USCGA F LOTILLA 081-05-10 - L AKE R AY H UBBARD
The Spring Line
Newsletter Date: Mar - Apr 2009 Volume II, Issue 2
Lake Level: 435.88 ft Up 0.3 8 ft Full Pool Level: 435.50 ft Water Temp 66 degrees
After the Storm…..
Photo - Jerry W. Rice
Inside This Edition:
Elected / Staff Officers Important Dates Meetings RCARC AUX-12 Division Conference PE Class Lake Info AUX-12 PA Course - Class Photo 13-15 Mar 2009
4 5 6 7-8 9 10 2
The Spring Line is a publication of and for Flotilla 081-05-10 to keep it’s members informed of events and activities. Articles and photos may be copied or reprinted in other publications as long as proper credit is given for it’s source and a copy is forwarded to the editor of The Spring Line.
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Elected Officers
Flotilla Commander Brian Kennedy 1briankennedy@gmail.com Flotilla Vice Commander Keith Harrigan harrigankeith@hotmail.com
T HE D EADLINE F OR S UBMITION T O T HE S PRING L INE I S T HE 15 TH O F E ACH M ONTH . P LEASE S END A NY A RTICLES , P HOTOS , O R S UGGESTIONS T O T HE E DITOR . J ERRY W. R ICE JWRICE @ HOTMAIL . COM 3313 S HORESIDE D RIVE G ARLAND , TX 75043-1963 469-321-9233
Staff Officers
FSO-CM Communications FSO-CS Comm Services FSO-FN Finance Mike Coyne jcoynm@tx.rr.com Keith Harrigan harrigankeith@hotmail.com Keith Harrigan harrigankeith@hotmail.com
Important Dates
⇒ 16 & 17 May ⇒ 21 May ⇒ 23 May
Fit to Float Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Monthly Flotilla Meeting About Boating Safely Class AMBUC’s Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Memorial Day Flag Raising Chandler’s Landing About Boating Safely Class Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Monthly Flotilla Meeting GPS for Mariners Class Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Lake Duck Chandler’s Landing Flotilla Meeting Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Dallas Summer Boat Show About Boating Safely Class Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX Dallas Summer Boat Show About Boating Safely Class Bass Pro Shop Garland, TX
FSO-IS Brian Kennedy Information Services 1briankennedy@gmail.com FSO-MA Materials FSO-MT Member Training FSO-OP Operations FSO-PA Public Affairs FSO-PB Publications FSO-PE Public Education FSO-PS Personnel Services FSO-PV Program Visitor FSO-SR Secretary Records FSO-VE Vessel Examiner Brian Kennedy 1briankennedy@gmail.com Ray Baker rbaker34@tx.rr.com Mike Coyne jcoynm@tx.rr.com Jerry W. Rice jwrice@hotmail.com Jerry W. Rice jwrice@hotmail.com Jerry W. Rice jwrice@hotmail.com Brian Kennedy 1briankennedy@gmail.com Brian Kennedy 1briankennedy@gmail.com Diane Atwell saildea@att.net Mike Coyne jcoynm@tx.rr.com
⇒ 25 May ⇒ 14 June ⇒ 18 June ⇒ 23 & 25 June ⇒ 26 & 27 June ⇒ 16 July ⇒ 17-19 July ⇒ 18 July ⇒ 24-26 July ⇒ 15 August
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A M ESSAGE F ROM T HE C OMMANDER
The boat crew class we started on January 31st has completed their training. The QE’s are scheduled for 16 May. We will have four members being tested: Diane Atwell, Randy Carothers, Randy Greenlee and Paula Nelson. We have three others who have completed part of the training and we hope to have them ready for their QEs before the end of the season. My thanks to all the members of Flotilla 5-10 who have worked with this class. Ray Baker, Keith Harrigan and Robert Nelson have assisted me with this training. Mike Coyne’s participation had to be limited so he wouldn’t be disqualified as a QE, but he did serve as Coxswain for the victim boat during on water training and attended one classroom session to explain the QE process to the students. Special thanks to Jan Harding from 51 and Doris Ramo from 5-15 for serving as crew for the on water training. With seven of our members being trained and five of our members involved in the training, we have had twelve of our twenty members participating. This is a great response. Bravo Zulu. With the beginning of April our on-water patrols have started. Mike Coyne, FSO-OP, will be putting out a patrol schedule soon. Any member who wants to be involved in patrols contact the coxswain who is scheduled to go out and let him know of your interest. When patrols are on the water we are required to have a radio watch. We are very short of qualified members to handle this duty. Later in May we will be starting a program to qualify members to stand radio watch. This will be watchstander training and not the AUXCOM course. Anyone who wants to be part of operations should get this qualification and take their turn on radio watch. Let me know if you are interested. This is going to be a very busy season for the flotilla. We have already held two PE classes and have more scheduled each month. We have been contacted by multiple organizations asking us to provide a safety patrol for them while they are holding on water activities. This is in addition to our regular patrols planned for each weekend and all holidays. I hope each of you can participate in these missions.
