USPS Bulletin

USPS Broadcast Sail Course

2012-01-14T20:59:00.001-08:00

USPS Sail 09 course is now available onlline through the University of West Flroida.

R/C Wilbur Hugli, SN
Education OUtreach Committee

--
Dr. Wilbur Hugli
wilhugli@cox.net
whugli@uwf.edu
850.863.0874

CPR and First Aid Training to be Conducted in Jacksonville

2011-12-10T06:30:00.001-08:00

The Governing Board of the USPS has recognized CPR and First Aid training as an important part of safe boating skills and has established a new program to provide this training to all members.

At the USPS National Meeting in Jacksonville, FL, the Safety Committee has made arrangements for interested members to take this life saving training. Members will have the choice of taking the course on Wednesday, 25 January or on Thursday, 26 January. For those of you who have taken CPR in the past, please be aware the standards have changed as of January, 2011. Because of the new procedures, both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association recommend recertification. Information and registration forms can be found in the SailAngle – USPS Group – File Cabinet or by contacting P/C Alan Karpas, JN.

This course is unique in that is a combination of the American Heart Association’s Heart Saver First Aid, CPR/ AED for Adult and Child with an additional module devoted to “Special Medical Concerns for Boaters^©”. This section was written by USPS member, Dr. James A. Brown, JN. Dr. Brown holds a USCG Master’s License and is an avid international boater.

As part of the USPS objective of making the Jacksonville boating public aware of our presence, a public course is being offered on Tuesday, 24 January. Public Service Announcements and other marketing information are being sent to the Jacksonville media promoting the USPS involvement in safe boating through this program.

P/C Alan Karpas, JN

USPS Safety Committee

301-767-5905

alankarpas@verizon.net

#######

Cooperative Charting credits for mileage eliminated

2011-06-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Effective for the remaining 2011-2012 Cooperative Charting year, the national Cooperative Charting Committee, in conjunction with NOAA, has removed all program credits obtained for mileage.

The committee found that a disproportionately large number of program credits were being issued for mileage compared with those issued for information in the report. The committee believes that mileage credits should not exceed credits earned for reported information.

This change affects all reports except those already processed by NOAA as of 1 May 2011.

The committee believes this decision will allow all reports to be evaluated on the quality of the information they contain.

To maintain the credit level necessary to achieve Honor Roll recognition, the base report credits have been increased by an amount that should counterbalance the average number of credits lost by eliminating mileage.

Area representatives will closely monitor the amount of time spent on reports. In general, the amount of time per report will be limited to a maximum of 14 hours, allowing for a maximum of 8 hours’ field time and 6 hours’ processing time. For now, exceptions would be granted only if a district chairman, national committee member or NOAA requests additional field data to verify a questionable area of a depth survey. However, this additional time should not exceed the original time spent.

To encourage their participation and compensate for the removal of mileage credits, inland squadrons can receive additional credits for reports found to meet specified criteria.

The committee did not come to this decision lightly. After discussing and reviewing different ideas, we determined that this was the best, most practical method to make the adjustments.

The Cooperative Charting Program’s main goal is to provide NOAA with quality data to keep our nautical charts updated while recognizing everyone for their participation. The committee continues to look for ways to refine the credit system to achieve this goal. –Jim Strothers

BOC small craft boat size

2011-05-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

The USPS Boat Operator Certification program starts out with single-engine, small (under 26 feet) boats with the boat size getting larger as you progress through the program.

The program was specifically designed to start out with single-engine small boats regardless of the boat typically used by the operator because:
1. Most skills and knowledge that are used in a small boat will transfer to a larger craft.
2. A smaller boat alows one person to do the maneuvers.
3. Smaller boats allow the operators to feel the maneuvers and to see the results immediately.
4. Single engines take more skill to maneuver in tight quarters; the use of twin engines and bow thrusters relies too much on the boat and not on the abilities of the operator to do the maneuvers
5. Small craft generally have less gear and equipment on board to worry about during high-speed maneuvers, allowing the operator and instructor to concentrate on the training and spend less time worrying about the operation of the larger boat.
6. The certification is to demonstrate you understand the forces acting on a boat and the resultant responses. This will stay with you as you change the type of boat you use.

Chris Windeler

Fly Your Ensign Proudly

2011-04-19T07:47:00.001-07:00

As we all know, “USPS” does not stand for the “United States Postal Service.” It is the abbreviation for the “United States Power Squadrons”, a proud organization that will shortly celebrate its 100^th anniversary. Like Coca Cola, UPS, and most other entities, we have our own logo, the USPS Ensign.

For our Centennial Anniversary in 2014, a special Ensign is being designed. As we prepare for that event, we want to increase our display of pride and to advertise it to our fellow boaters. Too many have no idea what we are about.

In my last two years of cruising in our sailboat around the New Jersey, New York and New England waters (the home base of four districts with more than 5,000 members), I SPOTTED ONLY 3 ENSIGNS. ARE THE REST OF YOU HIDING?

1) ARE YOU PROUD TO FLY THE ENSIGN?

2) ARE YOU TRYING TO GROW OUR MEMBERSHIP?

3) DO YOU NEED NEW MEMBERS TO HELP IN CARRYING OUT OUR IMPORTANT MISSION?

4) DO YOU SUPPORT THE USPS, ITS AIMS AND OBJECTIVES?

