Brief USPS® History
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In 1912, when gasoline-powered boats were beginning to appear, Roger Upton, Rear Commodore of the Boston Yacht Club, formed a Power Squadron within the club. Its purposes were to provide instruction in power boat handling and to foster camaraderie among power boat members. The Power Squadron was immediately successful. In 1914, representatives from 70 East Coast yacht clubs and boating associations met at the New York Yacht Club and formed the United States Power Squadrons®. As the years passed, USPS® expanded its geographical reach and the scope of its activities. |
| Marin Squadron History |
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1959 Marin Power Squadron was chartered on 15 June; 52 members transferred from the parent, San Francisco Power Squadron. Alfred J. Schwarz, served 2 full terms as commander, the only person ever to do so. Marin was the fifth squadron in the Bay Area, thus making possible the formation of District 25. This eliminated the 900-mile round trip to Southern California for meetings of District 13. 1961 Marin instructors began lecturing in Sacramento (a 200-mile round trip) and, through those efforts, the Sacramento Power Squadron was chartered on 10 September 1962. 1963 Marin Power Squadron entered into an agreement with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to collect information to correct and update navigational charts from Point Reyes around the Marin Peninsula to, and including, the Petaluma River. This was a forerunner of our current Co-operative Charting Program. 1965 For the first time, the Marin nominating committee consisted of three past commanders: Edwin Cadogan, Richard Pendleton, and Eugene Sweeney. 1966 Marin's Squadron Educational Officer was elected from among our members for the first time, rather than being appointed. 1979 Marin held its Twentieth Anniversary Charter Dinner with P/C Jack Diefendorf, P, as Master of Ceremonies. At the dinner, a tape was made with input from all available charter members, past commanders, and "old timers". The tape is available in our squadron's archives. 1980 Feather River Power Squadron was chartered with members from Sacramento Squadron. P/C Edwin McGee attended the charter night dinner to present a contribution to Feather River's treasury from Marin, its grandparent squadron. 1984 On 25 February, Redwood Power Squadron was chartered in Santa Rosa with forty members from Marin. Theodore McCarthy, N, became Redwood Squadron's first commander. 1986 Marin acquired the use of, and began renovating, Building 467 at Hamilton Army Air Field. Rita F. Rubin, P, became Marin's first female commander. 1987 Classes began at the Marin Power Squadron Educational Center (Building 467) in September. The building was formally dedicated on 1 November by delivery of the symbolic building key to our Squadron Educational Officer. 1990 Boating Course classes were given in the Educational Center under the terms of a waiver granted by the USPS National Operating Committee. Under the direction of P/C James Prince, AP, the Crab Feed netted a record $1,300 for the squadron treasury. P/C Ed Combs, N, was named Boatsman of the Year by the California Department of Boating and Waterways. |
1992 A banner year for Marin: our eighth year on the National Co-Operative Charting Honor Roll; our fourth year of 100% participation in the National Education Fund: the Marin Log received the LISPS Award for Journalistic Excellence; SEO Donald D. Scott, N, was awarded the D/25 first prize for Teaching Aids Excellence; one-third of our members earned merit marks. 1993 Several Marin boats participated in Opening Day on the Bay. P/C John Thorsson, P, and his wife Fran hosted a fund-raising lamb barbecue amid the flowers and trees of their Novato ranch. 1994 Marin continued its tradition of excellence in journalism as both our current Marin LOG editor, P/C Richard Boak, P, and its previous editor and current D/25 Light 25 editor, D/Lt Patricia Auren, JN, received the LISPS Award for Journalistic Excellence. Marin was awarded the District 25 Co-operative Charting Squadron of the year award. 1995 Lt William F. Braun, N, was awarded the nationally-coveted USPS Charles F. Chapman Award for Excellence in Teaching; a beautiful sextant was awarded to Marin in his name. The squadron again received awards for excellence in journalism for the Marin Log, was on the Co-operative Charting Honor Roll for the eleventh year, and participated in the National Education Fund for the seventh year. Marin hosted the D/25 Fall Conference at the Red Lion Hotel in Rohnert Park. 1996 Following two years of negotiations, Marin Power Squadron executed a lease for four five-year terms for Building 501 at Hamilton Field Work quickly began to gut and remodel our new quarters, which are entirely on one level. We were on the Co-operative Charting Honor Roll and achieved a 100% participation in the National Educational Fund again. 1997 During the early summer, Marin delivered Building 467 to the new developers of Hamilton Field, while our building crew with an average age of 74 worked full schedules every week throughout most of the year. Finally, on 16 November (10 years and 15 days after the dedication of Building 467) the new Marin Power Squadron P/C Robert M. Kell Educational Center was dedicated before a packed house. Past commanders took turns reminiscing about the work done to achieve this goal during their terms in office. Near the close of the ceremony, the symbolic key the building was delivered by P/C Kell to Lt/C Marilyn McGuire, JN, our SEO. The key currently hangs over the door to the SEO office in the building at 789 North Hamilton Drive, Hamilton Field, Novato. To learn more about the history of Marin Power Squadron, open and read the many binders and photo albums in our library in the Kell Center. This is your squadron. The future of the squadron, and the history we're creating now and will create in the future are in your hands. Take an active role in our efforts to save lives. |
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Sir Francis Drake |
Marin Squadron's burgee depicts Sir Francis Drake's ship, the Golden Hinde. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on July 18, 2001, titled "Again a safe harbor" by staff writer Carl Nolte that provides insight into the Golden Hinde and Marin County's history.
Drakes Estero, 2001
The cove within Drakes Estero of the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California, where Sir Francis Drake is believed to have repaired his ship in 1579, has reappeared (see purple) after vanishing for nearly half a century. This is the eighth time in 400 years that it has reappeared.
In June of 1579 Francis Drake sailed the coast of California in search of a safe harbor. He was sailing the private ship Golden Hinde in government service as an English privateer, but he was a pirate in the view of the Spanish. Drake had pillaged Spanish settlements and burned Panama City. The Golden Hinde was leaking badly, the Spanish were hunting for him, and he could not return the way he had come. He needed his ship in good repair in order to return to England by sailing around the world. The west coast of North America was uncharted, and Drake was exploring for a quiet harbor where he could heave the ship over on its side and repair its hull.
Portus Novae Albionis, 1579
A member of Drake's 1579 party sketched
this view of the port where repairs were made to the Golden Hinde.
The spit of land at the left is believed to correspond to the
sand spit that recently reappeared.
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