REFLECTIONS ON  THE PAST - 2003 P/C Robert E. Glaser, JN

2003 Year Overview

I was elected the thirty-second Commander. P/C Alvin Paetzell, AP, chaired Coop Charting weekend at Holiday Island / Albemarle Sound in May.  The Squadron and four members achieved the USPS® Coop Charting National Honor Roll.  The Vessel Examiners completed 34 Vessel Safety Checks.  We conducted Spring and Fall Boating, Seamanship, Piloting, and Sail Classes.  P/C James Dugan advanced to Senior Navigator. We received the George L. Margeson Award for second place in D/27 Navigator Education and our 24th Educational Fund Award.  The RMPS website received the 2003 USPS® Website Excellence Award and the Coastal Plains Signal received the 2003 Distinction in Journalism Award.  Ten members were certified in the American Red Cross First Aid Course. Cruises / Rendezvous were held at Goose Creek in June, Oriental in August, and to Norfolk up the Dismal Swamp Canal in September. As usual our October Ocracoke Cruise was competing with Hurricane Isabel and guess who won. The Squadron invested in a LCD projector and several PR CD's were produced to help market USPS® and specifically RMPS membership benefits. We held our Christmas Party and Annual Meeting at the Legacy.

MONTHLY COMMANDER'S MESSAGES

January 2004

I prepare this last message as Commander of the Rocky Mount Power Squadron with mixed emotions. I have had a great deal of fun representing the Squadron and doing my best to make it a positive year for our membership. The experience has certainly increased my knowledge of the USPS® organization and particularly D/27. Mildred and I have met, partied with and become friends with many of our D/27 colleagues and we expect these friendships will continue for years to come. I am very excited, proud, and happy to turn the helm over to Chris Payne and the new Bridge we elected at the annual meeting. We have a very enthusiastic and positive Bridge and I am certain they will build on this year’s momentum and make 2004 a really fantastic year. I do recommend that they make every effort to gain the benefits and knowledge, as I did, by actively attending and participating in district meetings throughout next year. In fact, I would tell you that had I attended more meetings and had copies of all of the newsletters of D/27’s twenty squadrons the year before I assumed command, I would have been much better prepared to serve your interests.

My personal thanks to P/C Nelson Gainey for organizing the great slate of new officers for 2004 and particularly for his willing and positive support during his third year in a row as Immediate Past Commander.

I also thank all the Bridge and committee members without whose support we would not have had nearly as productive a year. Instead of filling the newsletter with the names and details, I will do that adequately at the Change of Watch. I am truly grateful for the support, guidance, and enthusiasm provided by this outstanding group of people.

At our Christmas party, which was extremely well attended, I had the privilege of inducting two new members, Greg and Suzanne Zolas, who have become active members of our 2004 Bridge. Congratulations and thanks to both of you. We were also very pleased to have P/C Ken Hedeen and Judy spend the evening with us for a final farewell before they leave for Naples, Florida. Best wishes to both of you in the Sunshine State.  Sort of makes me envious as winter sets into the Carolinas.

By the way, it did snow enough during my Seattle trip last month to require two de-icings of my plane, which naturally made me miss a connection. While in Seattle, I visited the Millie G (C-Dory) factory.  (I actually ordered her in Florida in December.) Millie and I plan to bring her to the D/27 Change of Watch at New Bern in March. Hope to see you all there!

See y’all at the RMPS Change of Watch on 23 January 2004. Have a very prosperous and healthy New Year.

God Bless and see you all soon!

December 2003

The Holiday season is rapidly approaching and we all know what that means - shorter days, lots of good parties, too much food, and less boating fun. These facts have been all too obvious to me the past few weeks, as I have spent most of that time on the road: Atlantic City to an FAA meeting, Boston to another Kidde plant that is about to be relocated to North Carolina, and today on an airplane to Seattle to visit Boeing. While some might think “Lucky Bob”, each of these trips make me appreciate the good life in the Carolinas even more. Specifically, I was thinking about the USPS® beginnings last Friday as I sat in a restaurant overlooking Boston Harbor, with a temperature of 40 degrees and a very stiff breeze of up to 60 mph. As most of us know, USPS® was founded at the New York Yacht Club, but obviously someone had the good sense to extend their boating season by moving the Headquarters south to the Great North State, where you can still go sailing in November with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s. We sure are fortunate to live in this wonderful area of the country. By the way, the forecast for Seattle tomorrow is mixed snow and rain. The good news is that the Millie G will be built in Seattle and I plan to visit the factory this afternoon to finalize my selection of optional equipment.

