: d11nuscgaux.info/
Northwind/index.html
NORTHWIND
Commander (dpa-n)
USCG Coast Guard Island
Building 50-2
Alameda, California 94501-5100
Editor:
Wesley Craig, DSO-PB 11N
All uncaptioned photos are in
public domain.
Childrens photos have paren-
tal/guardian releases on file.
Telephone numbers and addresses of members are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. As a matter of policy, rosters of names, addresses
and telephone numbers shall not be made available to the general public or any outside organization. Privacy of all rosters shall be safe-
guarded and the page clearly labeled. The publication of these rosters addresses and telephone numbers on any computer on-line service
including the internet is prohibited by the 1974 Privacy Act.
Editing and Disclaimer:
The NORTHWIND reserves the right to proof read and edit-copy all articles submitted. It takes
no responsibility and accepts no liability for damages caused by errors left in the document.
It cannot accept responsibility for the validity of web sites that link from this publication. It also
cannot accept responsibility for any content submitted by any author.
Articles published in the NORTHWIND must be consistent with the stated policies of the U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary.
3 Commodore’s Page
4-12 Fleet Week
13-14 Rescue on Lake Tahoe
15 USCG Bertholf Returns to CGI
16 AUXCHEF is a Hit
17-18 Santa Cruz Harbor Tsunami Recovery
19 What is Happening at the Auxiliary Memorial
20-21 SAR Case Near Seacliff Beach
22 Patrolling Beer Can Beach
23-24 Amphicar Passes VSC
25-26 AUXAIR Rescue
26 CG C-130 over Lake Tahoe
27-29 Auxiliary Interpreters Assist in North Pacific Coast Guard Forum
Exercise
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 3
DCO Angelo Perata, 11NR
To: All D11NR Auxiliary members
Fr: Commodore Angelo Perata
Re: Dedication of the Auxiliary Memorial
You are personally invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony of the D11NR Coast Guard
Auxiliary Memorial as follows:
Date: November 19, 2011 (Saturday)
Place: Coast Guard Island – Alameda, California
Time: 1130hrs Luncheon **
1215hrs Ceremony and cake social
1300hrs Concluded
Please consider joining us for this significant accomplishment completed under the leader-
ship of Roger Haynes and many others that have help make this project a reality.
You MUST RSVP by October 31, 2010
Send RSVP to: [email protected]
Include your name and phone number and name of guest/s, if applicable
** The Aux Chefs will be BBQ’ing burgers and veggie burgers and the district is paying for
each Auxilarist in attendance. Guest/s will be required to pay $5.00 (each) for lunch
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 4
By Linda Vetter, SF Bay Auxiliary Patrol Area Co-
ordinator
Fleet Week San Francisco 2011 has flown by, and
again the Auxiliary of D11N, with well over 200
members assisting, did a great job of supporting the CG in this
huge marine event. Over 120 coxswains and crew spent many long hours on the often
choppy bay waters over the four days needed to maintain the Air Show and Parade of Ships
safety boxes. With 20 different Aux boats logging a combined nearly 500 hours of underway
time and thousands of total crew hours, the Aux was a major contributor to the safety and suc-
cess of the on-the-water event.
Also helping were another hundred Aux ashore, with half a dozen Land Mobile units and the
other Aux shore side members assisting in multiple support and PA areas. Coast Guard Sector
SF and DIRAUX personnel were once again impressed with the superb support of the Auxiliary
in this “big lift” operation and passed down their hearty thanks.
While Coast Guard Sector San Francisco did the bulk of the planning and orchestration of the
CG’s involvement in this event, they leveraged the Auxiliary plus two dozen local Other Gov-
ernment Agencies with marine assets and CG assets from around the country. Included were an
MSST from New Orleans, both area buoy tenders (Aspen and George Cobb), and half a dozen
smaller cutters from along the west coast. Small boats and teams came in from Lake Tahoe,
Rio Vista, Bodega Bay, Monterey and Vallejo, plus local Stations Golden Gate and San Fran-
cisco, along with local MSST, Aids to Navigation, and other assets.
With approximately 70 patrol vessels out on the bay, the nearly 2 square miles of “air show
box” was safely and superbly maintained for 4 days of exciting air show displays. On Saturday,
October 8, there was also an extended safety corridor from the Golden Gate Bridge across the
SF city front to protect the Parade of Ships. Besides help protecting the box, Aux boats were
also used as “tarp boats” for markers inside the box for the civilian air show participants to have
“targets” in that wide open space, while other transported FAA officials to/from the air show
area and performed various other tasks.
This year’s parade included numerous US and Canadian naval vessels from a nuclear aircraft
carrier to mine sweepers (and, of course, the WW II Liberty ship Jeremiah O’Brien). Both the
new CG National Security Cutter Bertholf and the older CG cutter Alert were in the Parade of
Ships and later moored dockside for public tours. Besides ship tours, there were many display
booths and events going on ashore as well.