Hopefully these all apply, and it is just a matter of an oversight that has to be addressed.

To encourage the display of the ensign on our member boats, District 4 ran a “Spot the Ensign” competition and raffle. When spotting a boat flying the Ensign, a member would hail that boat and gather details concerning the vessel’s name, its captain and the sighting location. This data was reported to the District and entered in a raffle, with a winner drawn and a $100 prize awarded at the annual conference. The reporting boat, if flying also flying the Ensign, was also entered. An additional $25 was added if the entrant was actually present at the conference.

The above program could be run on a district or multi-district level. The USPS Marketing Committee will hold a similar program at the national level and welcomes your comments or questions. Contact me, P/D/C David J. Meshulam, AP.

Flying the ensign should be a privilege and thus sought after by new members looking for the recognition of being part of our elite organization.

P/D/C David J. Meshulam, AP

Liaison to Boating Clubs

Marketing and Public Relations Committee

ABC3 Classroom Trial Membership A Smashing Success, Has Cutoff Dates

2011-04-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

Word is coming in that squadrons are seeing great success recruiting new members using the ABC3 Trial Membership Program. Under the program squadrons may choose to offer students that successfully complete the ABC3 Classroom course membership in their squadron free for six months. The offer is good for the students’ household members as well. Squadrons are regularly reporting over 90% of students joining.

There are a couple of rules:

The squadron must register the class and the students using the online HQ800 program and/or BCA 7.

The new member must complete a MemCom1 and the squadron must submit the membership data electronically.

There is a time limit:

For classes ending before 1 May, the students must accept membership and the online information must be entered prior to 30 May. For classes ending 1 May or later, the cutoff date is 30 days after the class end.

Check out the Membership Committee web site, www.usps.org/national/membership , for more information.

Don’t stop recruiting after signing up the new member. Get them to a meeting, to a rendezvous, and into a class. ABC3 Classroom Trial – the hottest thing going!

V/C Robert A. Baldridge, SN

New Weather Seminars!

2011-04-13T10:31:00.001-07:00

A new weather seminar – Basic Weather and Forecasting – will be available for online ordering shortly. The full color seminar guide complete with notes is at the printer now. The new seminar is more comprehensive than the present weather seminar. It is a must for boaters who have not taken a weather course. In addition to the new seminar guide, participants also will receive the QuickGuide – Onboard Weather Forecasting. As a heads-up, a new seminar – Marine Weather Forecasting – will be offered on the internet as a webinar on June 14 at 2000 EDT. With its emphasis on the 500 mb chart, the webinar, a USPS Ed Department first, will particularly appeal to coastal and offshore cruisers. Watch for details next month.

Marine Environment Committee

Blast for December

2010-12-08T20:33:00.001-08:00

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE AT EXPO. At the February 2011 USPS Annual Meeting, there will be space provided at EXPO to display the District and Squadron award winning newsletters. If your district or squadron newsletter is one of among those so recognized, please hand-carry only 25 copies of it to the meeting for display at our committee tables. By sharing in this way, others can have an example of what is expected in a newsletter that is presented the Distinctive Communicator Award. The logo for this award will be on our committee website for editors to pull down and use in the pages of newsletters and on websites.

A pin has been created and approved to be worn only by those staff members whose productions are given the "Distinctive Communicator" award for 2010. These pins are available through the Ship's Store on line (http://www.shopusps.org) or by phone. Only a small number of these pins will be on hand at the USPS Annual Meeting in February, so order early. The names of award winning newsletters and websites will be published on the Communications Committee website and in The Ensign early in 2011.

R/C Brenda Joyce, P

Communications Committee

bjoyce2000@aol.com

817-292-9549

Increase in Ship's Store Shipping Charges

2010-11-15T07:07:00.001-08:00

Shipping charges for Ship’s Store purchases have not increased in five years while shipping costs have increased between 4 to 6 percent each year. Effective 1 Dec. 2010, the following shipping charges will apply for Ship’s Store purchases.

Purchase price Shipping charge

$1.00 - $4.99 $5.00

$5.00 - $10.00 $7.00

$10.01 - $20.00 $7.95

$20.01 - $30.00 $8.45

$30.01 - $50.00 $9.95

$50.01 - $100.00 $11.95

$100.01 - $200.00 $13.95

$200.01 - $300.00 $15.95

$300.01 and up $17.95

Mary Catherine Berube

USPS Headquarters Executive Director

Proposed Labeling Requirements for Dispensing Gasoline with Greater Than 10% Ethanol (E15) and Request for Comments

2010-11-15T05:36:00.001-08:00

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a regulatory program to help mitigate the potential for misfueling certain engines, vehicles, and equipment with gasoline containing greater than 10% by volume ethanol up to 15% ethanol (E15). The proposed rule would require all E15 gasoline fuel dispensers to have a label if a retail station chooses to sell E15 and seeks comment on separate labeling requirements for fuel blender pumps and fuel pumps that dispense E85.

At this time E15 is only approved for use in cars and light trucks 2007 model year and newer. It is not approved for use in any on-road vehicles 2000 model year or older nor any off-road engines (including heavy duty engines, ATVs, lawn mowers, boats, etc.). At this time, EPA is still evaluating the effects of its use in cars and light trucks model years 2001-2006 and will render a decision in the future.

