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New MOA Signed with BoatU.S......................3

Safe Boating Campaign Expands in CA .......3

Soundings Benefits Reminder.........................4

Grant Proposal Tips, Part 4...........................5-6

Soundings Staff Complete ABC..................6

Watercraft and Vessel Safety

THENEWSLETTER FROM THEU.S.COASTGUARDAUXILIARYDEPARTMENT OFBOATING

Department Chief: Jesse L . Harrup, Jr., DC-B, 1201 Canterbu ry Lane, Colonial Heights , VA 23834-2709Newsletter Editor : Heather Bacon-Shone, BC-BRN hbacon-shone@cgccypress.uscg.mil

Bob Melvin, DC-Bd

This month at NACON 2006, SoundingsMagazine Editor Bill Sisson, led attendees throughTroubled Waters, a gripping presentation ofvessels run aground, vessels in collisions, andother vessel casualties that could (and should)have been avoided. Bill speaks with authority: he

grew up on boats in Watch Hill, RI, and has beenwriting about them for more than twenty years.

Here in the Boating Department, we are alwayson the lookout for new insights and partnerships inpreventing boating mishaps and casualties. Inkeeping with this goal, let me share some of Mr.Sissons insights from the NACON presentation hegraciously agreed to make on our request.

Sailors of all types even the most experienced experience mishaps at sea. Experience caneasily spawn complacency and laziness when it

comes to exercising safety and prudent navigationunderway. But the worst recipe for trouble, saidSisson, is inexperienced operators, with no boatingsafety education under their belts.

Whether the accidents were due to experience orinexperience, alcohol, excessive speed, inattention,poor judgment, lack of working or proper safetyequipment, fatigue, over-reliance on electronics, orfighting Mother Nature to stay on schedule (hint:Mother Nature usually wins), most of theseaccidents could have been prevented with moreeducation and experience and by following the

basic rules of seamanship we should all practice.

40-KNOT BOATS, 20-KNOT BRAINS

What youre looking at here, said Mr. Sisson, isthe downside of too much power on too small aboat, compounded (Im guessing) by a lack ofeducation, not wearing a kill switch, and going toofast for conditions. You could probably add to thatlist.

This photo shows a 23-foot Ranger, powered bya 275 hp supercharged Verado 4-stroke. The boaliterally flew through the side of a fishing camp offPort Richey, FL, earlier this year.

There was no one behind the wheel or even inthe boat at the time of the crash. The driver and acompanion had been pitched out when the driveapparently cranked the wheel over too hard whiledoing somewhere between 55 and 60 mph.

(cont pg 2

They wound up in the water, and the boatcontinued for another few hundred yards, struck a

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small fishing skiff tied up to the cottage, andlaunched off it. As you can see, the boat impaleditself in the side of the fishing camp. The accidenthappened about 10 in the morning. At the time,there were two adults and one child inside thebuilding, but luckily, they were in another room andescaped unhurt.

ON THE ROCKS

What comes to mind when you see this picture?Poor navigation, perhaps? Over-reliance onelectronic charts and tracklines? A misplaced aidto navigation? Or simply a very unlucky mariner?

This accident took place about two years ago inthe Ouzinkie Narrows, near Kodiak, Alaska. Hereis how Petty Officer Sara Francis (17 th DistrictOffice of Public Affairs), who took the picture,

describes the situation:

The crew of the Waters had been en route toKodiak from a lodge on the Katmai Coast to pick upsupplies. The tide was high at the time, nine and ahalf feet. The skipper stated later that he hadslacked the boats speed in the narrows because ofthe weather, and that his reduced maneuverabilitycombined with the tidal current to drag the boatsideways onto the rock.

He said the strong eddy had surprised him,because he had found no mention of it in his copy

of the United States Coast Pilot [which actuallyrecommends favoring the rock, which lies neardeeper water, in order to avoid the nearby shoals].He also said the dayboard wasnt visible until theWaters was upon it...This particular skipper shouldhave known better, since he was familiar with thearea. He even mentioned having towed othervessels off the same rock.