Air Show participants included both the US Navy Blue Angels and the Canadian Snowbirds, as
well as a wide variety of many other acrobatic teams and individual aircraft. One minute you
would be watching a CG MH-65 helicopter, then a stealth bomber go by, then maybe a 747 do-
ing low passes over the bay. There was also a pair of EA-6B Prowlers, an MV-22 Osprey, an F
-15 Strike Eagle, an F/A18 Super Hornet, a stunt bi-plane, a C-130, etc. Although the Blue
Angels routine was cut quite short on the 4th day due to heavy fog rolling in through the Golden
Gate, overall the air shows and parade were great events.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 5
The weather could have been better, with rain on Thursday and the fog on Sunday, but was
pretty typical for San Francisco Bay in October. And despite any clouds, the D11N Coast
Guard Auxiliary shone brightly in their efforts and dedication in making this another safe and
successful Fleet Week.
CG Cutter Tern on patrol during Fleet Week
with air show participants "Patriots" flying by.
USCG Cutter Orcas as Division Commander of the Bravo line
on the Fleet Week air show safety b
ox on Thursday with a
couple of Blue Angels "practicing" over the box behind them.
CG Cutter Tern with Osprey
Photos by Linda Vetter
Auxiliarist Rick Pisio takes photos of one of the Ca-
nadian ships participating in the Parade of Ships
Blue Angel #5 makes one
of his many low passes
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 6
Auxiliary vessel "Chamaeleon" as one of the "Tarp Boats". The two Aux. tarp boats
(yellow tarps on top) hold positions inside the Air Show box for the aircraft so they
have some markers to key on in the approximately 2 square miles of otherwise open
water.
The Blue Angels support C-130 aircraft
known as "Fat Albert" comes in for a pass
CG National Security Cutter Bertholf comes in through
the Golden Gate Bridge and a little San Francisco fog
during the Parade of Ships
Auxiliary vessel "Lifesavers"
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 7
One of many noisy airplanes going by over our patrol boats
CG Cutter Tern and the Canadian Snowbirds flight team
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 8
Auxiliary vessel "Search Engine" battles its way out
of some of the wild traffic.
Photos by Anita Farnholtz
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 9
Rick Saber, FL 11N-1-12 Auxiliary member leader for the shore side and approxi-
mately 79 Auxiliary members were assigned to piers 35, 29, 27, 30-32 and 80D. All
members were briefed of the ships’ touring rules at the beginning of the 7:30 AM to 4
PM schedule for each pier. Present in the morning at pier 27, were Gail Giacomini, FL
1-14; Gary Murray, FL 55 of Sonora; Danny Warner, FL 3-33; Walter Schilling, FL 11-
43; William (Bill) Klear, FL11-15; and lead Jerry McAlwee, FL 1-15, with his son Jaden.
In the afternoon we were joined by Art Park, FL 1-17; Julie Vincenzini, FL 1-17; Steve
Dolgin, FL 1-12 and lead Neil Nevesny, FL 1-17.
We introduced ourselves to the officer of the USS Milius in charge of that ship’s tours,
ITC (SUN/AVV) Joshua Shepherd, and the security line supervisor Rod Barnes, DPS,
who gave us some more tour rules that applied just to Pier 27 (they let children four
and under, the elderly and disabled take an equivalent “dock tour” of the ships, until
the pier became too crowded at 10:00 AM, then limited the dock tour to only the dis-
abled.) Catherine Hooper, ADA, also dropped by to make sure we understood the no-
tion of “equivalent experience” for the disabled (which Rick Saber had covered in his
briefing updates) – those dock tours.
We and the line supervisors unfortunately had to inform about two dozen women and men with sandals, a half dozen women with skirts, about two hundred people with backpacks, and too many families to count, with young children under eight, that they could not tour the ships, or even walk on a dock tour. There was nowhere to park bicy-cles, strollers, or leave fluids or backpacks with or without supervision, so many tour participants left them unattended behind the opened gate. We even had a family leave their dog (who, chewing through his leash and fleeing, almost met a vehicular death, but for Rod’s fast action), much to the line supervisor’s frustration! About ten persons came without a picture ID, having left them in their hotel room. All of these potential, but turned away participants, expressed frustration that most of these security rules were not mentioned on the official www.fleetweek.us site.
Auxiliarists interacted with enthusiastic crowds of over 1,000 visitors patiently waiting
sometimes for up to two hours, in the afternoon, to tour the docked ships in groups of
twenty, at pier 27: The USS Antietam, USS Milius and USS Chief. Auxiliary members
assisted in keeping the crowds safe, by guiding the lines going in and out of the en-
San Francisco Fleet Week -USCG Auxil-
iary Volunteers Interact with Enthusiastic
Ship Touring Crowds
By Gail Giacomini, SO-PA 11N-1
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 10
trance and exit in an orderly fashion; informing the public which ships were docked
where; giving directions about the other piers and docked ships; “the ships’ touring
rules;” and the role and missions of the USCG and Auxiliary. We also gave out cards
about the Tuesday night Auxiliary program with the WWW phone number on the back.
