Member Meetings and Events
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.
Upcoming Members' Meetings
September 26, 2023 Members' Meeting
"Weather"
by Darren Sweeney
DARREN SWEENEY
Darren Sweeney of NBC 30 will be joining us for the 28 February Members' Meeting. Darren is a Meteorologist, and delivers the forecast every weekend morning. He has been recognized by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the National Weather Association (NWA).
Darren is also an Associate Professor of Journalism at CCSU. He volunteers his time at many events raising money and awareness for different types of cancer research. Darren helps homeless animals find good homes. He has experience forecasting severe weather and chasing hurricanes.
Help us welcome Darren Sweeney!
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.
What You May Have Missed
February 28, 2023 Members' Meeting
"Weather"
by
Darren Sweeney
DARREN SWEENEY
Darren Sweeney of NBC 30 will be joining us for the 28 February Members' Meeting. Darren is a Meteorologist, and delivers the forecast every weekend morning. He has been recognized by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the National Weather Association (NWA).
Darren is also an Associate Professor of Journalism at CCSU. He volunteers his time at many events raising money and awareness for different types of cancer research. Darren helps homeless animals find good homes. He has experience forecasting severe weather and chasing hurricanes.
Help us welcome Darren Sweeney!
January 24, 2023 Members' Meeting
"Trivia Night with
Steve Petty!"
You won't want to miss our January program featuring categories of nautical questions.
May 24, 2022 Members' Meeting
"Sailing - When
Everything Fails"
by Rob Goldstein
ROB GOLDSTEIN WILL KEEP YOU SPELLBOUND WITH HIS TALE OF A TRIP GONE WRONG.
ROB GOLDSTEIN
Rob started sailing when he was around 10 years old at a Boy Scout sailing camp where he learned all the basics of sailing, including knot tying, splicing and racing. After sailing for a number of years on his family's 16 foot sailboat, then Rhodes 19, his family purchased their O'Day 27 that he continues to sail out of Westbrook Pilots Point marina. Rob enjoys reading up on all things sailing and anything to expand his knowledge of boating, maintenance and safety.
A friend was moving from CT to Puerto Rico to live aboard his 33-foot sailboat. I volunteered to assist as the 2nd Skipper in the 1st leg of the trip to Norfolk, VA, an approximate 400-mile trip.
Almost everything went wrong that could have: The head check valve failed, nearly swamping the boat until we started the pump. Then the batteries went dead and we realized the alternator had not been working. We were sailing through major shipping channels with no lights, no AIS, and no pump. We ended up pumping by hand. The Captain fell overboard and was barely saved. The remainder of the crew were inexperienced and got sea-sick. Finally, we had to have sea-tow bring us to port as the engine wouldn’t start. To wrap it up, the Captain had a heart attack but is still planning to sail to Puerto Rico.
Rob will describe this ‘trip from hell’ with slides and videos of the voyage, and how he and the crew handled the emergencies. He wraps up with suggestions for any boater to try and avoid or at least prepare for emergencies at sea. Every boater should attend this important presentation.
March 22, 2022 Members' Meeting
ANNUAL MEETING
"Show
Up and VOTE!"
Elections will be
held for the new Bridge and other Executive
Committee positions.
Elections start at
7:15pm
January 25, 2022 Members' Meeting
Has Been
Rescheduled to February 22, 2022
"TRIVIA
NIGHT WITH STEVE PETTY!"
You won't want to
miss our January program featuring categories of
nautical questions.
October 26th Members' Meeting
“Submarine Force of Today”
by Master Chief
Kellen Volland
CMDCM (SS)
Kellen Voland
Command Master Chief, Navy
Submarine Base New London
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.
September 28th Members’ Meeting
“Join
us on an Adventure spanning nearly 18 Months on
America's Great Loop!”
Featuring Nick
Civitillo
March 23rd Annual Members’ Meeting
“The
Water World of Varenna and Lake Como”
Lt/C
Cliff McKibbin, SN
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.
September 22nd Members’ Meeting
“Whales are Back in New York Waters”
by Lisa Piastuch
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.
February 25, 2020 Members' Meeting Featured
“The Water
World of Amsterdam”
by Cliff McKibbin
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.
January 28, 2020 Members'
Meeting Featured
"The Connecticut River
from the Air"
by Jerry Roberts
Author historian, Jerry Roberts has spent his career digging up the past, discovering history’s untold stories and bringing them to the public through books, documentaries and exhibits. He has served as executive director for several major museums in New York and New England. He likes to say that history is the best reality show ever produced.
The program is followed by Q&A and a chance to purchase the book and have it signed by the author.
October 22, 2020 Members’ Meeting Featured
“Emergencies at Sea”
by Captain Thomas
Heinssen
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.
September 24, 2019 Members’ Meeting Featured
“Steering by the Stars: Celestial Navigation”
by Brian J. Koehler
Supervisor, Treworgy
Planetarium at Mystic Seaport
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.