A DAY ON THE BEACH

Ah, another beautiful day on the sugar sands oFlorida with the boat. The sky is blue, the surf islight; condos rise amid the palm trees as agentleman sits fishing leisurely. Only

only I bet this boat meant to moor up elsewhere!

A delivery captains plans to bring this boat fromthe Bahamas to Ft. Lauderdale, where thepermanent captain was waiting to put it on atransport ship for delivery to Europe for the summecharter season, were well delayed slightly.

The delivery captain and crew member felasleep, and the big 80,000 pound Ferretti steamedashore south of Ft. Lauderdale at an estimated 20knots. Fortunately, the motor yacht only sufferedbent shafts, rudders and prop damage, no huldamage. Salvors needed only large orange lif

bags (visible in the photo) to tow her off the beach.To add to complications, turtles were nesting on

this stretch of beach, which meant the salvors hadto bring all their equipment in by landing barge.

There is a lesson in this, said Mr. Sissonbesides making sure you dont fall asleep. Thenext time youre out on the water and someone inthe distance is headed for you, dont assume theysee you and will turn. They could be asleep or notpaying attention. Sometimes, theres nobody evenat the helm.

Boats have gotten safer and better theres nodoubt about that. But at the same time, theyvegotten faster, theyve gotten larger, and the watershave become more crowded. And more beginningboaters are stepping into larger and larger boats

All of that points to a crucial need for education asa foundation for a safe experience on the water.

Good advice for us all. Bob

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John Potts, DVC-BL

The Boat Owners Association of the UnitedStates (BoatU.S.) recently approved a jointagreement (MOA) benefiting members of theUSCG Auxiliary and USCG Auxiliary Association.This agreement was signed during a special

ceremony at NACON 2006.

The new BoatU.S. MOA clarifies the followingdiscounts offered to Auxiliary and Associationmembers:

Annual Membership Fee

Towing Packages

SeaworthyMagazine

A significant change from the old agreement isclarifying the method by which Auxiliary and

Association-only members may qualify for thevarious discounts:

Auxiliary members may access their benefitsonline, by clicking on the Member Benefits Sign Inlogo at http://www.shopauxiliary.com/. Entering viathis electronic portal verifies Auxiliarists currentmembership status for any BoatU.S. discounts theywish to access online.

To access BoatU.S. incentives via telephone orpostal mail, members must provide their membernumber in order to qualify for the discounts.

Immediately after ratifying the new MOA atNACON, the document was posted for viewing onhttp://www.auxbdept.org. Questions regarding thissubject may be directed to John Potts, DVC-BL,

jpotts38@msn.com .

Bill Griswold, BC-BLN

Are you familiar with the National Safe BoatingCampaign? Here are some facts from theiwebsite, www.safeboatingcampaign.org:

The North American Safe Boating Campaignbegan in 1957 and has developed throughout theyears into a large scale, internationalcampaign...a targeted media effort, stretchingacross the United States and into Canada.Working with partner organizations such as theNational Association of State Boating Law

Administrators and the Canadian Safe BoatingCouncil, the North American Safe BoatingCampaign aims at spreading a message ofboating safety, encourages boater education,and helps to save lives. The campaign producesa variety of safe boating information intended toenhance and supplement the individualcampaigns that take place through groups,associations and organizations across theUnited States and Canada during National SafeBoating Week.

Currently, the National Safe Boating Council andthe State of California are working to expand theSafe Boating Campaign, specifically in the Delta

region of northern California: the lands andwaterways between the San Francisco Bay and theSierra Mountains.

The Coast Guard is supporting this effort withfunding from the Safe Boating Campaign grant. Aninitial organizational meeting was held in early

August via a conference phone call to discussobjectives, time-lines, and achievable resultsVarious organizations including the Army Corps ofEngineers, BoatU.S., and USPS are part of thesteering Tiger Team.