Our sail class has completed instruction and many of us participated in a hands on sailing experience aboard the Turn A Gain. (This was an example of how nice North Carolina weather can be, as it was 80 degrees on 1 November when we had our fun.) Not much wind but a great day to be on the water with good friends. Many thanks to Ondra and Nelson for the use of their fine boat and the delicious lunch they so graciously provided. Let me tell you this, Clay Helm is one great and knowledgeable instructor. He gave us more new terms to remember than my brain can deal with.

The Past Commanders’ Pig Picking was, as always, one of the highlights of the Squadron social calendar. Many thanks to Past Commanders Joe Hardee, Al Paetzell, George Howell (who did the brunt of the cooking), Jim Dugan, Bernie Tyndall, Ted Strickland, Clay Helm, and Mike Pevear for cleaning, cooking, and serving at this fun event. Special thanks also to Nelson Gainey who has been coordinating the event for more than a couple years. (Nelson was at a Navy submariner’s reunion and unable to attend.)

We were delighted to induct three new members at this event:  Lorraine Ryan, Tammie Ames, and Allen Ames. Welcome aboard!  We encourage you to become active in your squadron.

Our new LCD projector was given its first workout at the Pig Picking with a slide show of this year’s Squadron events.

Welcome back to P/C Michael C. Pevear, S, who was on active duty with the US Coast Guard most of this year. We are very grateful for your service to our country in these challenging times.

I hope to see you all at our annual Christmas Party at the Legacy on Friday, 12 December.

God Bless and see you all soon!

November 2003

As the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, more of our attention seems to move indoors, which is good for our numerous educational programs.

In the past weeks we finished our first computer enhanced boating class, a five-week course entitled America’s Boating Class^SM. It was well attended and all 11 students who took the final exam passed. Many thanks to our SEO, Lt/C Mary Sitton, P, and her Assistant SEO and first mate Bob.  Also many thanks to our instructors and proctors for a great start. Many of us recognize this is new technology and it can be a bit unnerving the first time we use the computer for a training aid. I was there too my first time. We still have a number of students doing make up and self-study exams. So far we have three new recruits from this effort and promising signs for many more.

On 4 October Lynda Brown led our Red Cross First Aid Course.  She was assisted by John Simms, who heads Edgecombe County’s Rescue Squad, and who did an excellent job in helping all thirteen students prepare for and pass the Red Cross exam. Thank you Lynda.  We know you made a special effort to get recertified in order to teach this class and we greatly appreciate your efforts.

P/N/F/Lt Glenn Daughtridge, AP, did his usual fantastic job teaching the OT course.  It was attended by ten members, many of who plan to be on next year’s Bridge. Many thanks to Glenn.  We are lucky to have such a talent in our Squadron.

As you will see in the SEO report a number of us are taking the Sail class ably led by P/C Clay Helm, AP. He is doing a great job.  P/C Nelson Gainey, P, has generously promised to let us test our skills on his sailboat, the Turn-A-Gain. This event is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of 1 November. 

I am delighted to report that we have five new members from the boating class and that two of our former members have reinstated their USPS membership. Our new members and renewals insure that RMPS has critical mass going into 2004.

Many thanks to the RMPS members that represented and supported our Squadron at the D/27 Fall Council meeting in Charlotte on 27 September. As always, it was my pleasure and privilege to represent RMPS and receive the various awards earned by so many RMPS members. Please read my article on this meeting for the details.

P/C Nelson Gainey, P has reported that the nominating committee has completed the nomination process for next year’s Bridge and that we have a very excited and enthusiastic group who will stand for election in December. We are still working on various committee appointments, so please let Nelson or me know if you are interested in serving.  It is a fine way to learn and prepare to be a Senior Officer next year, and it’s also a lot of fun.

