The Hartford Power Squadron holds seven member meetings during the year. These meetings are primarily social with each having a program of general interest to boaters. Members get to talk with fellow boaters about their boating experiences and many life-long friendships have been kindled among our members.
The Annual Meeting in March is an important meeting for all members. It includes reports by the outgoing Bridge officers, the approval of the budget and the election of officers for the coming year. All members are encouraged to attend to help set the direction of the squadron for the new year.
The Change of Watch gives us a chance to celebrate the past year and install the new Bridge Officers. We give out awards to the outgoing Bridge and other members who have contributed their time and effort over the year. We always enjoy an excellent meal and a lot of fun.
The meetings are open to all members, guests, and prospective members and are generally scheduled at 6:30 on the 4th Tuesday of selected months. The meetings are held at the Olympia Diner in Newington.
Meeting time
and place:
Cost: $20 for dinner with a cash bar at 6:30pm.
Meeting starts at
7:15pm
Place: Olympia Diner, 3413 Berlin Turnpike,
Newington, CT
Reservations: Contact
Jim Salvatore at
jimsal1@comcast.net.
In February 2021, Command Master Chief Voland
became the 19th Command Master Chief of Naval
Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
Born in Quincy, Illinois, Command Master
Chief Voland ` also become a Connecticut
native. Following graduation from Groton’s
Robert E. Fitch Senior High School in 2002, he
enlisted in the Navy and volunteered for the
Submarine Force, ascending the ranks and earning
designation as a specialist in submarine
warfare.
He completed basic training at
Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois,
and Basic Enlisted Submarine School and Sonar
Technician “A” School at Naval Submarine School,
in Groton.
Command Master Chief Voland’s
at sea assignments include USS HARTFORD
(SSN-768) stationed in Groton, where he served
as a member, and then Leading Petty Officer, of
Sonar Division. During this assignment, he
advanced to First Class Petty Officer, earned
his Enlisted Submarine Warfare insignia, and
completed various deployments to the Southern,
Mediterranean and Central Command Areas of
Operation.
H also served in USS MISSOURI
(SSN-780) stationed in Groton, as the Sonar
Division Leading Chief Petty Officer; and after
advancing to Senior Chief in June 2012, he
assumed the duties of Weapons Department Senior
Enlisted Advisor. USS MISSOURI completed a six
month deployment as well as a surge deployment
to the European Command (EUCOM) Area of
Operations, while Command Master Chief Voland
was assigned. In August 2017, he reported to USS
NORTH DAKOTA (SSN 784) stationed in Groton, as
the ship’s third Chief of the Boat. he led USS
NORTH DAKOTA through two Six Month EUCOM
deployments and achieved Two Meritorious Unit
Citations, and the 2018 COMSUBRON FOUR Battle
“E” Award.
Command Master Chief Voland’s
shore assignments include duty as a recruiter
and Station Leading Chief Petty Officer for Navy
Recruiting District New England, and serving as
Sonar Assistant on the Staff of Submarine
Squadron Four in Groton.
Command Master
Chief Voland is a graduate of the U.S. Coast
Guard Senior Enlisted Academy Class 61 and the
Chief of the Boat/Command Master Chief course.
His personal decorations include the Navy and
Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards),
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (five
awards), Good Conduct Medal (five awards), and
numerous unit and campaign awards.
Rick Steves suggests Varenna as the ‘place to
stay’ when visiting Lake Como in Italy. It is
the center of a triangle of the beautiful towns
of Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio and is easy to
get to from Milan. A short ferry boat ride
across the lake to either town makes for an easy
day trip to see the towns, villas, churches,
museums, and waterfronts. Cliff will show slides
of
all of the sights as well as discuss
getting there and highlight some of the sights
in ‘not to be missed’ Milan.
Cliff and his wife, Lucille, have enjoyed
visiting Europe and especially Italy for some
years. They have been using Airbnb for the last
five years and rely heavily on Rick Steves for
guidance on his ‘do it yourself’ style of
travel.
After many years of absence, the whales are back
in New York waters! Species such as the
seasonally migrating Humpback and North Atlantic
Right Whales, as well as the Fin whale, are
frequent visitors to the New York Bight. Using a
variety of scientific tools, scientists are
setting out to gain a better understanding of
the distribution and abundance of these large
whales and sea turtles in the Bight. Join North
American Marine Environment Protection
Association’s (NAMEPA) Education and Outreach
Director, Lisa Piastuch, to learn more about the
New York Bight Whale Monitoring Program,
methodologies employed, basic facts about marine
mammals and the results of the data collected as
part of their work to protect the global oceans,
lakes and river resources.