This targeted campaign aims at those in openmotor boats specifically, recreational fishermen as open motor boats record the highest number ofboating fatalities. The State of California will besupporting the effort, and will likely ask loca

Auxiliarists and other interested boaters to helpThe specific outreach will be closely monitored bythe Coast Guard via their PFD wear studies, as welas NASBLA, the National Boating Safety AdvisoryCouncil, and other interested parties.

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David Delich, BC-BLP

Here at WAVES (the Auxiliary Newsletter from the Department of Boating), we dont have any letter carriers orpaperboys/papergirls to distribute our newsletters to the Auxiliary membership. We couldnt even fit carrie

pigeons or signal flags in our budget. So the burden of responsibility falls upon each and every FlotillaCommander to pass issues of WAVES along to their flotilla members.

Sharing WAVES with your flotilla membership not only gives them the most breaking news from the BoatingDepartment, it also clues them in to the latest and greatest money-saving benefits that our liaison officers havenegotiated with companies supporting the Auxiliary.

These great discounts can be found online at http://shopauxiliary.com/by clicking on the Member Benefits SignIn,as shown below:

MemberBenefitsSign In

District MaterialsStores Vendor Special

Discounts

NOTEThe following Vendors of fer a "Direct Discount" to CGAUXA members and

are available only from the Member Benefits Page - see "Sign in" above-left:

In particular, the Boating Department has recently negotiated some great deals from Soundings Magazinespecific to Auxiliary members. The agreement includes the following key benefits:

Discounted annual Soundings subscription

Free copies of Soundings for PE class students when requested by the FSO-PE

Discount price for booklet; 101 Answers To Your Toughest Boating Questions

Free publishing of PE class schedules in regional editions of Soundings

Free subscription to Trade Only journal for requesting FCs and PE officers at National, District, Divisionand Flotilla levels.

To access these benefits, pass through the Members Onlyportal shown above, click on the

logo, and choose from the menu.

To view the complete Soundings MOA and a summary document, visit the BoatingDepartments website at http://www.auxbdept.org. For questions about the

Soundings MOA, contact David Delich, BC-BLP, at southcross@bellsouth.net.

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Thomas Nunes, BC-BRG

Editors Note: In this final part of our series, wepresent the approved grant sources for the Auxiliary.

The Boat U.S. Foundation is a national 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safeand environmentally sensitive boating. TheFoundations goal is to be the leader in boatingsafety and environmental education and outreach,aiming to reduce accidents and fatalities; increasestewardship of our waterways; and keep boating asafe, accessible, and enjoyable pastime.

The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety &Clean Water provides grants of up to $4,000 tolocal community organizations for projects thatfocus on promoting safe boating. The Foundationhas made up to $40,000 in annual grant fundingavailable, generally with an application deadline of1 November of each year; grants are awarded inlate January.

Over the past 15 years, the Foundation hasawarded nearly $650,000 in Safety Grant funds toorganizations to develop innovative projects thatpromote safe boating on local waterways.Successful grant projects have included distributingliterature on the effects of boating under theinfluence and posting boat ramp signage informingthe boating public about free vessel safety checks.

Flotillas that would like to apply for a grant maylearn more about Boating Safety Grants by calling(703) 461-2878 x8353 or visiting the Boat U.S.website (where applications can be downloaded) at

www.boatus.com/foundation/Grants/index.htm.Additionally, through its Clean Water Grants

program, the Boat U. S. Foundation annuallyawards local nonprofit volunteer organizations up to$4,000 for activities that promote clean boatingeducation. Over the past 6 years, the Foundationhas awarded almost $100,000 to local communityorganizations, yacht clubs, Auxiliary flotillas andPower Squadrons. The Foundation continues toseek creative and innovative projects that teach

boaters to reduce their impact on the waters theyuse for boating.

Project topics may range from petroleum pollutionprevention, to pumpout education, to keeping trashout of our waterways. The application deadline foClean Water Grants is 1 February of each yeargrants are awarded in late April. For moreinformation, visit the Clean Water Grants website

http://www.boatus.com/cleanwater/grants/.