As many of you know, it is Merit Mark time and I need input from all Bridge Members and Committee Chairman. This is the best opportunity we have to reward those who make the extra effort for our Squadron.

We are delighted that we have received our new LCD projector and hope to show it off at the Past Commanders’ Pig Pickin next month on 9 November at the Sharpsburg Exchange Club. I hope to see you all there for that traditional and great annual event.

Lastly, I want to report that this past weekend I had plenty of trailer practice while moving my daughter to her new home in Davidson and feel like I am FINALLY ready to order the Millie G.

God Bless and see you all soon!

October 2003

Hurricane Isabel is now history. Hopefully all of you got through her without any ill effects. The prior weekend, TS Henri blew away my annual birthday dive weekend. Never the less, Millie and I enjoyed a delightful weekend at the Beach.

As most of us now know, Isabel also disrupted our 19-21 September Cruise to Ocracoke. Ocracoke was evacuated on Monday, but hopefully we will be able to reschedule and enjoy the beauty of Ocracoke next month.

Many of us spent a late August weekend in Oriental where we enjoyed the hospitality of our gracious hosts Tere and Jim  Dugan. Saturday was spent feasting at the Sailcraft Marina pool and gazebo with numerous excursions onto the Neuse River on board Allegria, Liberty, and Sine Die.  A group dinner was held at the Steamer Restaurant and a good time was had by all. Many thanks to Jim and Tere for organizing and hosting this great fun event.

Our September Family Night meeting was a great success with and excellent program on Amateur Radio presented by Adam Ipock and Robin Keller of the Tar River Amateur Radio Club. Many thanks to Adam and Robin for a very interesting and informative evening. We were delighted to have Charles Ron Jones take the USPS pledge at this session. Ron and Linda have recently moved to Rocky Mount from Durham. We are certain they will enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of our RMPS group.

On 8 September we embarked on a new journey for our public Boating Class. We are giving the new America’s Boating Course^SM, which is taught using computer generated images and an LCD projector with audio supplements. The course material is excellent, albeit we are all learning to work with these new and sophisticated tools. We have about 12 people enrolled and are hopeful a few more will join us. The course is excellent in that the course material includes a self-study CD that the student can use on their home computer, so catch up, a missed class or self-study is greatly enhanced.

At our August Bridge Meeting the Bridge voted to have RMPS purchase our own LCD projector. At this time we are searching for the best product to suit our needs. You can expect to see this new presentation tool utilized in many of our future programs and classes. This media is very powerful and will allow us to develop customized RMPS Presentations using Power Point and other software programs.

The RMPS nominating committee, headed by P/C Nelson Gainey, P, has been busy recruiting a new Bridge for next year. Nelson is having great success and we expect to have a very strong slate for your vote at the December Family Night Meeting. We do not want to overlook any interested members, so please contact Nelson or myself if you are interested in serving.

Lastly, several of your bridge members will be representing you in Charlotte on 27 September at the D/27 Fall Council Meeting. The focus of the presentations appears to be aimed at Instructor Qualification and at helping us better understand the methods of filing our CoOp Charting reports electronically. We will report on these areas following this event. All members are welcome to attend. Please call me if you wish to do so and need details.    

God Bless and see you all soon!

September 2003

The days are rapidly growing shorter as summer seems to pass much too quickly. Therefore we must seize each opportunity to enjoy the remaining warmth and pleasures granted us in this beautiful part of the world. Boating and simply being in sight of water have a very calming effect on my mind and body and have always been a delight to me. Enough daydreaming.

Switching to Squadron business, I’m delighted to report that we have five new Pilots among us: Mary Sitton, Bob Sitton, Michael Bruder, Stephen Stackhouse and Spencer Whitley. My congratulations to all of you. We are proud of your achievement. Also many thanks to P/C Clay Helm, AP, and Lt Guy Baxter, P, for their excellent instruction of this latest Piloting class.

With mixed emotion, I have accepted the resignation of P/C Nelson Gainey, P, as our SEO. As you may know, Nelson had agreed to serve as SEO and navigate Mary Sitton through the first half of the year in her position of Squadron Assistant SEO. Mary has, of course, done an excellent job leading the Spring Boating Class and has now earned the grade of Pilot, making her eligible to fully assume the role of SEO. Congratulations and my thanks to Mary for all of her many efforts on behalf of the RMPS. Also many thanks to Nelson as he has willingly filled many roles the past few years and always does it in the most gracious supportive and exemplary manner.