All gas stations that choose to sell E15 will have to upgrade their dispensing systems/add additional dispensers to allow for the sale of both E10 (currently in use) and the newly approved E15. The US EPA has proposed a label to alert customers as to which fuel they are dispensing in their vehicle.

AUTHORS OPINION: Given the severity of potential damage E15 could do to an engine not designed to use it and the complete indemnification of the USEPA and gas station for selling E15, I personally think such a label is useless in protecting the public interest. If EPA’s intent is to increase the use of this product, they should require vehicles and dispensing containers to be fitted with a mechanical interlock that prevents E15 from being used in unapproved vehicles and engines.

In addition, I also believe that EPA should require a testing/tracking program to ensure that E15 blended at a terminal can be tracked to a station so that terminal and station owners can be held accountable for dispensing E15 to non-approved vehicles (e.g. if E15 is sent to marinas).

Comments on this proposal should be submitted by January 3, 2011. 75 Fed. Reg. 68043 (November 4, 2010). I encourage all members to submit any comments they feel appropriate regarding this proposed regulatory program.

—Sam Insalaco

On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 8:20 AM, Yvonne Hill <hilly@hq.usps.org> wrote:

Hi Sam,

Can you please send text of what is on SailAngle so we can also post on USPS bulletin. I want to avoid upsetting our members.

Thanks,
Yvonne

Yvonne Hill • Editor • USPS
P.O. Box 31664 • Raleigh, NC 27622
888-367-8777 • Fax 888-304-0813
The Ensign magazine • USPS Compass

From: JotForm [mailto:noreply@jotform.com]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 8:15 AM
To: Yvonne Hill
Subject: New Submission: USPS Monthly Broadcast

--
Sam Insalaco

www.bereapowersquadron.org
www.usps.org
www.northcoastboating.com

SailAngle Update

2010-11-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

After just over one year of operations, we have 7200 members or 19% of our membership on SailAngle.com. The following graph shows that some districts have had some success in the sign-up process while others have not really started. To reap the benefits of this system, we need more participation.

As might be expected, this is a topic of discussion at district conferences. One of the more common objections is "it's different". Of course it's different. You cannot add capabilities without introducing change. The objection might have merit if no instructional information had been provided. That has not been the case. The folks at SailAngle have given seminars at district conferences, provided online webinars, distributed instructional DVD's as well as generating tutorial videos. There are over 60 videos on how to effectively use SailAngle.

(http://www.sailangle.com/index/help-tutorial-videos ) .

Another objection is "trust". I was under the impression that this issue had been put to bed sometime ago. A number of our more skeptical members put the system to the test early on and found that our data is protected. However, at a recent district conference, I learned that an incident which occured last year was being attributed to SailAngle. The incident in question concerned unsolicited emails advertisements from a company selling USPS compliant websites. Since this incident occured after the introduction of SailAngle, some jumped to the conclusion that email addresses were obtained from SailAngle. This conclusion is totally in error. SailAngle has gone to great lengths to protect our data.

I would encourage all squadrons which have not already done so to try the bulk enrollment option. Members who are not satisfied can always opt out.

Dave Hinders

National Secretary

Unification to Affect New Member Entry

2010-09-21T04:48:00.001-07:00

We’re unified! At the 4 September Governing Board, USPS members voted to unify the Active and Family membership types into one – members. Now, former Family Members can vote, hold office, become Senior and Life Members, and fly the Ensign. New incoming members are all “Active” members (OK, except Apprentice and Sea Scout members).

Starting on 1 November, Headquarters will start entering all attached family unit members under the dues category “Additional Active.” But, there’s no reason to wait. Now, when a new member joins and brings his family along as a family unit, they should become Additional Actives. After 1 November, all new members will receive “E” certificate numbers.

It’s a good time for squadrons to consider adopting “Family Unit Dues”. On the national level, we have a single rate, $39, for single actives and a single rate, $58.50, for entire families or what we call Family Units. So, new members are encouraged to sign up their entire family as members for just 150% of the price of a single membership.

With unified membership, all members will be active members. Headquarters will be able to maintain the legacy dues status indicators for current Family Members until 31 May 2012. After that, we’ll lose traceability of the old dues status codes, so squadrons should address their dues structures before that.

Look for more information to come.

It good to be unified!

By V/C Robert A. Baldridge, SN

Security Update - One more time

2010-08-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

Following the 2010 Fall Governing Board we will switch to a two tier security system. Members will still be able to logon using their zip code, but they will have minimal access to data on the web site. Members logging on using their PIN will have access to the same data as before the switch. The IT Committee has published two videos which describe how to get your PIN and the Information Center has been updated to provide instructions and help. We have been encouraging those in leadership positions to switch from ZIP to PIN for the past three months. While we have made some progress, there is still a long way to go.

Rank	Security Question
	June	July	August
Bridge	100%	100%	100%
R/C	32%	39%	39%
D/C	21%	21%	24%
Stf/C	19%	20%	23%
Cdr	11%	13%	13%
Total	15%	17%	18%

If you have not already done so, visit the Information Center http://www.usps.org/national/tools and select “Manage Your Security Information”.

Cyber Squadron is Growing

2010-07-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

In 2009, we introduced the concept of a “Cyber Squadron”. Visitors to the USPS web site could join by simply filling out an application and paying their dues via credit card. These new members are assigned to the “Cyber Squadron” and have most of the benefits of membership. The one benefit which is lacking is the social aspects of belonging to a real squadron. To ensure that ALL benefits of membership are available, the new members are encouraged to transfer to a real squadron. To help in the process, they are provided with contact information for the four closest (within 100 miles) squadrons in their neighborhood. At the same time, these squadrons are notified that there is a new member who is looking for a squadron.