May 28, 2020 Members’ Meeting Featured
“Ferry Tales”
by Bill Fournier
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.
February 26th 2019 Members' Meeting
"A Discussion
on Connecticut's Boating Industry"
by Don
MacKenzie
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.
January 22nd 2019 Members'
Meeting Featured
"Light Houses in Connecticut
and Long Island"
by Susan Tamulevich
New London's 1833 US Custom House was built at the height of the City's maritime power when New London was the second largest whaling port in the world. City leaders had petitioned the U.S. Treasury to build them 'a gem on the waterfront.' Architect Robert Mills, best-known for his design of the U.S. national Washington Monument, provided just that. The building was saved and now serves as the Custom House Maritime Museum.
Susan Tamulevich became executive director of the New London Maritime Society ten years ago. Since then, the society has adopted three local lighthouses and begun organizing their peers on Long Island Sound to form a cooperative lighthouse association. In her talk, Susan will speak about her work at New London Harbor 'Pequot' Lighthouse, Ledge Light, and Race Rock Light (off Fishers Island in New York) and about the joys and unanticipated complications of owning a lighthouse. Please join us for what is sure to be an informative and enjoyable presentation.
October Members' Meeting
Featured
Presenter
Cancelled Last Minute
September 2018
Members' Meeting Featured
"The Ports of Martha's
Vineyard"
by Lt/C Cliff McKibbin, SN
informative talk to find out the pros and cons of each harbor and things to do in each town.
May 2018 Members’
Meeting Featured
“Sea Grant College Programs”
Nancy Balcom is the Associate Director and Extension Program Leader for Connecticut Sea Grant and a Senior Extension Educator with UConn Extension. Her extension interests range from seafood safety and marine spatial planning to seaweed aquaculture, disaster risk communication, and community resilience. She has been a member of the Sea Grant family for more than 33 years, starting in 1985 as a graduate student in Virginia, and has worked for Connecticut Sea Grant since 1990. Balcom has been a member of the Connecticut Seafood Council since its inception in 1997 and currently is in her 4th year as chair of the National Sea Grant Association Networks Advisory Council. She lives in eastern Connecticut with her husband, two sons and two enthusiastic Labrador Retrievers.
March 2018 Members’
Meeting Featured
“DEEP Fisheries Management
Program”
The Lobster Monitoring Program provides basic information needed to assess the long-term health of the Long Island Sound (LIS) lobster population. The Department’s goal is to ensure that the Sound’s lobster population is sustained while also providing opportunity for harvest by commercial and recreational fishermen.
The Long Island Sound Trawl Survey is a vital tool Marine Fisheries staff use to measure the abundance and distribution of finfish, squid and other macroinvertebrates (lobster, crabs, horseshoe crabs, whelks) in Long Island Sound, independent of commercial or recreational fishing.
Because this will also be our Annual Meeting, the Annual reports of the Commander, Executive Officer, Education Officer, Administration Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer will be presented. Acceptance of the proposed budget for 2018-19 will also be voted on. The report of the Nominations Committee will be given, and election of nominated officers will be held. Join us for what is sure to be an informative meeting.
February Members' Meeting Will Feature
"Philip A.
Gaudreau, Jr. Accredited Marine Surveyor"
A marine surveyor is a person who inspects boats, cargo, engines, barges, and pretty much anything that is on the water. Most marine surveyors specialize in one type of survey, yachts, and small crafts being the most popular type of surveyor. These are usually vessels used for pleasure or small craft used for commercial less than 1600 Gross tonnage, and it is the area of expertise for our speaker. Phillip's credentials cover over 40 years of experience in the marine industry and are too numerous to mention here. He has spent the last 30 years as the sole owner and employee of Allpoint Marine Services, specializing in marine surveying.
Some of the items that will be covered in his presentation are:
What is a Marine Surveyor?
Why get a Marine Survey?
Survey types: Prepurchase Survey, Condition and Valuation Survey, and Damage Appraisal.
How does a marine surveyor get the boat to tell its story (Systems on Board, Tools of the Trade)?
Please join us for a night that will give you an look into the world of the Marine Surveyor, a night that is sure to be enlightening and of great value to anyone contemplating buying or selling a boat.
January 2018 Members’ Meeting Featured
“A
Discussion on Search and Rescue”
Since graduating from the Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, NJ, in 1993, Commander Ely has amassed an impressive set of credentials. His honors include the Captain David H. Jarvis Award for Inspirational Leadership, the National Graduate School Distinguished Academic Student Award, the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and four Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbons. He currently serves as the Response Department Head at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound in New Haven, CT where he is responsible for oversight of maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and incident management. Please plan to join us for an evening that is sure to interesting and informative.
October 2017 Members’ Meeting
Featured
“A
talk by George Gilbert on beautiful New Zealand”
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.
September 2017 Members’ Meeting
Featured
“The Realities of New England Hurricanes”
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.)