Millie and I were at the D/27 Rendezvous in Wilmington representing RMPS last month.  We had a really a great time and had great food and company. We took many photos so you can all see the grand event. The USPS® and USCGAux led the USCG Eagle up the Cape Fear River and under the Memorial Bridge with her masts stepped to clear the raised roadway. The cadets and coastguardsmen on board made you feel proud to be an American. Nothing is more thrilling than to watch our flag flying majestically amongst the rigging. Scott and Janice Turner met us in Wilmington and together we toured the Eagle. Thank you Scott and Janice for your continued support of the Squadron.

The USCG tall ship Eagle was originally built in Hamburg, Germany, in 1936 and served as a cargo vessel and training ship for the German navy during WWII. Following the war, the US claimed it as a prize of war and it has been a US training vessel ever since. Currently the Eagle and the USS

Constitution are the only commissioned tall sailing
ships in US service. Interestingly, Millie and I meet a member of one of our South Carolina Squadrons and his wife who had immigrated to the US in the 1960’s, this gentlemen had served aboard the Eagle in 1944 when is was 14 years old. We wished we had had more time to listen to his interesting stories. 

Many of us will be in Oriental on the weekend of 22 -24 August and we have ordered fair weather and calm winds. We will take plenty of pictures for those who miss the festivities.

Your Ocracoke Cruise & Rendezvous will be here before you know it, 19-21 September, so please plan to join us, as this will indeed be a fun time.

God Bless and see you all soon!

August 2003 

Last week my relatively high-end two-year-old computer crashed and burned. It did not really burn, but it sure did crash and took all of my files and data with it. (Also my finished CoOp charting DepthWiz plots) The point of sharing this minor personal disaster with y’all is that it reminds me of the importance and need to be prepared in case you’re out of sight of land and loose your GPS or Loran- C electronic Navigation aids. When all else fails every good boater must be able to get home using nothing more than their compass and charts. The training we have all had, taught us to maintain a Dead Reckoning plot wherever we go out and our compass is certainly the most reliable Navigation tool we have as long as we keep proficient in using it and making the necessary corrections for Variation and Deviation. Of course you can say well that’s why I carry two GPS’s, but most of the boat Captains I know can tell you how many times the GPS satellite system was unavailable while they were out at sea. Just think about it and I’m sure you will agree, and hopefully will remain prepared. Also remember the best way to stay proficient is to use the skills often and maybe even volunteer to teach a course which really forces you to know the material. (PS all teachers get Merit Marks!)

We had another delightful family night, which started out, at the Glaser’s poolside but quickly regrouped indoors as the fowl weather system dumped torrents of rain on the festivities. I was very grateful to have a brave an able bodied Executive Officer who braved the lightening and held a big golf umbrella over me as we grilled the meat during the storm. Thank you Scott Turner.

It was our very great delight to have D-27 Cdr. Don Dunlap, SN and his lovely wife Donna, join us at our family night meeting. They are always very gracious and welcome guests. Thanks to both Don and Donna for journeying from Washington to enjoy the fellowship with our Squadron members.

Our Treasurer Cathy Payne, S, brought the Squadrons ship’s store new inventory of clothing and we all had a ball trying on and buying this great looking gear. I’m sure you will all want to buy some as it shows how proud we are to be members of this great organization. Furthermore it’s really good looking and practical clothing.

We have several very exciting events planned for August, starting with Claiborne Young who always does a top-notch presentation on Cruising the Intracoastal Waterway for our 7 August family night. Please come out and invite your friends, as he really is a very excellent speaker. Later in August we will be gathering in Oriental for a Cruise and Raft-up. This promises to be a really great weekend and I hope many of you can participate. Remember if you’re not there your missing a really good time.

God Bless and see you all soon!

July 2003 

As I prepare this message I am in New Jersey, having had business in Atlantic City for several days, where the ocean temperature was 54 °F.  It makes me realize how very fortunate we are to live in North Carolina where the climate is so very pleasant and where the influence of the Gulf Stream warms our ocean throughout the year.