We had positive feedback from the public and the ships’ staff about our volunteer ef-forts in making visitors’ experiences at Fleet Week a good one, with several giving thanks to us. The expressive comment we had from the crowds exiting the ships’ tours was mostly: “That was awesome!”
Photos by Gail Giacomini
Auxiliary members at pier 27.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 11
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 12
Pier 27 line supervisor Rod Barnes estimates that close to 5,700 visitors toured the three ships at Pier 27 during the eight hours' that ships' tours were given on Sunday, October 9th. That was quite an accomplishment, that I'm sure was re-peated at each pier that had docked vessels for Fleet Week!
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 13
The following story is based on newspaper reports and conversation with the Eldorado Sheriff’s officers, South Lake Tahoe Police Dept., the Captain of the Tahoe Queen and BM3 Reid Roach of USCG Station Tahoe.
A stroke of luck, a moment of terror and an improbable second chance all led up to the rescue of Ryan Blackwell from Lake Tahoe's bone-chilling waters on July 24, 2011.
Ryan was sailing his sailboat by himself that evening. Winds were 5 to 8 knots. He watched the “Tahoe Queen” go by with a full load of happy passen-gers aboard. After the Tahoe Queen passed, Ryan went to the foredeck to lower the jib. As he lowered the sail part of the sail fell into the water. In the process of getting the jib back on board Bryan lost his footing and fell overboard. Luckily he had a cell phone enclosed in a watertight case with him. He called “911”. Not an easy task in the pitch dark windy night, immersed in the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe. (Latest report shows the water temperature was in the 55 degrees F range.)
The “911” call reached the South Lake Tahoe Police Department switchboard at 20:56. The police department in turn notified the CG Station on the North Shore of Tahoe, the El Dorado Sheriff and the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. The USCG dispatched their response boat under the command of Coxswain Reid Roach. Both the Sheriff and the Fire Departments dispatched their boats to the vicinity of the Tahoe Queen to assist in the search.
The CG Station notified the Tahoe Queen and all vessels in the vicinity by VHF radio of the mishap and described the sailboat involved in the incident. The Tahoe Queen’s captain, Captain. Agustin Avila, recalled a sail boat match-ing the Coast Guard description as being the one they had just passed on their way from Emerald Bay. As soon as Captain Avila received the emergency trans-mission from CG Station Tahoe; he turned his vessel around and began search-ing for the man and the boat utilizing the boat’s search light. All the Tahoe Queen’s passengers were alerted, and were asked to assist with the search on this dark moonless night. Chances of finding the man were rather slim. It took the Tahoe Queen about 20 minutes to turn around and make her way in the vi-cinity of the accident.
Suddenly, miraculously, the victim came into view about 20 feet on the starboard side of the Tahoe Queen. “We happened to be in the right place at the right time,” said the Tahoe Queen’s First Officer Dawers. He lowered the gang-plank on the bow and made preparations to pick up the victim. The captain tried to bring the 268 ton paddle-wheeler to a full stop while Dawers tried to get a hold of the helpless victim with no shirt or life jacket. Since the Tahoe Queen was still moving, Dawers could not keep a grip on the victim and so he let him go. “I’ll never forget the terrified look in the victim’s eyes” -----“we honestly did not believe we would find him again,” Dawers said. Captain Avila watching the
A MIRACLE RESCUE ON LAKE TAHOE
BY: Vic Beelik, ADSO-PB, D11 N
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 14
rescue attempt immediately put the paddle wheelers’ gears in neutral stopping the large paddle wheels. The Tahoe Queen was still moving. The man was briefly sucked under the moving Tahoe Queen. He surfaced about 120 to 150 feet behind the Tahoe Queen.
By this time the Eldorado County Sheriff’s boat arrived at the scene. They threw a “Life Sling” to the victim who was barely able to keep himself afloat. With aid of the Life Sling they pulled the victim to the port side of the Sheriff’s boat and the two officers pulled the victim from the cold waters of Lake Tahoe. The time was 21:26. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department rescue boat trans-ferred their medically trained crew to the Sheriff’s boat and performed first aid on the victim, who, to no one’s surprise exhibited signs of hypothermia. The Eldorado Sheriff’s boat transported the victim to shore, where a waiting ambu-lance transferred him to Barton Memorial Hospital.