In June of 2010, we expanded the Cyber Squadron by awarding six months of free membership to anyone purchasing Americas Boating Course version 3 online. The only restriction is that the student must be 18 years or older and provide a valid email address. The same notification process applies to the “ABC3” members.

The following graph illustrates the impact of this new program on Cyber Squadron.

Cyber Squadron membership is an opportunity for squadron growth. All you have to do is introduce them to the educational opportunities, squadron activities, and your members. Invite them to a dinner meeting, a rendezvous, any fun activity where they can see your squadron in action. Send them a copy of your newsletter. Hopefully, they will be convinced that your squadron is the one for them.

Transferring a Cyber Squadron member to a real squadron is “paperless” and simple. When they join, the Cyber Squadron member is provided with the URL of a transfer page (http://www.usps.org/php/DHinders/xfer/ ) where they enter their PIN, select the squadron they wish to transfer to, and click “Submit”. An email message is sent to the squadron asking for approval. Headquarters and the member are also copied and when the squadron does a “Reply All” indicating approval, headquarters makes the transfer.

If the transferring member paid a full years dues, the squadron and district will receive the funds collected for them. The amount collected is the USPS average for an individual or a family unit. This funds transfer takes place automatically when the member transfer is completed.

Cyber Squadron Funds	Individual	Family
District Assessment	$ 5.00	$ 7.50
Squadron Assessment	$ 27.80	$ 41.70

Since no dues were collected for the ABC3 Cyber Squadron members, no funds are transferred.

The Cyber Squadron program is made possible thru electronic communications. Therefore, it is important that squadron members in key positions have valid email addresses on file. The squadron Public Contact is the first person we try to notify of a new Cyber Squadron member. A quick way to check on your squadron’s Public Contact is to visit (http://www.usps.org/php/DHinders/membership/contactInfo.php )

Your squadron may have Cyber Squadron members nearby or you may have unattached members in your neighborhood. To find out if there are potential membership opportunities near you, just visit (http://www.usps.org/php/DHinders/unattached ).

Membership is Job #1

New USPS Member Benefits

2010-07-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Introducing a new collection of USPS member benefits

Dear USPS Member,

The Member Benefits Committee has put together a new group of benefits to help USPS members save money on travel, vacations, wireless phone plans, auto and home insurance, prescription drugs, computer backup programs, identity theft programs, accidental death benefits, long term care programs, senior age life insurance and cancer care insurance.

And this is just the beginning. More benefits will be added in the future. To keep you informed about what benefits are available, some providers will mail you informational pieces from time to time. USPS respects your privacy and will control the distribution of the list to ensure the confidentiality of your mailing addresses.

While we’re confident that you’ll be excited to hear about these programs as they become available, if you prefer not to receive this information, you can discontinue the mailings at any time. Simply click this link to indicate your wishes.

Thank you for your ongoing support of USPS. We’re sure these new member benefits will futher enrich your USPS membership

Yours in Boating,

Frank Dvorak
Chief Commander
United States Power Squadrons

Enhanced Security Update

2010-07-12T20:35:00.001-07:00

In last month’s broadcast, we published our plan to move to a more secure web access system. We also emphasized the importance of the organizations leaders having access to secure data and asked for 100% participation by those in a leadership role. While the results are not overwhelming, someone was listening and we have made some progress.

Rank	Security Question
	June	July
Bridge	100%	100%
R/C	32%	39%
D/C	21%	21%
Stf/C	19%	20%
Cdr	11%	13%
Total	15%	17%

Our leaders need to set an example and encourage the rest of the membership to make the transition from ZIP code to PIN. We have made a small advance overall and now have 1152 members (3%) with a security question.

The following table illustrates the data which will be available to a squadron commander who has logged on using his PIN versus one who has logged on using his ZIP code.

Data Access
Data Field	PIN Logon	ZIP Logon
Top of Form Name Bottom of Form	X	X
Sex	X	X
Birthday	X	X
Current Rank	X	X
Past Rank	X	X
Squadron Rank	X	X
Squadron	X	X
District	X	X
Previous Squadron	X	X
Previous District	X	X
Certificate Number	X
Address1	X
City	X
State	X
ZIP	X
Phone	X
Business Phone	X
OK to call	X
Email	X	SEND EMAIL BUTTON
Email	X
Email-Status	X
Sig Other	X	X
SO Sex	X	X
Joined	X
Years	X
MM	X
Edpro	X
Senior	X
Membership Type	X
Membership Status	X
Billing Date	X
Dues Invoice #	X
Membership Renewal	X
Month	X
Billing Status	X
Last Profile Update	X
Last HQ Update	X
Instructor Certification	X
Expires	X	X
Squadron Job	X	X
District Job	X Bottom of Form	X

Visit the Information Center http://www.usps.org/national/tools and select “Manage Your Security Information”. Once you have switched from ZIP to PIN,

help us spread the word to members, committees, districts, and squadrons.