The past month has been very busy and lots of fun. We had a great family night turn out and an excellent presentation by the Tar River Astronomy Club. Many thanks to Phil Blackwell and Lou Thompson of TRAC for their excellent presentations on Celestial Navigation and Astronomy. Phil is a Coast Guard Academy Graduate and has spent several years at sea so his presentation was particularly knowledgeable. At this same meeting it was my pleasure to administer the USPS® Oath for new member Pam Gilreath and the change of status from family to active member for Mary Sitton and Wilma Helm.  Welcome aboard to Pam and thanks and congratulations to Mary and Wilma.

Four of us attended the Spring Council Meeting in Raleigh on 7 June and were updated on the latest D/27 and National initiatives and issues. My personal thanks to P/D/C Joe Hardee, SN; P/C Al Paetzell, AP; and P/N/F/Lt Glenn Daughtridge, AP; for their support of the Squadron at this meeting.  Foremost amongst the USPS® issues is membership retention. As I write this message the data I have suggests that 14 of our members have not as yet renewed for this year. We have sent a second reminder and will be following up with a phone call to insure that as many as possible are retained.

On 14 June 2003 ten members gathered at Bowie and Adele Gray’s Goose Creek resort. All had a good time and the weather, despite earlier forecasts, held up nicely. P/Lt/C Kendall Cranston, AP, and first mate Kaye arrived by boat and you can see images of their tidy vessel contained in subsequent pages. You will also see Bowie’s new boat, The Real McCoy IV; this is a really beautiful vessel. Many thanks to Bowie and Adele for their invitation and offer to host this fun event.

Coming events are well covered in subsequent pages, but the highlights include family night at Millie’s and my home on 10 July. Please come and enjoy, as this has been a fun time for all attending the past three years. The Squadron women have always provided great dishes and Millie and I will provide the grilled food. D/27 Rendezvous 25-27 July is our boating event for July and promises to be a spectacular event as it coincides with Wilmington’s Nautical Festival. In August we have Claiborne Young for family night and a great Cruise and raft up planned in Oriental. Please attend as many of these events as possible. The more members the more fun! 

God Bless and see you all soon!

June 2003

As I prepare this message I’m thinking how the warm breezes of last month have reverted to early spring and I wonder should we consider building an Ark or will our boats be sufficient.

While the weather has recently turned less than ideal we are a resilient group and have fun no matter what the conditions may be. FYI – I am talking about CoOp Charting Weekend when 21 hardy members of your Squadron journeyed to Holiday Island to do our annual CoOp charting surveys led by P/C Al Paetzell, AP, our CoOp Charting Chairman. We had four Squadron boats and were delighted to have 5 members of the Albemarle Squadron join us with their boat to make 5 vessels. Since this was their first CoOp Charting effort we put two of our most experienced hands P/D/C Joe Hardee, SN, and P/N/F/Lt Glenn Daughtridge, AP, on their vessel to assist. The weather was less than great, and many who were prepared for a pleasant day were rather chilled. Nevertheless, all boats accomplished their mission and returned safely. Many thanks are due Lt/C’s Chris Payne, S, and Cathy Payne, S, and also P/C Clay Helm, AP, and Wilma for hosting this event, which I felt was comparable to a fine Thanksgiving Feast. Also many thanks to all the other members who brought side dishes and desserts.

My Personal thanks to Lt/C Scott Turner, AP, for filling in for me on family night.  Business had me out of the country and I am appreciative to Scott and P/C/C L. M. Barnes, SN, for supporting me. The feedback I received indicated we had an excellent presentation by Ray Brown. I very much regret having missed it, as I was indeed interested in his topic. Also we want to say how pleased we are at having Phil, Sally, and Betsy Benson joining our group. The Bensons were among the hardy souls that braved Albemarle Sound last weekend and did extremely well, coming back smiling and ready for more.

June family night promises to be very interesting with a very knowledgeable speaker, Phil Blackwell, presenting on Astronomy, a subject of great interest to all true Sailors.