Lisa has a Master
of Science degree in Environmental Science and
Management from Sacred Heart University, where
her research focused on coastal ecosystems
restoration. Before joining NAMEPA, Lisa was an
Adjunct Professor at the University of
Bridgeport, teaching environmental conservation
and ecology. In addition, Lisa has over ten
years of professional experience in the
non-profit sector, forming partnerships and
fostering collaborations with various
organizations. She continues to inspire and
educate all ages on environmental stewardship.
Lt/C Cliff McKibbin, SN will present slides from
his trip last summer to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
He will cover the extensive canals of Amsterdam
with over 3000 house boats; the House Boat
Museum showing the inside of a house boat as
well as its cost to buy and moor and its
construction; a side trip to the famous
Keukenhof Gardens (think 10 million tulips); and
a side trip to Enkhuisen to the Zuiderzee Museum
. The latter was a water side village similar to
Sturbridge Village with people explaining how to
make rope, operate windmills, plus all the
activities necessary for a self-sustaining
village in the 1800s.
He will also cover the
engineering marvel of the walling off the
Zuiderzee, turning a third of Holland from a
dangerous shallow saltwater pond into a
freshwater lake. Finally, he will touch on a few
practicalities of a trip to Holland (getting
there, food is similar to ours, they speak
English, Airbnb, etc.). You’ll want to go and
see it for yourself!
Cliff is currently the
Treasurer and Historian of the Hartford Power
Squadron and has served as its Secretary and
Commander. He has also served the District 1
organization as Secretary, Treasurer, and is
currently the Editor of the Sounds of 1. He and
his wife, Lucille, have traveled to Europe
several times and always enjoy delving into the
different culture, art, and history.
You’re out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon,
and you ground your boat on a sandbar. You
recheck your charts, and there is no sandbar
there. The annual spring floods have created a
sandbar where there once was none, and you’re
the lucky one that found it! The tide is going
out, so you are soon to be high and dry. So,
what do you do? If you’re like a lot of boaters,
you carry towing insurance on your boat, so you
call your carrier Sea Tow. Different scenario.
Now let’s say you’re out on Long Island Sound
and you hit some rocks. You later check your
charts, and sure enough, there they are. No
excuse this time, but it happens. For now,
though, you have a situation on your hands. This
time the tide is coming in, and you’re taking on
water. Do you still call Sea Tow, or do you call
the “Coasties?” Is this still a towing
situation, or did it turn into a salvage
operation? Does your Sea Tow policy still cover
you, or do you need to rely your boat policy to
cover you? Does your boat policy even cover you?
Our October speaker Captain Thomas
Heinssen from Sea Tow will talk to us about
Emergencies at Sea and will endeavor to answer
these and any other questions you have on this
often-misunderstood topic.
Please bring
your questions and join us for what is sure to
be an educational and entertaining evening.
When we look up at the sky, we are seeing the very same stars that guided sailors long before the invention of navigational tools. Over time, we have advanced from compass to sextant to the modern GPS units that many of our smartphones have. It is important now more than ever to foster an interest in the traditions of the past. Our September presentation will provide a detailed overview of the evolution of maritime celestial navigation, beginning with the earliest recorded methods and advancing through the present time. We’ll explore deduced reckoning, eastingwesting, latitude by the noon sun during the day and Polaris by night, and the “Quest for Longitude” and its results. We will conclude by examining how these methods and tools have laid the groundwork for the modern GPS navigation upon which we all rely in our world today.
Since 1960, the Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic
Seaport has been a center for science education,
inspiring visitors to draw connections between
our maritime history and the world around us.
Supervising those efforts since 2013 has been
Brian Koehler. His primary responsibilities have
been to lead, manage, train, and support the
planetarium staff of educators and volunteers.
He oversees daily operations, public shows,
school programs, and equipment maintenance. He
is responsible for developing new programming,
as well as modifying existing programming, to
meet the newest Science Education Standards at
both federal and state levels. Finally, he is
spearheading new marketing efforts to increase
the
visibility of the Planetarium, with the
ultimate goal of maximizing their attendance
potential.
Please join us for our kickoff meeting of the fall season for what is sure to be an educational and entertaining evening.
The May 28th Members’ Meeting will feature a talk by Bill Fournier. Bill will present us with the intriguing history of Connecticut River ferries from the earliest 'Fording Place' to their eventual replacement with bridges. Bill's research into the subject included viewing many items housed in local Historical Societies and Libraries, as well as his own extensive collection of Connecticut River historical items, books, Army Corps of Engineers charts and related reports. He is a wealth of knowledge and his presentation will be enlightening.