Thanks for your help

DAO/SAO News and What's Next

2010-07-12T07:42:00.001-07:00

Leadership and Leadership Development continue to be the #1 2010 goal of our Chief Commander Frank Dvorak, SN. Our DAO/SAO course, developed specifically for Administrative Officers, is well underway across the country. Dallas hosted the DAO/SAO Leadership training with more than thirty students which brings our total to nearly 150. Our USPS members are making their reservations for this course in Bellevue, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles (Marina del Rey,) Baltimore (Rockville,) Cleveland (Sandusky,) New York (Poughkeepsie,) and Chicago. See our website www.usps.org/national/ot/ for detailed outlines, venues, faculty and registration.

On 9 October, we will Beta test the new DXO/SXO course for Executive Officers. The DAO/SAO course is a pre-requisite; DB2000 designation and a certificate are part of this new course as well. These two courses focus upon practical leadership skills in USPS. Courses include case studies that address challenges we face in many squadrons. Both courses address realistic topics including attitudes, leadership styles, teambuilding and goal setting. Sections regarding USPS structure and conducting Effective Meetings, round out the program. If you have questions, please contact Stf/C Anita F. Walker, JN at anita5040@bellsouth.net or 954 781 8061

Enhanced Security - The Next Step

2010-06-10T22:53:00.001-07:00

In last month’s broadcast, John Bradley posted a reminder that the time for switching from ZIP code to PIN to logon to the USPS web site is rapidly approaching. When we checked on how many of our members have selected a security question, we found that only 2% had done so. Given the fact that so few have taken the necessary steps to improve the security of our logon system, we have decided to do the following:

1. Delay the transition.

2. Implement a two tier security system.

a. Logon with ZIP code and you have minimal access

b. Logon with PIN and you have full access.

3. Provide a simple mechanism for obtaining and changing your PIN.

4. Spreading the word.

5. Turning the new system on following the Fall Governing Board.

It is most important that those who need access to the data we are trying to protect, have selected a security question and switched to using the PIN to logon. The leadership of USPS is doing somewhat better than the general membership, but still has a ways to go.

Rank	Security Question
Bridge	100%
R/C	32%
D/C	21%
Stf/C	19%
Cdr	11%
Total	15%

To improve the logon security of our system, we need the help of our leadership. The national bridge has committed to PIN logon and the entire bridge has selected their security question. We would like to see 100% for all of these ranks. Visit the Information Center http://www.usps.org/national/tools and select “Manage Your Security Information”.

Once our leaders find out how easy it is, we would like for them to help us spread the word to their committees, districts, and squadrons.

Can we count on you?

District/Squadron Administrative Officer Leadership Training

2010-06-09T13:16:00.001-07:00

The roll-out of the DAO/SAO course, piloted at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, travels to a city near you.

Our Chief Commander Frank Dvorak, SN, and our board of directors approved 11 locations across the country for each of our sitting and incoming administrative officers to participate in this exciting leadership training opportunity. This course and others in the series (for executive officers and commanders) are funded by the Century Endowment Fund. Summer locations include New Orleans (D/15), Puerto Rico (D/33) and our Governing Board (D/16) in Bellevue – coast to coast geography.

Please see http://www.usps.org/national/ot/ for other cities, contacts, registration forms, venues, faculty and a full course outline. All members may take the course – space permitting. Please make your reservations early.

On 9 Oct., D/8 will host the Beta test for the newly developed District and Squadron Executive Officer course, with the formal introduction set for the 2011 Annual Meeting in Orlando. District and Squadron Administrative course completion is a prerequisite for attendance. Plan your summer and autumn schedules to include the training.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Stf/C Anita F. Walker, JN, at mailto:anita5040@bellsouth.net?subject=Leadership Training.

Public Contact Update

2010-05-30T08:07:00.001-07:00

Having a Public Contact in your squadron is essential. The Public Contact is notified when visitors to the USPS website ask to be contacted by a squadron. The Public Contact is notified when there is a new Cyber Squadron member in the area. We were making progress last February when 73% of squadrons had a valid Public Contact. Unfortunately, we have now dropped to 69% with a valid Public Contact. Make sure that your squadron is prepared to tell your story to the boating public.

Squadrons w/o Public Contacts
		12-Feb-10	1-Jun-10
District	Squadrons	w/o Contact
1	13	6	5	38%
2	19	4	7	37%
3	18	0	0	0%
4	16	0	1	6%
5	36	12	15	42%
6	17	7	8	47%
7	13	6	4	31%
8	15	2	3	20%
9	23	5	6	26%
10	12	3	2	17%
11	6	2	3	50%
12	9	5	5	56%
13	13	4	5	38%
14	7	2	2	29%
15	11	5	6	55%
16	17	4	4	24%
17	13	3	6	46%
18	4	1	2	50%
19	10	4	6	60%
20	18	5	7	39%
21	14	3	2	14%
22	18	1	2	11%
23	10	3	2	20%
24	9	3	3	33%
25	9	2	3	33%
26	13	4	4	31%
27	20	6	6	30%
28	6	0	0	0%
29	8	0	0	0%
30	9	3	4	44%
31	6	1	1	17%
32	6	4	2	33%
33	8	5	4	50%
Total	426	115	130	31%

USPS PIN Help

2010-05-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Two ways to obtain your USPS PIN.

1.

2.

New Small Boat Skills DVDs

2010-04-20T11:10:00.001-07:00

Five DVDs titled Small Boat Skills will be sent to all squadrons. The DVD was produced by the Educational Department in partnership with the United States Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety through the USCG-administered Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.