Our June Cruise is to Bowie and Adele Gray’s cottage at Goose Creek on 14-15 June. We are planning a cookout in the early evening and are expecting a great turn out. Please bring a dessert or side dish. The event is BYOB. Hope all of you will join in the fun and fellowship. By Land or by Sea directions are enclosed in your newsletter. Please call or email me with a headcount.

God Bless and see you all soon!

May 2003

As I prepare this message, I relish the sound of birds singing, the sights of azaleas in full bloom and the feel of warm breezes blowing. It makes me feel so happy and fortunate to live in North Carolina and in the United States of America. As I watch CNN, which I warn you can be addictive, the Headline has changed from “War in Iraq” to the “New Iraq.” My thoughts turn to our brave troops who have made us so proud and who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy such abundance and freedoms as Americans. May they all come home soon and safely after a job so well done.

Your squadron has just completed an outstanding Boating Class during which time Mary Sitton and Guy Baxter and our fantastic team of instructors taught 17 new students. I’m pleased to report all of them completed and passed the exam. Congratulations and well done to both the staff and students.

We have three new members from the class who have joined -- Phillip, Sally, and Betsy Benson. Welcome aboard; we know you will enjoy the many activities that membership offers RMPS members. We are also very hopeful that we may have another four people join that have expressed interest and attended last month’s family night.

We also have two new members who transferred from the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, Michael Bruder and Lance Taylor.

Chris Payne, our Administrative Officer, organized a Great Family Night last month with speaker Margaret Hoffman who presented the history of Blackbeard the Pirate. The presentation, food and facility were excellent. We had a great turnout of more than 30 people, which made for fine fellowship and camaraderie. It was my privilege to induct new member Lance Taylor. We welcome Lance and know he will both enjoy membership in and contribute to our Squadron’s excellence.

Your squadron also received Honor Roll recognition in Cooperative Charting for 2002 placing 39th in the Nation for our 24th year on the Honor Roll. Congratulations to P/D/C Joseph E. Hardee, SN, Chairman of Coop Charting 2002, and the RMPS members who contributed to this service to Boating Safety and Navigation. This is an outstanding accomplishment when you consider the size and location of our Squadron. Well done!

I’m pleased to hear that merit marks are starting to arrive and hopeful we were able to reward all of the deserving members for their contributions last year.

Thank you to Mary and Bob Sitton for hosting our April Bridge Meeting at their home in Nashville. Mary really outdid herself with a fantastic meal and refreshments, which were enjoyed by all. Your Bridge continues to work hard to insure we have activities, programs and educational opportunities for all members.

In closing, please remember we have a lot of great boating activities planned and another outstanding Family Night program on 1 May, so please check the details in the subsequent articles and come out and have fun.

God Bless and see you at the May Family Night!

April 2003

Since I last reported, we have had three outstanding USPS® and Squadron events that I want to share with all members.

At our March Family Night, Co-Op Chair P/C Al Paetzell, AP, gave a very informative Power Point presentation on the new web based USPS® Co-Op Charting program. I am pleased to inform you that eight members of RMPS have filed reports electronically and we are currently #7 on the National Honor Roll electronic database. Great Performance -- let’s stay on a roll! This year Co-Op Charting base will be from Chris and Cathy Payne’s and Clay and Wilma Helm’s Resort in Hertford on 17 May.  More details are in the Co-Op Charting article.

D/27 COW in Winston-Salem on 14-15 March was fantastic. RMPS co-hosted the Queen Anne’s Revenge Hospitality Room with Pamlico and Tar River Squadrons. We all made fine looking pirates. RMPS was well represented with Cdr and Mrs. Bob Glaser, P/C and Mrs. James Dugan, P/D/C and Mrs. Joseph Hardee, and P/N/F/Lt and Mrs. Glenn Daughtridge in attendance. A good time was had by all and the galley on the QAR was very well provisioned with delicious pirate food organized by Assistant SEO Mary Sitton. Many thanks, Mary, for all your help.

I must say I was very proud to represent RMPS at the COW.  RMPS won many awards, including P/C James Dugan receiving a plaque for achieving the top USPS® grade of SN. As a squadron, we won the Margeson Award for 2^nd place in Navigator Education, the 2002 Website Award, the 2002 Distinction In Journalism Award, and our 22^nd and 23^rd Educational Fund Awards.