Flotilla Commander Brian Kennedy
A N OTE F ROM T HE E DITOR
Well springtime has finally arrived & it has rained, & rained, & the wind it just won’t seem to stop this year. This has definitely put a damper on my boat time & fishing this year. Trust me the grandkids are driving their parents crazy ’cause we’re not on the boat. As discussed in the last newsletter by both Brian & myself 2009 was going to be a busy year & it has proved to be just that. From a professional stand point I found out about Mid - April that my position with the USPS was being phased out so a lot of my time since has been refocused on finding a new job. This in turn has eaten up so much of my free time that I could normally devote to the Auxiliary. I had to make some decisions on what I could still keep up with while in this job search. So I had to back out of the Boat Crew Class (for now) & it also caused me to have to do a combined Mar-Apr newsletter. I have been working hard on the PA side trying to keep up with the advertising for our PE Classes, Lake Duck, GPS, & somehow managed to get Safe Boating Week Proclamations from the Cities of Rockwall, Garland, & Rowlett for NSBW. Robert Nelson also got us one from the City of Dallas, but that’s for an article coming up in the May edition. The PE Instructors have enjoyed the classes & students so far & look forward to the rest of the year. Do we have any members that would like to assist at a class or be an instructor? Oh & just in we will be doing a Safe Boating presentation for ATMOS Energy employees 21 May & again on 16 June. Story to come in the next The Spring Line.
Jerry W. Rice Editor, FSO-PB
If you have an idea for an article please let me know. This is your newsletter too.
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Monthly Flotilla Meetings
March - April 2009
March Meeting
April Meeting
Photos - Jerry W. Rice
Our monthly meetings are normally held the third Thursday of each month. The March & April meetings were for the most part involved with upcoming events including Operational Patrols, PE classes, Lake Duck, Boat Crew class, etc. At the April meeting Brian Kennedy taught a member training class on Forms & reporting of Auxiliary hours. Ray Baker is working up a training class for ropes including eye splices. Randy Greenlee was sworn in at the April Meeting.
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Rockwall Amatuer Radio Club
17 March 2009
Photos - Jerry W. Rice
The Rockwall County Amateur Radio Club is a made up of a group of Amateur Radio operators in and around the Rockwall, Texas area. The club was started with the Rockwall County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (RCARES) and eventually evolved into a full blown club in November of 1999. The Rockwall County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, exists as a separate entity, but is tied into the Rockwall Amateur Radio Club (RARC) through its members and support. The RARC and the RCARES work in conjunction with each other in many of the special events that we are involved with, with the exception, of course, when it comes to an emergency situation requiring trained personnel. However, since the RARC and the RCARES are made up of mostly the same hams, they're almost one and the same. In February members of the RCARC paid us a visit at our monthly meeting to describe what they do. On March 17th Jerry Rice & Robert Nelson attended one of their meetings to let them know what the Auxiliary does on Ray Hubbard. One of our members John Dunlap, a HAM operator, recently joined RCARC.
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AUX-12 Public Affairs C-School
Photos - Jerry W. Rice On March 13-15 three of our Flotilla members attended the AUX-12 PA school at Air Station Houston. Keith Harrigan & Jerry Rice were there as students & Robert Nelson is one of the Instructors. Dan Joyce FC from Flotilla 5-5 also attended the three day crash course on Public Affairs, Publications, News Releases, & Photography.
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Division 5 Winter Conference
Photos - Jerry W. Rice
March 20-21 was the date of the Division 5 Winter Conference at the Radisson Hotel in Richardson, Texas. Our members in attendance included Brian Kennedy, Keith Harrigan, Jerry Rice, Ray Baker, Ginger Mathis, & Diane Atwell. I would encourage any members who can to attend future Division meetings as they are a wealth of information & the opportunity to meet your counterparts & members from around the Division. The socials are fun too.
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Division 5 Winter Conference 20-21 March 2009 at the Radisson Hotel Richardson, TX.
Photos - Jerry W. Rice
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About Boating Safely Course
18 April 2009
Photos - Jerry W. Rice
We held our second About Boating Safely PE Class on April 25th. We had nine students register but only five made it to the class. The five that did make it to the class all passed with scores in the high 90’s. We have had a total of fifteen students attend our classes this year & all of them have passed the course. One of the highlights of this class was the fact that Mike Coyne was able to join us & helped as an instructor for the day. Hurry back Mike!
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Ray Hubbard Lake Level
Full Pool Level 435.50 MSL
440 438 436 434 432 430 428
2007 2008 2009
Spring rains bring the local critters out for some sunshine.
Photo - Jerry W. Rice