Piecing the story together, it seems that Ryan spent at least 40 or maybe 50 minutes in the water dressed only in a pair of jeans!!! The survival of this man is truly amazing and miraculous. POSTSCRIPT: The sailboat was taken in tow by the CG boat and towed to Ski Run Ma-rina, the home port of the Tahoe Queen. The victim has since recovered and contacted the captain of the Tahoe Queen to thank him and his crew for saving his life. He later told the authorities that as a standard practice he wears a safety harness with a tether so he can attach himself to the boat when working on the foredeck. This time he did not wear a harness!!!
Lessons learned: Wear a life jacket with a strobe-light; attach yourself to the boat when working on deck; carry a VHF ma-rine transceiver instead a cell phone; and if possible, do not sail alone.
TAHOE QUEEN
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 15
USCGC Bertholf Returns to Coast Guard Island
- Aug 11, 2011
After a three month tour of Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands, the USCGC Bertholf has returned to port for crew rest and ship maintenance. While the Bertholf is in port the Coast Guard Auxiliary Facility Sunrise was asked by ME1 Brian Wilson to assist them with their Law Enforcement Training by being a practice platform for his new boarding teams. The Sunrise crew was given a tour of the bridge and shown the inner workings of the Coast Guard Cutter by BM2 William Bleyer. This included being treated to lunch with the crew in the galley. On board Sunrise were Coxswain Rae Kleinen and crew Steven Bustin, Bob Golden and Dave Talton.
Photos by Rae Kleinen. Flotilla 12
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 16
AUXCHEF is a Hit Jim Losi and Linda Haynes have been working hard on making AUXCHEF a hit with the “Gold side”. In addition to teaching a lot of Auxiliarists to be Chefs, they worked on a thank you BBQ for the Command at Sector San Francisco, who have been instrumental in getting the program moving. Also included were the Command-ers of the Cutters (TERN, PIKE, and SOCKEYE) assigned to Station San Francisco. Jim and a few others BBQ’d tri tip roasts until they were perfect. Linda came up with a great salad with lettuce and strawberries with a strawberry dressing. There were a couple kinds of beans and some wonderful varieties of French bread. It looked like the AUXCHEFs were trying to out-cook each other. One of the Chefs even made Baklava from scratch. Jim Losi, if you didn’t know, is one of our members who likes to be kept busy. While serving on the Cutter TERN, he rearranged and cleaned all their cupboards and refrigerator. While doing this he discovered that they had a haphazard set of mugs for their coffee. He sent away for some new mugs with the TERN logo on them and pre-sented them to their Commander. He also made sure that each of us who cooked on the TERN also got a mug. These were a big hit. In addition, our leader Rich Thomas (District Captain) presented the COs and their staffs with red chef hats that said AUXCHEF. All were pleased with their hats and proud to wear them. AUXCHEF has been getting a lot of work especially for the Auxiliary. We were asked to take care of all the food for the District 11N OPTREX. Not only were there coffee and muffins in the morning, there was a hot dog and hamburger BBQ in the evening. After a long day of exercises and classes, Linda and her crew fixed food, drinks, and dessert for over 60 people. Based on the leftovers, it was a good day and everyone loved the food.
AUXCHEFs will be taking care of all the food for the upcoming Past Com-
mander’s Association training fair Aug. 20 and 21. I hope you can come and sample
some of their food.
VIP Barbeque The Red Hats look good with tropical blue
Copied from The Even Keel vol-
ume 15, August 2011, a publica-
tion by Flotilla 12-91. Editors:
Georgie & Rick Scheuerman
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 17
Santa Cruz Harbor Tsunami Recovery
Wally Smith, DCDR-6
On March 11, 2011, a tsunami ripped through the Santa Cruz Harbor, destroying boats and
docks.
U-Dock was officially re-opened at a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 1400 on 26 August. Presid-
ing over the ceremonies were Reed Geisreiter, Port Commission Chairman, and Lisa Ekers,
Port Director.
Chairman Geisreiter welcomed all in attendance and stated that many of us old enough to re-
member recollect exactly where we were on October 17, 1989 when the Loma Prieta Earth-
quake struck. Those who have a great affiliation with the Harbor will remember where we
were on March 11, 2011 when the tsunami inundated Santa Cruz Harbor.
Port Director Ekers reviewed a list of all contractors who worked immeasurable hours to bring
this day to fruition … approximately 150 days after the tsunami. She commented that engi-
neering alone can often take that amount of time or more! The hard work and dedication of so
many made this possible.
In addition to the list of contractors, Port Director Ekers thanked:
The Harbor Deputies
The Santa Cruz County Building Department
The Santa Cruz Fire Department
The Coast Guard Auxiliary
In particular, Director Ekers thanked the Harbor’s Administrative Services Manager Marian
Olin who oversaw the rebuilding of U-Dock in addition to her normal duties.
With a good sized crowd in attendance, the Port Commissioners and the Port Director cut the
blue ribbon to officially re-open U-Dock.
Before: Tsunami decimates U-
Dock After: U-Dock repairs complete
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 18
Port Director Ekers completes a final “walk-through”
prior to the opening of U-Dock.