Our monthly Bridge Meeting was hosted by Jim and Tere Dugan, who combined the fun of a delicious St. Patrick’s Day feast (graciously provided by Tere, many thanks.) with an active and long business session. We established several great boating events; details will be posted in subsequent pages of this newsletter. The Turners and the Gaineys have invited all members to join them at the Washington Waterfront Easter weekend for boating fun and to attend the Easter Sunrise service. The Bowie Grays have graciously offered to host another RMPS Rendezvous at their Goose Creek cottage and pier on 14-15 June. Please plan to join us at as many of these events as you can and enjoy the fun and comradeship of your fellow boaters and squadron members. 

God Bless and see you at the April Family Night!

MARCH 2003

It seems like only a few days (and ice storms) ago that we had our Change of Watch; I guess time really flies when you’re having a good time.

We started our new year with a great family night and more foul weather, which I might say did not deter the 21 hardy souls who attended expecting a presentation on Propeller Technology by Ray Brown of Just Props, but who were all delighted by our impromptu program substitution. The Stand-Up Team of Mary Vann and Bob Sitton entertained us with informative and lovely images of their most recent Bareboat Charter in the Caribbean. Many thanks to both of them for stepping in on a moment’s notice and helping us stay warm on a cold wet night with their beautiful images of sailing in the lower latitudes. We were fortunate to have P/C/C L.M. Barnes III, SN, in attendance to induct our newest member, Stephen Stackhouse, who joined RMPS following the last Boating Course. Stephen and Katie live in Rocky Mount and we hope to enjoy their company often in the coming years.

Many thanks to Millie G for hosting a fun but very busy Bridge meeting, with so much great food. During this meeting, your bridge had a marathon planning session to ensure an exciting year of educational opportunities, boating opportunities and just plain fun. Lt/C Chris Payne has the entire year of family nights planned with interesting programs for all. P/C Al Paetzell, AP, and your Bridge are planning to introduce new changes to our CoOperative Charting Cruise, which will add new horizons for many of us. Al will be presenting the program at the next family night on Friday 7 March at the Peking Palace. 1/Lt Mary Vann Sitton has some great ideas on increasing our outreach at the Boating Class which we started on 24 February. Classes are held at Edgecombe Technical College and led by Guy Baxter. As always, help is needed and appreciated to make the classes successful.

Congratulations are in order for P/C James F Dugan III as his N sight folder was just accepted. Congratulations also to Bobby Brown, Grover Edwards, Cathy and Chris Payne, Mary Vann and Bob Sitton, Stephen Stackhouse, and Spencer Whitley as they have completed the Seamanship course and taken the exam. All have signed up for Piloting, which will be taught by P/C Clay Helm, AP.

Our best wishes and thoughts remain with P/C Michael Pevear, S, as he guards and protects our coast and country with the USCG. We hope to hear from you soon, Mike!

RMPS will have good representation this year at the D-27 COW on 14-15 March in Winston Salem. We are co-hosting the Pirates Theme room with PSPS and TRSPS. A great time is sure to be had by all. Please come if you can and bring your Pirate garb and sword.

God Bless and see you at the March Family Night!

FEBRUARY 2003

As we begin a new year with a new but highly experienced Bridge, I would like to take an opportunity to thank you all for your confidence and support in your Bridge. Your new Commander and Bridge plan to work very hard to bring you many outstanding educational opportunities and social functions both on and off the water with variety aimed to interest all members.

Our annual Change of the Watch ceremony was held at The Legacy on 24 January and was a really fantastic time with great food and camaraderie. 

A few days before the COW, we learned that P/C Michael C. Pevear, S, who was to be our Master of Ceremonies, was called to active duty with his US Coast Guard Reserve unit .  Mike was to report for duty the next day.  We wish him a safe return. 