As you know, small boats less than 18 feet make up the majority of the boats on America’s waterways, and they are also the largest group involved in accidents and drownings. In response, Small Boat Skills was produced to help novice and intermediate small-boat operators boat safely and responsibly while having fun.

To make the program more relevant, four features were created, each focusing on a specific activity: family fun, fishing, paddling and personal watercraft riding. And to make the program more engaging, a number of experts present the material.

Fishing: Roland Martin is one of the most recognized anglers today. His TV career spans nearly four decades, and he is one of the most legendary figures in the bass fishing arena.

Paddling: Janet Burnett Cowie has been paddling for more than 25 years and is an American Canoe Association swiftwater rescue instructor, tandem/solo canoe instructor, and whitewater kayak instructor trainer.

Family Runabouts: Travis Moye is a world-champion wakeboarder who spent much of his time coaching and driving and is the designated boat driver on the Master Craft Pro Wakeboard Tour, X Games and the Wakeboard World Championship series.

PWC: Ted Rankine has been reporting on and riding personal watercraft on his TV show, PowerBoat Television, since the late 80s. He has spent countless hours testing PWCs for the show and touring with them across North America.

When you see the program, you will discover plenty of uses for it. Using it in class is an obvious place. Because it is segmented into specific boat usage categories, it is an ideal addition to a retail environment or for presentation or in booth at boat and sportsman shows.

In addition to the DVD version, a made-for-television one-hour program has been produced that would be ideal for local cable TV markets, local PBS stations, etc. With boating season fast approaching, it would make a welcome addition to local programming lineup.

If you have any questions about the program, need additional ideas about usage or would like help approaching a local broadcaster, feel free to contact us.

Herman Green / rhergreen@aol.com / 423-842-7262

Ted Rankine / tedrankine@rogers.com / 905-989-0664

Notes from 2010 International Boating and Water Safety Summit

2010-04-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

The USPS Board of Directors attended the 2010 International Boating and Water Safety Summit in Daytona Beach, Fla. Following are notes prepared by Bill Griswold, past chairman, National Safe Boating Council.

I attended the meetings in Daytona Beach and these are my personal notes, not any sort of official minutes.

NSBC Board Meeting, Chaired by Veronica Floyd

Emily King retired from Ohio DNR and resigned as a director. She has been taken on as the Training Director, and since the first of the year has conducted Instructor Certification classes, Close Quarter Boat Handling, paddle sport courses coast to coast. This training has been well received and asked for.

The Campaign last year had 17 States using the WEAR IT logo, this year all 50 states and territories are using the theme. The Campaign has gone up on face book, twitter, and You Tube. Rachel Burkholder has developed a media press release each month this year. This is available on their web site at: http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/ Materials, both free and for a small charge are available or will be very soon at that site. They have a new small poster featuring the inflatable life jacket. 4 public service announcements are also available for downloading. On 20 May 2010 at 11 a.m. EDT the Council wants to set a record for inflating life jackets. Groups can do this and details are at: www.readysetinflate.com .

The Summit has about 380 people signed up. Future Summits:

2011 Savannah, Georgia March 6-9

2012 San Diego, California, March 4-7

The Savannah Summit will focus on the National RBS Strategic Plan. Presentations should be aimed at one or more objectives.

The Council is working on a grant to develop an inflatable life jacket kit. The kit will contain a belt pack life jacket, a suspender type jacket, a bunch of media, re-arming kits and an easel that has 17 pages of great information about inflatables. The initial distribution will go to boating law administrators, CG District RBS Specialists, USPS Districts, and the Corps of Engineers. Apparently there is a big demand for these, and future plans may make kits available for sale, with or without the actual jackets. It will also have a great poster that changes a life jacket from normal to inflated by moving it.

The History Book of RBS is plodding along, slowly but there is movement.

Horizon Awards were given to Auxiliarist Dan Maxim and General Riley of the Corps of Engineers for his support of the life jacket wear regulation in 4 Mississippi Lakes. The NSBC Hall of Fame Award will be given to Tim Smalley of Minnesota, Commodore Ev Tucker CG Auxiliary, and Virgil Chambers Executive Director NSBC.

The CG Report informed us that the Sport Fish & Boating Trust Fund has been continued until 31 December of this year. It has been due for re-authorization, but the Congress has been busy with other matters. Linda Gray-Broughton, the grant administrator at CGHQ, has moved to another job. Don Kerlin is now doing that job. Don will head up a new branch in CGHQ just for grants, as soon as they can hire 3 assistants. The 2009 accident statistics are being compiled, fatalities seem to be higher and injuries lower than 2008. Operation Dry Water was a huge success and will be repeated this year on the weekend of June 26-27. In this operation is a concentrated blitz by law enforcement to attack boating under the influence. Canada is thinking of doing the same thing, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. America’s Waterway Watch is being refreshed. The Federal Requirement pamphlets have been redone, and a Proceedings magazine is being published with articles about various boating organizations.

Captain Rizzo, Chief of the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, reported that his travel budget has been cut 15%. He said that for years we all have been doing a good job of delivering basic boating education to the public. He is looking for organizations to move ahead and start providing more advanced education. He cited U. S. Sailing and their on water motor boat course as well as their sailing ones. USPS is developing a great on water program working with U. S. Sailing. The CG continues to try to introduce mandatory education to the Congress, and may renew efforts to pass mandatory life jacket wear in small boats. These issues and more are being studied by a group which is working on a new chapter of the National RBS Strategic Plan, 2012-2016.