Cutting the ribbon with news media in attendance.
U-Dock residents get a first look at their newly opened
home!
Marian Olin is thanked by Port Director Ekers.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 19
Work has shifted to Coast Guard Island and the creation of the patio on which the stands
with the names of the honored will be etched. The grass was cleared, forms built, and re-
bar installed. On Friday the 19th of August, we poured the concrete. We were fortunate to
have the help of some people who do this work for a living.
Taken in part from The Even Keel Vol. 15 A PUBLICA-
TION BY: September 2011 Auxiliary Flotilla 12-91U. S.
Coast Guard District 11 North. Editors: Georgie & Rick
Scheuerman .
What is happening with the Auxiliary Memorial
A Story in Pictures
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 20
Following the Division 6 quarterly meeting in Santa Cruz, Operational Facilities 616 and 219 departed Santa Cruz Harbor at approximately 1430 hours on a blustery afternoon. A northwest wind was blowing at about 15 knots. On board Facility 616 were Coxswain Dave Wormington and crew members Brent Smith and Peter Adams. At the helm of Facility 219 was Coxswain Wally Smith. Crew members Scott Richert, Ross Adams, and trainees Chris Meyer and Calum Cecil-Wherity were also aboard. Facility 616 headed east from the Harbor while Facility 219 motored west. While conducting patrols, the AUX crews overheard a radio call from the fire department advising that an on-the-water “detail” was occurring near the Capitola wharf. Facility 616 immediately headed in that direction. A second radio call, this time from the California state lifeguards to “the Coast Guard vessel near the Wharf” was answered by Facility 219 as it was in the vicinity of the Santa Cruz Wharf. At the same time, the Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat was deploying from Santa Cruz Harbor towards Capitola. The lifeguards were informed that both an Auxiliary vessel and the Coast Guard 25 were responding. The lifeguards then radioed that they had a swim-mer in the water responding to a small boat in distress. Facility 616 neared Capitola Wharf, the location of the incident was changed to “near the Cement Ship,” a well-known landmark at Seacliff Beach. Facility 616 di-verted towards the Cement Ship, approximately one mile away. As Facility 616 neared the Cement Ship, a small power boat was observed with seven persons on board (P.O.B.), including four children. The boat was dead in the water (D.I.W.) and would be blown into the surf within the next two to three minutes. With seven P.O.B. and surf at four to six feet, the consequences of the boat being caught in the surf were poten-tially dire. Fire engines were seen on shore with lights flashing, but the firefighters had no way to assist the small boat. Coxswain Wormington skillfully and adeptly maneuvered the Facility 616 into a position outside of the surf line while the crew passed a tow line. The tow line was at-tached to the stricken vessel’s trailer eye and the vessel was quickly pulled out of the danger zone. All P.O.B. were instructed to put on life jackets, and they complied im-mediately. The Coast Guard 25 arrived on scene approximately three minutes after the vessel was taken in tow. The crew of the 25 radioed CG Station Monterey that the Auxiliary had everything under control and they were returning to base. Facility 616 continued to tow the vessel towards Santa Cruz. Given the sea conditions (four to six foot swell with 15 knot winds and two to three foot wind chop), Facility 219 made its way to intercept Facility 616 with its tow. Upon arriving on scene, the skipper of Facility 219 noted that, while riding low in the water, the vessel in tow did not look to be in imminent danger and was not taking on water. Facility 219 fell into the role of escort vessel and remained on the towed ves-sel’s quarter for the journey back to Santa Cruz. In addition to port and starboard look-outs, the Facility 219 assigned a crew person to “tow watch” with the sole responsibil-ity of keeping close scrutiny on the vessel in tow and its passengers.
SAR Case near Seacliff Beach - 09 July 2011
USCG AUXILIARY FLOTILLA 6-10 AUGUST 2011 Newsletter
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 21
After all three vessels had returned safely to Santa Cruz Harbor, the Coast Guard in-spected the stricken vessel and determined that all was in order except for the lack of a sound producing device. The Auxiliary provided a whistle.
Auxiliary Facility 616 with the disabled vessel with
seven P.O.B., en-route to Santa Cruz.
Auxiliary Facility 219 maintains a vigil off the disabled vessel’s
port quarter.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 22
This photo is from the Chico Enter-prise-Record front page on 5 Septem-ber and the ex-cerpts below are from the article fol-lowing.