The purpose of the National Safe BoatingCouncils (NSBCs) Local RBS Grant Program is tofurther the North American Safe BoatingCampaigns efforts to reduce accidents andenhance the boating experience through publiceducation, marketing and outreach, and expandingon the North American Safe Boating CampaignLocal projects of national significance are alsoconsidered. Funding from the Program aims tosupport, through its grants, local efforts addressingboating safety concerns.

Such programs may include developing and

printing posters, purchasing billboard posters andleveraging additional free billboard space for a locaflotilla or chapter, creating educational displays, ordistributing promotional items with safe boatingmessages. Programs expanding on the North

American Safe Boating Campaign will be givenpreference.

Program Goals: The goal of the Local RBS GrantProgram is to reduce boating safety accidents andenhance the boating experience by distributing

grants for local recreational boating safetyprograms. Such programs should include, but nobe limited to, the following:

Improve the quality or quantity of essentiasafe boating services or materials

Provide funds to small, local, non-profigroups to build on and support the nationacampaign's effort to enhance safe boating

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Develop innovative ideas that can bereplicated by groups in other areas toimprove boating safety

Provide an opportunity to improve boatingsafety for specialized activities, including,but not limited to, canoeing, kayaking, andsportsmen programs

Develop children's programs or adaptiveboating for the disabled

Funding Cycles: The NSBC Board of Directors willappropriate funds for the Local RBS Grant Programeach calendar year. There will be one fundingcycle per calendar year. The Local RBS GrantProgram must receive completed applications noearlier than October 25 and no later than January25. Grants will be awarded in March. After theGrant Committee has selected the applications tofund, the recipients will receive written notification.

Grant checks will be distributed following theexecution of a letter of agreement with therecipients. Any eligible application not funded maybe resubmitted for the next funding cycle.

Program Criteria: The Local RBS Grant Programdoes not require that the recipient match grantfunds, however the grant amount awarded mustrepresent at least 50% of the project's budget. TheProgram offers grants up to $1,000 for eachboating safety project. The project may not exceed

one year in length. Methods to measure expectedresults must be identified and included in theapplication.

The NSBC will not provide grants to fund:

Salaries, transportation, meals or lodging

Purchase of laptops, projectors, or othernon-expendable materials

Start-up money for new organizations orbusinesses

Membership drives for organizations Endowment programs

Debt reduction

General operating expenses

Additional Information: See the NSBC website:http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/localrbs.htm

Soundings Staff Members Complete Americas Boating Course

From left to right: James Causey, Trader Publishing VP ofconsumer and industry magazines; Garry Bismack, CGAUX FSO-PE; John Sullivan, CGAUX; Peter Mitchel, Publisher, SoundingsPublications; Mary Anne Davis, CGAUX; John Ouellette, CGAUX;Rennold Hanson, CGAUX VFC; Helen Ouellette, CGAUX.

EVENT DETAILS:

On the evening of July 11th, 2006, twenty-three staf

members from Soundings (the boating publication ofReal Boats, Real Boaters) completed Americas BoatingCourse, taught by U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla24-8 of Clinton, CT. Well over two-thirds of the sixtyplus staff members employed by Soundings have nowcompleted the ABC course.

During the intensive 2-day (8 hour) course, Soundingsstaff members reviewed boating topics ranging fromboating laws, navigation, and safety equipment to

common boating problems, trailering, and storage. Thecourse also included topics such as hunting, fishingwaterskiing and river boating. Completion of this courseenables students to apply for the state boating licensewhich is required of Connecticut residents to operate aboat in and on the waters surrounding Connecticut.

[Many thanks to David Delich, BC-BLP, for helpingorganize this course and further build the partnershipbetween Soundings and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.]

Distribution: All FCs, DCOs, VCOs with emaiaddresses in AUXDATA, plus NEXCOM, G-PCB-2, and G-PCX-1 via direct email from DC-BUpon receipt, FCs are asked to copy andprovide copies to Flotilla members.