Member news

For those who missed the July meeting, Wesley Freeburg provides this update:

We had the distinct pleasure of hosting Lieutenant Commander Richard J. Burke, Commanding Officer - Station New York, together with USCG Auxiliary Liaison Jennette R. Rozmus (BM2) for our July monthly meet at the MIO this past Thursday. The attached photo only included those uniformed Auxiliarists in attendance (minus FC Gallagher who was teaching a recreational boating safety class in the adjacent conference facility). All current Vessel Examiners present were also given slim Mustang auto-inflate hybrid life vests.

Thanks to Station New York for their support!

On Memorial Day weekend, members of USCG Auxiliary Division 5 had an opportunity to ride along aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker. She's a buoy tender in New York Harbor, doing the hard but important work of maintaining our local aids to navigation. Brian Luster took some excellent photos of the trip:

The re-test of the 3N notification system is scheduled for this afternoon and evening. If you are a member of the Auxiliary, you should receive a message through this system. Check your email, voice-mail, cell phone text messages, and of course any and all of your spam filters, then contact your FC tomorrow to let him or her know whether you got the notification.

This Sunday, Auxiliarists will be able to ride along on CGC Katherine Walker to learn more about how the regular CG performs MDA patrols and does ATON work.

This is a great opportunity to increase your knowledge and have a good time. The current forecast calls for pleasant weather, but of course you should also be prepared for the possibility that it won't be.

If you are interested, please follow the "Contact" link above, and choose "Division Captain" from the category list. John will get back to you with the time and place for boarding.

In addition to the previously announced Boat Crew training opportunities within our Division, we now have another excellent option in New Jersey. As Mark Dunmire, SO-MT, explains:

On-the-water Boat Crew is now available to members of all Division 5 flotillas at Greenwood Lake NJ.

Those wishing to participate should contact me directly. Candidates will typically be asked to commit to six sessions, approximately once every two weeks, leading up to their dockside oral and check ride.

This is a chance for your members to train for crew with the District's top coxswains in a safe, supportive and proven training process with one of the top operational crews in the nation.

To sign up, email Mark by visiting the Contact form on this site, and choosing "Member Training Opportunities (SO-MT)" as the category.

After discovering that a majority of members are not, in fact, registered in the 3N notification system, the District is going to send out a new notification. This one should go to everyone, and it should include an authorization code and instructions to register yourself in the system. The email will be sent to the address you have in Auxdata, and its subject line will be something like "Auth Code."

It is very important that you not delete this email - you must follow the instructions inside it to be registered in the Auxiliary's notification system. Besides paying attention to your inbox, you should also check your spam filters over the next few days, as the message may get misdirected there.

The latest (2006) revision of the US Coast Guard Incident Management Handbook is now available for free online. You can download the PDF version directly from the official site (recommended), or if that link breaks, you can find a backup copy in our local Manuals Library. All members, especially those involved in Operations, should at least look through this manual, as it represents the current Coast Guard way of responding to incidents of all types.

If you're a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, then sometime today you should receive an alert about Hurricane Elizabeth. Don't worry, there's no actual storm coming - this is a drill. A major purpose of the Hurricane Elizabeth exercise is to test our new 3n alert system.

This system was previously set up to alert only a subset of Auxiliarists in the event of an emergency, but the Gold Side has extended it to include all of us. At least, they hope they've extended it to include all of us. If you don't receive any notification today, that means the Coast Guard doesn't have your correct contact information in the system. You can fix that by notifying your FC, who can get your information corrected in (or inserted into) the system. If you do receive the alert, of course, it means you're all set.

The annual District Rendezvous will take place on 26-27 July, at the Haverstraw Marina along the scenic Hudson River. There are about 40 slips available at Haverstraw for visiting boats, with some overflow slips a bit north of there and anchorage space at Croton. Those without boats can get to the marina easily by car or train. It's even bicycling distance from New York City, if you're in good shape.

The Rendezvous will include training sessions, QE testing for Boat Crew, and of course plenty of socializing. Auxiliarists, as well as their friends and families, are all welcome.

If you'd like to reserve a slip or ask questions about the event, please use the Contact form linked above, and select "District Rendezvous" from the subject list. Or, you can call Helen Cohen, whose number is in the Division roster.

Mark Dunmire, SO-MT, has posted a new list of upcoming member training opportunities. In case it didn't reach your inbox already, here's what's up:

BOATING SKILLS AND SEAMANSHIP: The in-depth boating safety course, offered by Flotilla 5-02. Meets requirements for BQ status, a prerequisite for all Auxiliary qualifications.. Wednesdays, starting 12 MAR, 7 pm. First Lutheran Church, 3075 Baisley Ave, Bronx. For further information, call 718-490-4256 or email flotilla52@msn.com

BOAT CREW TRAINING: Shoreside crew training begins THU 13 MAR at USCG Battery Park Bldg, 7pm. First night covers introduction to the mentoring process and tasks BCM 01-01 thru 02-04. Policy, Crew Efficiency, Fatigue, some First Aid. Sponsored by Flotilla 5-10. Continues for eight weeks on Thursdays covering all shoreside tasks and leads to on-the-water training. Advance registration a must. Register at www.flotilla510.org or for questions contact turrinaux510@yahoo.com.

AMERICA'S BOATING COURSE: This eight-hour boating safety course meets requirements for BQ status, a prerequisite for all Auxiliary qualifications. For a course offered by Flotilla 5-03, on 19 MAR, contact Tony Reardon, VFC 5-03 at 718-728-7889. For the session on 05 APR, register at www.flotilla510.org. or send questions to Richard Turrin, FC 5-10, at turrinaux510@yahoo.com. For more offerings, see http://www.cgaux1sr.org/uploads/education/pecourses.pdf

AUXPAT SPECIALTY COURSE: Auxiliary Patrols is one of six advanced training courses leading to the AUXOP designation and device. Course runs 01 MAY thru 05 JUN , 7:30, USCG Battery Park Bldg. Sponsored by Flotilla 5-10. Register at www.flotilla510.org or for questions contact turrinaux510@yahoo.com.

VESSEL EXAMINER (VE) PREP COURSE: Learn how to save lives as a Vessel Examiner! Vessel Examiners educate boaters one-to-one, while providing free vessel safety checks. WEDS, 06 and 19 APR, 7pm - 9pm at Perkins Eastman Architects, 115 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan (near Union Square). Boating safety course required prior to certification, highly recommended prior to prep course. Sponsored by Division 5. Advance registration required. Contact Helen Cohen, SO-VE helen.cohen@verizon.net

TEAM COORDINATION TRAINING: The District online TCT schedule is a great resource at http://www.cgaux1sr.org/PDFs/standing/D1_TCT_Sked.pdf . This list is maintained by CWO Zambrana, OTO/DIRAUX, and is updated regularly. A course in Manhattan has also been requested.

INSTRUCTORS: Currency alert! Instructors must complete the annual IT workshop, with participation entered in AUXDATA no later than 30 JUN 2008. A workshop will be announced after the District Conference.