The Coast Guard Auxil-iary Facility Red Jet, driven by Dave Johnson, cruises near Beer Can
Beach on the Sacramento River on Sunday as tubers celebrate in the back-ground.(Ty Barbour/Staff Photo) CHICO -- Labor Day festivities and a three-day weekend drew thousands to the Sacramento River Sunday afternoon, but the crowds were smaller than in recent years, law enforcement personnel said. By 5 p.m., a little more than 9,000 tubers had launched from the Irvine Finch Boat Launch, with an additional 1,000 par-tiers who waded across to Beer Can Beach from Scotty's Landing. “Dave Johnson and his wife Janet were driving the Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer boat up and down the floaters' path to help with medical assists and pulling stranded tubers to the left side of the river. Those they passed often shouted thank-you to the couple and accompanying lifeguards. "They are awesome," Janet Johnson said. "They are polite, respectful; they've always been polite and respectful to us." Johnson said she'd seen less drinking this year, and the crowd seemed to her to be made up mainly of locals, rather than large numbers of out-of-towners like in some years past. "It's all about the kids having fun," she said. "I'm glad they didn't shut it down. We enjoy the kids; we want to help them have a safe time." Since they're not officials, the couple could only offer to help when they saw a medical situation. "We can only ask them if they want help," Janet John-son said. "we can't insist." Floaters described the day as "awesome" all around. The Johnsons boated past several who claimed to be from England and New Zealand. "We don't have anything like this!" a girl from New Zealand shouted.”
Submitted by George DeYoung, FSO-SR 113-03-09
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 23
While Mike Lauro DSO-VE has performed a Vessel Safety Check (VSC) on virtually every
type of recreational vessel, I’m sure he never thought he’d have an opportunity to perform
a VSC on an Amphicar! During a recent regatta patrol on Clear Lake, CA, I spotted a flotilla
of Amphicars, got the name and license plate for one, and contacted Mike about a poten-
tial VSC. Mike placed a phone call to Wild Bill Hill, who owns a 1964 Amphicar Serial # 64-
00000137, CF 7520 KU. In addition to owning a world-renowned tattoo parlor in Roseville,
CA, Wild Bill also owns an extensive automobile collection. After a brief conversation about
the Vessel Safety Check, Wild Bill was happy to have a VSC performed. He jumped at the
opportunity, even though he thought he and all club members always carry all Coast Guard
required safety gear. An appointment was set up at a boat ramp on the Sacramento River
and the 9’ Amphicar easily passed the VSC. Immediately after, the little Amphicar went into
the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, CA for the winter, where it proudly dis-
plays its 2011 VSC decal!
Arrival at the VSC station on the Sacramento River Wild Bill on the water
Wild Bill receiving his copy of the VSC Bill proudly accepting his 2011 VSC decal
Amphicar Passes Vessel Safety Check!
By Jan Jewell ADSO-CS/VE
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 24
Amphicar facts from Wild Bill
Yes, it floats and yes, Wild Bill takes it in
the water all the time. Yes, it's great for
fishing. No, the wheels don't fold up: they act as rudders to steer while on the water! At
only 7 mph you can't water ski behind it! The Amphicar is equipped with water tight doors
with double locks and seals to keep out the water. It has a rear mounted water cooled 4-
cylinder Triumph Spitfire engine producing 43 horsepower, with twin nylon propellers. A
special two-part land-and-water transmission allows the rear wheels and propellers to be
operated either independently or simultaneously. In addition to the normal automobile re-
quirements, it has a factory installed bilge pump, navigation lights, and flame arrestor. It
gets 32 mpg on the road and 1 1/2 gallons per hour on the water. It weighs 2,292 lbs.
with a top speed of 7 mph on water and 70 on land. Hence, it was dubbed the "Model
770". Less than 200 are known to exist in this condition worldwide. Yes, you can still get
parts, and one Amphicar recently sold at an auction for $127,000!
Amphicars were designed by Hans Trippel and manufactured by the Quandt Group at
Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde in West Germany from 1961 to 1967. Because of poor
sales due to a high selling price, from 1963 to 1965 cars were assembled from existing
parts inventory built up in anticipation of sales of 20,000 per year. Unfortunately, produc-
tion ended in 1965. Cars were titled in the year they actually sold rather than when they
were produced, e.g. an Amphicar assembled in 1963 could be titled a 1968 if that was
when it was first sold. Most Amphicars were sold in the United States with 99 right-hand
drives converted from left-hand drives for use in the United Kingdom. Some were also
used by the Berlin police department and others were fitted for rescue operations. Total
production was 3,878 vehicles before the company folded. For more detailed information
about Wild Bill's Amphicar, check out Wild Bill's website at:
http://www.wild-bills.com/amphicar/amphicarindex.html
Other notes:
- In 1965, two Amphicars successfully navigated the Yukon River in Alaska.
- In 1968 Two Amphicars crossed the English Channel enduring 20-foot (6.1 m) waves and
gale-force winds.
- In 1979 Howard Singer of San Diego, California sailed an Amphicar from the mainland to
Catalina Island.
- An Amphicar appears in the 1968 film Inspector Clouseau, and the 1994 film Pontiac
Moon.
Mike Lauro behind the wheel.
Note 2011 VSC decal!