May 2017 Members' Meeting Featured
"Big striped
bass with light tackle"
Captain
Mike is the founder and operator of Reel Cast
Charters, a full-time fishing charter based out
of Old Saybrook, Connecticut. His angling
pursuits have taken him across country, as well
as internationally, fishing in both fresh and
salt water from largemouth bass to giant bluefin
tuna. An innovative angler, he is constantly
applying new techniques, and his enthusiasm and
passion for the sport are contagious. Captain
Mike is a United States Coast Guard OUPV
Licensed Captain and graduate of Southern
Connecticut State University with a Bachelor's
and Master's Degree in Education. The seminar
will feature a power point presentation.
February 2017 Members' Featured
"History in our Midst"
The
February 28th Members' Meeting featured Hartford
Power Squadron's own Don Watson, a Life Member
of the United States Power Squadrons with 35
Merit Marks and 69 years of service.Don's presentation will start with a brief history of the combat experiences of the United States Army's 71st Infantry Division. The 71st fought its way across France, Belgium, Germany and Austria ousting a crumbling German Army from these countries and liberating their citizens on its way. Don will recount some of the Division's experiences from its landing in Le Havre, France, to its eventual liberation of prisoners from the Gunskirchen Lager concentration camp in Austria.
Don will then share his experiences at the most recent reunion of the WW II 71st Division held in Erie, PA. This is a reunion of both division member's and survivors of the Gunskirchen death camp. These survivors and their families attend the reunion in gratitude each year because they understand that without Don and the 71st Division there would not have been any survivors. Don's presentation will also cover his side trip to the D-Day Conneaut, an annual recreation of the amphibious Allied landings upon the beaches of Normandy, France held on the grounds of Conneaut Township Park, Conneaut, Ohio in since 1999.
Also being presented will be pictures from a Reuters news photographer of war-ravaged areas at the time of the war and how these sites have since been rebuilt.
January 2017 Members' Featured
"Scuba Diving – Then and Now"
The
The January 24th Members’ Meeting featured
John Langlois of Enfield Scuba and Watersports.
John is a Professional Association of Diving
Instructors (PADI) Course Director with over 10,000
open water dives half of which were in New England.
The other 5,000 plus dives took place on the
East and West coasts of North America and in
the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, the
Red Sea, Micronesia, the Philippines, the Sardine
Run in South Africa, the Maldives in the Indian
Ocean and Australia. John has certified over
2,800 PADI Open Water students and over 200
PADI Dive Masters and Instructors. The presentation will feature an evolution of diving from the earliest “twin-hose” open circuit design equipment familiar to Sea Hunt fans, to the modern most commonly used single-hose twin-stage design and Buoyancy Control Devices commonly referred to as BCDs.
Also featured will be pictures from various dive trips and diving mementos such as teeth from megalodon sharks. These behemoths could grow to almost 60 feet and have been extinct for over 2.6 million years.
There will be a raffle for free tuition to an Open Water Scuba Course to be taken at Enfield Scuba and Watersports. The raffle is free and open to all those who attend. One lucky winner will go home with free tuition valued at $250.
If you, your children, or anyone else you know has an interest in scuba diving, this is a meeting you won’t want to miss. As always, friends and family are welcome to attend. Seating is limited so if you don’t want to be left out in the cold (literally), contact Jim Salvatore to make your reservations.
October 2016 Members'
Meeting Featured
"2015 Bermuda 1-2 Sail Race"
The
October 25th Members' Meeting featured Dan
Stadtlander, first place winner in Class 4 in
the single-handed first leg of the 2015 Bermuda
1-2 sail race.The Bermuda 1-2 is one of the oldest short-handed offshore races in the world. The race is not for the faint of heart, it is a grueling 635-mile single-handed leg from Newport, RI, to St. Georges, Bermuda, and a double-handed leg back.
Dan competed in the race in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2007, he finished in 2nd place in Class 4 in the combined elapsed time in the race and third place in the combined corrected time. In 2009, Dan finished in 4th place in Class 4 in the single-handed first leg of the race. In 2013, Dan was forced to drop out during the first leg because of extremely adverse conditions that resulted in a shredded genoa and several mechanical failures, including a broken boom. Dan will be sharing his lessons learned from both failures and triumphs in these races.
Also presented will be an examination off what is required to undertake this race, including preparation, qualifying, safety equipment, keeping the boat going with minimal sleep, dealing with the Gulfstream and other aspects of the voyage.
September 2016 Members'
Meeting Featured
"The Water World of Venice"
The September 27th Members' Meeting featured
a talk and slides on Venice, Italy by Lt/C Cliff
McKibbin, SN. He will briefly review the history
of Venice including the era in which it was the
primary sea-faring power of the Mediterranean Sea
and controlled trade with the far east. He will
then describe modern day Venice including getting
there, its transportation infrastructure, and sights
and activities. Finally, he will touch on the future
questions related to rising water.
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