We will also be given a glimpse into the history of well-used ferry crossings located at Windsor, Hartford, Wethersfield, Haddam, and Old Saybrook.
Having grown up living next to the Connecticut River at the family homestead, Bill obtained his first rowboat at seven years old. He helped his parents maintain and operate Fournier's Boat Livery for the rental of Shad fishing boats. His interest in boating includes service in the CT DEEP Boating Division. Starting in 1983, he coordinated and taught various boating safety education classes throughout the State. Bill’s interests in history continued to grow while researching the history of King's (Terry's) Island. Currently, in preparation for publication, his research will be a reference for historians. The reference should also have a wide appeal to a general audience of those interested in River history. We are honored to have him as a speaker and look forward to his presentation.
The February 26th Members' Meeting will feature
a talk by Don MacKenzie, Vice President and
General Manager of Boats Incorporated a boat
dealership and marina located in picturesque
Niantic Connecticut. Boats Incorporated is one
of the few dealerships in Connecticut to be
Marine Certified‚ and a Top 100 Dealer since the
inception of both programs. It has been a
Grady-White Admiral's Circle Member for 15
consecutive years, a Yamaha Best in Class Dealer
in the Northeast for 11 consecutive years, one
of the Yamaha Dealer Council Members, and last
but not least, a Parker Marine Customer Service
Award Winner for the past three years.
Don's
talk will mostly revolve around Hartford and
politics and how large our industry is and how
much revenue the industry brings into the state.
Hartford often treats our industry as nothing
but rich guys and think we all have yachts and
can afford to pay any taxes they put upon us.
They don't realize the average size boat in our
state is only 22'. Don plans on discussing how
much of an effect people in the industry have in
meeting one on one with a representative from
their district.
Don will also discuss the job
market. The boating industry is losing good
technicians by simple attrition. The industry is
screaming for good mechanics and with Dealer
Certification. The good dealerships in the state
are paying great wages, medical, 401k with
matching funds, personal days, etc. It is a good
paying job in a great working atmosphere. The
kids today don't understand jobs are waiting for
them. If you or someone you know is looking for
a career working with boats, please do not miss
this presentation.
The last thing he will
discuss is the challenge of bringing new and
younger boaters into boating. The list of
boaters in their thirties is dwindling. We must
find a way to get the youth into boating. The
manufacturers have discovered they make the most
money on the larger boats and we need an entry
level boat that is affordable for the younger
generation to get their feet wet. Boating is one
of the ONLY activities that families can still
do together.
Please don't miss what is sure
to be a lively and informative discussion on a
topic we all love. Bring your friends and family
too.
The October 24th
Members’ Meeting
featured a talk on beautiful New Zealand
by Past District Commander George Gilbert. Come
listen to the adventures of George and his
brothers in New Zealand, the last habitable land
mass on earth to be populated. A place where the
natives are proud to be called
Kiwis and
1/3 of the country is a protected national park.
Also, home to Auckland, one of the most
affordable cities in the world to live in, where
one in three households own a boat and where
there is a hill in Hawkes Bay named
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
which lays claim to the longest place name in
the world.
The
September 26th Members’ Meeting featured a talk
by NOAA representative Glenn Field on New
England hurricanes. New England hurricanes are
very different from the kind of hurricanes that
you’ve read about or that strike Florida or the
Caribbean. You will learn why the structure is
different and thus, how our safety and
preparedness rules are different in some ways.
People of my generation remember Hurricane
Gloria in 1985 and Hurricane Bob in 1991…and we
think those were ‘real’ hurricanes. However,
this sense of reality is warped, since it has
now been 62 years since the last major hurricane
(Carol) that struck New England. This
presentation will take you back to the days of
the 1938 Hurricane, Connie, Diane, Carol, etc.
and show what a true hurricane really can do!
emergency
managers, and school groups and always listens
to suggestions for improvement of services.
Also, he is responsible for coordinating and
implementing new procedures at the NWS, for the
quality assurance of products, and is in charge
of the SKYWARN volunteer weather observers
program. Also, Glenn works with towns to enable
them to become “StormReady,” another National
Weather Service community preparedness program.
Prior to coming to Taunton, Glenn was a Lead Forecaster at the NWS in Raleigh, NC; a Forecaster at the NWS in Milwaukee, WI; and a Satellite Meteorologist at the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service’s Synoptic Analysis Branch in Washington, D.C. Glenn holds a M.S. Degree in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he also received his B.S. in both Meteorology and Economics (the 2 sciences that one can’t predict, he jokes.)
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