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 25
Larry Olson, DSO-AV, D11N
Saturday, 10 Sept 2011 – Doug Kerr, Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and his wife, Observer Deb Kerr departed Hayward Airport to begin their Delta patrol in Doug's Bell 47 helicop-ter, N2473B (jointly owned by Doug Kerr and Carol Simpson) at about 1130 hours. Ap-proximately 15 minutes into the patrol, they reached the Emeryville - Berkeley shoreline where Deb spotted a sailboat that had just capsized offshore between the Emeryville
Marina and the Berkeley Marina. Doug piloted the helicopter to the capsized sailboat where they observed four persons in the water (PIW) around the boat. Deb radioed this situation to Sector San Francisco on Channel 21A. They circled the distressed sailboat while the boat crew made several failed attempts to upright the boat. The wind was estimated at about 35 knots and the Bay was quite choppy. Deb continued to radio status reports to Sector and answered questions from Sector about the situation and condition of the PIW. After 15 to 20 minutes, a skiff ar-rived from the Berkeley Marina and began assisting the distressed boaters. Doug and Deb were convinced that this situation was under control and that they were no longer needed. Deb was preparing to advise Sector when she spotted a second sailboat capsize several hundred yards from the first boat. Doug immediately proceeded to the second capsized boat and observed three PIW. Deb radioed Sector of this second observation and began reporting conditions and status to Sector. The helicopter crew noticed the capsized boat drifting toward the rocks with two PIW clinging to the overturned boat. The third person was now separated from the others by approximately 100 yards and did not appear able to swim to the drifting boat. Doug descended to about 500 feet to better observe this distressed PIW. Doug and Deb believed the PIW was in serious trouble and unable to swim. Deb continued to update Sector on Channel 21A, answering questions and providing information on the situation. After several minutes had elapsed, Deb received a radio call from CG 25501. The crew advised the helicopter that they were in the area to assist and asked for vec-tors to the PIW. Doug and Deb spotted CG 25501 and Deb began giving directions to reach the PIW. To complicate matters, a marine layer was rapidly moving over the scene and was intermittently obscuring both the PIW and the CG boat from Deb's view. Several times, the helicopter crew re-established visual contact with the PIW and then with CG 25501, and Deb was able to provide further directions to the CG boat crew to help them intercept the PIW. The CG boat responded immediately to each change in direction message transmitted by Deb. In the meantime, Doug slowed the helicopter down to about 35
Doug Kerr, ADSO-AV 11NR and Deb Kerr, Ob-
server, 12-5
AUXAIR Rescue
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 26
mph, making tight orbits over the scene in an effort to keep the PIW insight as well as monitor the progress of CG 25501 as it maneuvered to reach the PIW. During this time the PIW was not swimming and was obviously in trouble. CG 25501reached the PIW and pulled her aboard their boat. They then proceeded to the capsized sailboat. The crew of CG 25501 determined that the remaining two boaters were now next to the shoreline and were in no need of assistance. The victim, now on board CG 25501, was in need of medical care and was transported to a hospital. The marine layer had now completely covered the area and Doug piloted the helicopter away from the Bay, proceeding further up the Delta. Sometime later, Doug and Deb were advised by Sector that the victim had been taken to a hospital with a core body temperature of 92 degrees F. She was hy-pothermic and had lost the ability to swim or care for herself. There were no other boats or assistance available to her and the conclusion was that she would almost certainly have perished had it not been for the Auxiliary helicopter and CG 25501. Being able to provide lifesaving assistance to the boating public is what all of us in the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary train and practice for. This is an example of how our training and work pays off. I am sure all of you join me in commending Aux Pilot Doug Kerr, ADSO-OP, his wife, Observer Deb Kerr, the Watch Stander at Sector SF, and the boat crew of CG 25501 for an outstanding job in this life saving rescue operation.
CG C-130 OVER LAKE TAHOE
Photos by: Vic Beelik
Twelve members of Sierra Division were given an opportunity to fly on a CG C
-130 thanks to the Sacramento based CG Air. Members, selected on first-come
first-served bases, boarded the four engine turbo prop C-130 at the Lake Ta-
hoe airport and flew around the lake and over the Sierra Nevada for a few
hours. The flight gave those aboard a first hand experience what it feels like to
search for a victim from a high altitude.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 27
Qualified level A USCG Auxiliary interpreters from all around the country were assembled to assist in the 2011
North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF) Multi-Mission Exercise (MMEX) held in Honolulu, Hawaii, during the
second week of August. They were selected based on interpreting skills, technical capability, and availability.
Seyoung K. Kim (Flotilla 48, D11SR) and Jihwan M. Baek (Flotilla 22-01 , D5SR) served as Korean interpret-
ers. Alexei V. Duhovic (Flotilla 24-08, D5SR) and Oleg Kushelev (Flotilla 14-01, D1SR) were the Russian inter-
preters. Ian von Gordon (Flotilla 47, D8CR) was the Japanese interpreter. Steven K. Wang (Flotilla 48, D1SR)
and Jimmin Chang (Flotilla 48, D11NR) were the Chinese interpreters.