We thank P/Lt/C Kendall M. Cranston, AP, for filling in as MC on short notice.  We are very grateful for the leadership from D/C George J. Ellis, AP, accompanied by his wife P/C Helen J. Ellis, P, who not only officiated over the COW but also entertained us with some great stories. D/Lt/C (and incoming D/C) Donald Dunlap, SN, and his wife Lt Donna Dunlap from the Pamlico Squadron, and P/C (and incoming D/27 Admin Officer) Ben Reed, AP, from the Tar River Squadron were also in attendance representing the new District Bridge and our growing bonds with the Pamlico and the Tar River Squadrons. Cdr Chip Hayes, N, and his wife Lt Jill Hayes of the Pamlico Squadron also joined in the festivities and we are delighted to have enjoyed their company and support.

P/C Kenneth C. Hedeen, AP, unfortunately was not able to attend due to a business emergency however he can be assured he was relieved of his duties and properly roasted in absentia. In fact, we now have defined a new meaning for P/C -- “ Phantom Commander”.  Seriously, we thank Ken for his leadership this past year and understand the difficulties of moving and working at long distances from the Squadron’s homeport.

Personally, I thank Ken for honoring me with the Commander’s Award, as I know we always have a number of very deserving candidates. Also, congratulations to Mary Vann Sitton on her receipt of the Marshall Brushwood Award.

RMPS will be co-hosting a hospitality room at the D/27 COW on 14 March in Winston-Salem with the Tar River and Pamlico Squadrons. Our theme is “ Pirates” and we will be dressed as such using the Queen Anne’s Revenge as our Flag Ship. The folks at Tar River and Pamlico are already busily working on getting ready so we will need some volunteers to hold up our end.

We were pleased to have D/C Ellis induct Bobby Brown at the COW.  We promptly drafted and installed him as Assistant Administrative Officer. Welcome aboard, Bobby!

We congratulate P/N/F/Lt U. Glenn Daughtridge, AP, on being selected as an Aide to the District Commander.  Incoming D/C Don Dunlap, SN, plans to have more humor at district meetings and calls Glenn his “Jolly Mon”.

You will see in our announcements that our very dedicated and efficient educational staff, led by P/C Nelson Gainey, P, is kicking off the Spring Boating Class on 24 February. Lt/C Chris Payne has scheduled a show and tell of their recent Caribbean sailing vacation by 1/Lts Mary Vann and Robert Sitton  at the Family Night at Silver Lake Restaurant on 6 February.

Lastly, I would like to thank Jim Dugan for insuring that you do not have two boat-less Commanders in a row by adding my little (and unused in recent years) Sunfish, The Millie G, into the roster.

God Bless and see you at the February Family Night!

It is an honor and privilege to have been elected as your thirty-second commander.

I am excited and grateful that we have such a very strong, active and committed bridge for this coming year.  Chris Payne, our Administrative Officer, has some very innovative ideas for family meetings, which may expand beyond our historical family night fare.   Your new Bridge is committed to making the coming year more exciting and fun than ever before. It is our belief that we need to provide quality educational, social and boating opportunities to insure membership participation and to have a strong and active Squadron. Our goal will be to provide these to the very best of our abilities.

Our boating safety educational team and vessel safety check team have just finished a very productive year and we are starting to see a significant membership growth from our most recent boating course. The Rocky Mount Power Squadron has historically done an excellent job in Boating Safety Education and Cooperative Charting; the last two years we have added the Vessel Safety Check program. Together these three elements provide the basis of our excellent Boating Safety Program.

We plan to continue and expand our educational and boating safety programs for next year. It is also our belief that it is very important to have as many boating activities as possible and we will make that a priority.

Most of all we need your support, participation and ideas to make our Squadron successful and strong.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Our Spring Boating Course will begin on Monday, 24 February, at Edgecombe Community College. Please inform all of your boating friends to attend! Volunteer your services to our educational officer. This is our first contact with most boaters and a great opportunity to spread the word about USPS®.

The District 27 Change of Watch will be 14-15 March 2003 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Winston-Salem.  We will combine efforts with the Pamlico and Tar River Squadrons for a fabulous hospitality room.  Plan now to attend!  See the article on the District 27 Change of Watch for details and registration form.

Details of all these activities are presented in articles throughout this website and in our monthly newsletter, The Coastal Plains Signal.

Page updated 29 January 2006.

Please send comments to P/C James F. Dugan III, SN, Webmaster, at:  rmps@duganotero.com

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