USCG Pacific Area Operational Planning Division hosted the 2011 "Unified Response" MMEX and designed
the exercise to focus on international oil spill response. International coast guard delegates from member
countries, Canada, People's Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and United
States, congregated at Marriott Hotel in Waikiki Beach for technical exchanges, oil spill clean up demonstra-
tions, and table top exercise.
Interpreters not only served as language translators, but also become key liaison personnel, acting as the
primary representation of the United States as the host nation. Adhered to exact social and military protocols
the interpreter team hosted the visiting delegates, and provided airport pick ups and send offs, hotel check-in
assistance, and activity coordination. During after hour social events, some interpreters added a personal
dimension by escorting delegates with trips to local restaurants and shopping malls. In this particular mission,
interpreters were also involved as drivers for transporting the international delegates to and from the airport.
In addition, due to the technical nature of this exercise, additional preparation were made to prepare the in-
terpreter team to be proficient in the technical aspects of pollution, oil spill response and clean up technolo-
gies. Training materials for the Assistant Pollution Investigator qualification were used to orient the team on
the subject matter.
The first day of the MMEX was a seminar day where power point presentations were made. USCG Training
team and Incident Management personnel described the Incident Command System (ICS), our Oil and haz-
ardous substance pollution response authorities (OPA-90 and CERCLA) and capabilities, and shared the gulf
Deepwater Horizon Response experience. Then each of the other NPCGF member countries presented their
oil pollution response authorities and capabilities. Because not all of the delegates were fluent in English, and
because the subject matter was technical in nature, interpreters played a key role in effective information
exchange by consecutively interpreting the presentations to the different target languages.
The second day was an Activities field day. NPCGF delegates visited the Clean Islands Council, a cooperative
Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO), and toured their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and their emer-
gency oil spill response equipment. Then, the delegation boarded Motor Vessel MONOA to observe M/V
CLEAN ISLANDS demonstrated its Spilled Oil Recovery System (SORS), and the M/V AMERICAN ISLANDER
training USCG personnel to deploy its Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) with a weir skimmer
unit, while a USCG C-130 conducted an Aerial Dispersant Deployment System Package (ADDSPAK) drill.
The third day started with the Japanese Coast Guard presentation of their response experience in the March
2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. Then, a pollution response table top exercise was conducted to test the six
Auxiliary Interpreters Assist in
North Pacific Coast Guard Forum
Exercise
Jimmin Chang, Flotilla 48 D11NR
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 28
NPCGF member countries' response capabilities. The exercise scenario was an oil spill due to collision be-
tween an oil tanker and a container ship 20km off Midway Island. Due to the remote location of the scenario
incident, and the limited response capabilities in the vicinity, international assistance will be needed. Initial
notification, search and rescue process, request for assistance, and communication, coordination and col-
laboration issues were discussed. The 3-day MMEX concluded with a Hawaiian cultural event, a laua at the
Hale Koa Hotel Laua Gardens. The evening program was filled with Hawaiian music, hula, Polynesian and live
fire dances, coconut tree climb demonstration, and a traditional Hawaiian feast.
The NPCGF MMEX provided a chance for representatives of six neighboring member countries to interact on a
personal level. Interpreters played a critical role in breaking down language barriers, and allowed efficient
information exchanges. Instead of using active duty or reserve linguists or commercial interpreters, this was
the first NPCGF meeting where Auxiliary interpreters were utilized for all the language needs. Auxiliary inter-
preters handled the mission professionally, adhered to exact military protocols, and provided high quality con-
secutive and sometimes simultaneous interpretation during the 3 day event. The Korean delegation even
commented that they had the best interpreter hosts ever.
CAPT Buxa (foreground) welcomed
Senior Colonel Wang, head of Chi-
nese delegation (left) at Honolulu
International Airport, as Jimmin
Chang (center) interpreted. US
Coast Guard Photo by PA2 Sondra
Kneen.
MMEX delegates gathered
on the MONOA. In the back-
ground was M/V AMERICAN
ISLANDER setting up Vessel
of Opportunity Skimming
System. US Coast Guard
Photo by PA2 Sondra
Kneen.
NORTHWIND OCTOBER, 2011 Page 29
Chinese interpreters, Jimmin Chang (right) and Steven Wang (left) explained to chinese dele-
gate Zeng Hui, how ICS T-cards work at the Clean Islands Council EOC. US Coast Guard Photo
by PA2 Sondra Kneen.
Jimmin Chang (2nd left) interpreted to Chinese delegation during the MMEX
seminar presentations. US Coast Guard Photo by PA2 Sondra Kneen.
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