NASBLA is hosting a Congressional Reception in Washington DC on Wednesday April 14, 2010 from 5-7 p.m. Representative Diaz Balart from Florida will receive the Confluence Award. (There are two representatives with that name from Florida; I’m not sure which one is being recognized.)

NTSB – They are looking at 4 recent boating accidents. The first is one that happened off Cape May, NJ. A fishing boat was taking on water and lit off their EPIRB. The problem began because the EPIRB did not have a GPS chip in it, and it took some time and several hits before Rescue could get an approximate location. By the time rescue forces arrived, 6 had perished and there was one survivor. In addition, the registry of the EPIRB was not updated. The second involved two people parasailing. Something broke and both plunged into the water in NC, and perished. The third was a collision between a CG vessel and a civilian catamaran in Charleston, SC – no fatalities. The last was another collision between a CG boat and a civilian boat in San Diego in which a child was lost. Legislatively, Virginia tabled their life jacket bill, so another attempt will be made next year. In Maryland, a child was thrown from a boat wearing a life jacket but he died because the boat may have hit him. Maryland is raising their mandatory wear from under 7 to under 13. Wisconsin is looking at two separate bills, one under 12 and one under 10, a single legislator is blocking Wisconsin’s life jacket bills. State efforts with mandatory education have slowed, and 10 states need to adopt regulations regarding rental PWC education. Massachusetts is working on a mandatory education bill.

NWSC - The Congress and the Council have now partnered 14 years putting on the Summit. The Grass Roots Grant awardees will be notified very soon. 45 grants in 18 states have been approved.

Canadian Safe Boating Council, Bob Minelly informed us of their North American Boating Safety Week, which will be one week after the American effort. Ted Rankin is working on their end of the Ready Set Inflate event on May 20. Their annual symposium will be held in Quebec September 23-26.

At the end of the General NSBC Membership Meeting, Captain Keith Colburn, captain of the F/V Wizard of Discovery Channel’s number one series “Deadliest Catch” spoke to us. He had camera crews on his vessel for periods of time while setting and retrieving crab pots in the Bering Sea off Alaska. He spoke about how he trains his crew and insisted that the camera people got trained too. His number one focus is safety, and hasn’t lost anyone in the years he’s been fishing. He performs maintenance religiously, uses check lists, and is a complete professional. He had great things to say about the CG crews that are out there assisting those who need it, and it was a very entertaining talk.

THE SUMMIT

A color guard from CG Station Ponce Inlet, Florida, presented the colors. Unfortunately, they placed the National Ensign on the wrong end of the dais, and Wayne Stacey from CGHQ corrected that during the first break.

Capt. Richard Moore, Florida Boating Law Administrator welcomed the attendees. He urged us to take home information we learned at the Summit and implement it to better our programs. He noted that accident statistics have flat-lined, but with more effort we can lower them even more. He asked us to inform the public about inflatable life jackets.

CG Captain Mark Rizzo said that one third of the population goes boating. He estimated 15 million registered boats and that 70% of the fatalities were in boats where the operator had not received boating education. The CG submitted a mandatory education proposal for legislation. He mentioned the Sport Fish & Boating Trust Fund has been continued to 31 December. He cited the 12 year study of life jacket wear by JSI, and that the numbers have not changed at all. He then reported that on the lakes in Mississippi where life jacket wear is mandatory, that compliance rates zoomed to over 70%. He said that Operation Dry Water was a huge success, and would be repeated.

Jeff Hoedt, CGHQ repeated some statistics, and said that between 4 and 25 million boats are not registered, mainly non-powered craft. The recession has caused boat manufacturers to cut back 50%, several businesses shutting down entirely. Even non powered boats have suffered a decline in sales. People seem to be keeping their boats longer, could this become a safety issue with older boats in use? The impact of the marine industry which has 900,000 jobs and about $100 billion has a huge effect. He then cited some accident statistics, also noting that they have flat-lined. Other fields of transportation have seen similar trends. He moved on to the Strategic Plan, and that the 2009 stats will be out in May. Deaths may rise, injuries will fall. 397,000 boating certificates were issued in 2008, but with 80 million boaters, it could take centuries. He praised those states who have enacted quick phase in education laws, and criticized those who went the born after route. He underlined public awareness efforts, and cited organizations that have conducted on water and advanced training, such as ACA, NSBC, U. S. Sailing, NWSC, and Spirit of America. He thinks NAVRULES training is going well and alcohol enforcement and BUI standards are ahead of their plan goals. Manufacturing discrepancies have dropped significantly, and steady efforts with carriage requirements are encouraging. Accident reporting through the BARD system has helped and sped up reports. He then moved on to the National Survey about to begin. They aim to determine boating participation and exposure measurements. The program is at OMB for approval which should come shortly. The contract was awarded in 2009 for 3 surveys every other year. They will also evaluate the non-profit grant program effectiveness and focus on the Strategic Plan. He mentioned that the income for the Sport Fish & Boating Trust Fund is down some, therefore state and non-profit grant amounts will be reduced as well causing tougher competition. The CG and the National Fish and Wildlife Service have been working closely together to achieve re-authorization of the Trust Fund. He spoke about culture change and how in just a few years how we have embraced mandatory education and life jacket wear from when we opposed it. He mentioned that Connecticut and New York have enacted laws mandating life jacket wear during the cold months. The CG is looking at international standards for life jackets with an aim to standardize them. Other ongoing projects are reciprocity of education, prop strike research, education for engine cut off switches and rental operations and the vessel identification system which has enrolled 25 states and 5 territories.

Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) – Their life jacket study began in Pittsburg and western PA in 1991 with boats less than 16 feet on ACE waters. They wanted to expand this study to another area with large visitation rates and commitment by their district. 4 lakes in the Vicksburg District just south of Memphis along I-55 were selected. They first identified the scope of the project, and then began to prepare the region for the policy, contacting members of Congress, state and local officials, the media and the public. They began the policy in May 2009, but didn’t issue citations but did a lot of educating. The policy said that people in small boats or swimming outside of designated beach swim areas had to wear a life jacket. JSI observations saw the wear rate go from less than 10% to 70% in a very short time, while lakes outside the 4 experienced a wear rate of 6%. Lessons learned were that advance coordination was critical as was education. Boaters have complied but the swimming outside of designated areas is a tougher problem. They feel lives have been saved, and are now measuring other aspects of the project. To date, no drop in visitations has been noted, and not one Congressional inquiry has been launched. The public has accepted the policy. Other agencies are looking at this closely, and it could become a model for a National policy.

NWSC did a fast track grant to provide on water life jacket wear observation studies in Mississippi, in conjunction with JSI’s shore side efforts. Using the same form and training, plus observing during the same times the JSI folks were doing it, they were able to cover more area, and noted BUI’s, and social raft ups meaning 2 or more vessels together. They checked week day use, thinking that enforcement was out only on weekends. They also covered areas around swim areas. They noted some decrease when law enforcement was not present, but with 4,000 boats observed, they saw a 61% compliance of people wearing their life jackets. More info on this is on the NWSC web site at: http://www.watersafetycongress.org/

Boating Alaska – this was a project to create a video, and covered the necessity of plan, make a time line, have a script, a backup plan and money.

Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp – this phase of this training centered on Rescue, Recovering, and Rewarming. People with severe hypothermia are extremely fragile, and measures must be made to protect them from shock, keep them horizontal and do the treatment gently. Quebec law enforcement and fire officers are required to watch this DVD. The condition of post rescue collapse was discussed, and Auxiliary boat crews should get this training as well. The training covers the rescue, triage, and thermal protection. Gently cut off clothing and blot water with towels, do not rub a patient. Shivering will warm the patient, so wrap them with dry material, a sleeping bag is ideal, first wrapping them in plastic to keep the bag dry. Horizontal and gentle are the watchwords, and first responders should be aware of ways to bring someone into the boat without making them stand or get vertical. The training shows some techniques and a DVD will be available soon from NWSC.

CG America’s Waterway Watch – Safety and security go hand in hand. Our open maritime borders pose a great risk of attack. The speaker cited many examples during WW II of Japanese suicide boats being used against warships much like the USS Cole incident. Maritime Security Plans are being developed in 52 areas, and will be reviewed every 5 years by CG Districts and the Commandant.

BoatUS is developing on line games involving boating. They showed one TV show Jeopardy in which their loaner life jacket program was involved. They began with a 2D boating game called Navigateit. There are 6 skill levels and lessons are given at various points during the game. A 3D game is almost ready to issue, and we were shown how they work. I’m not sure whether these will be on line or downloadable, but eventually I think anyone could get them.

Arctic Boating Safety Outreach – Part of this effort was to learn about native Alaskan culture, for example, red or orange life jackets are not wanted because they scare birds, which alert prey the natives are hunting. So, white life jackets have been used with acceptance. The infrastructure cannot support boating safety, for example stores do not sell life jackets, and everything is very expensive and limited. Helicopters do not have de-icing gear, and this hampers their use. Small boats used for SAR have to be ice hardened, and communications either with radios or with native people is a challenge. The water is very shallow far off shore on the North Slope, causing even 25’ boats to ground. In 2009, the CG flew up an H-60 and 2 25’boats, plus a dentist, a vet, and learned to build native type boats out of modern materials. The Alaska National Guard added resources to the mission, and the notion of domain awareness was taught – being that the people around the Arctic can be the eyes and ears. The CG established a native consultation course to improve communications. They worked with school kids to impart basic safety knowledge. CGC Spar and a C-130 helped move assets around, and in 2010 a polar icebreaker will join the effort. The CG sponsored a native Olympics and some of the Iditarod dog sled race. Working out of forward base in Prudhoe, they established a safety zone around drilling rigs who were exploring for possible sites. They conducted a large exercise on an oil spill.

Alcohol involvement – In California, 40% of the fatal accidents involved alcohol. Interestingly, falls contributed to the highest incidence of injuries. In Canada, we learned that the consequences for convictions for alcohol use are far more severe than in the States and involve suspension of driver licenses. A video can be seen at www.Smartboater.ca featuring people running small boats with a blood alcohol level of .05 or less than the legal limit. Their ability to maneuver was obviously impaired.

Operation Dry Water – It is scheduled for the last weekend in June, 26-27. This will be a coordinated effort detecting and enforcing BUI. Any state can participate at any level. In 2009, 5 states did not participate with increased patrols with BUI check points. Face book, Twitter and web sites broadcast PSA’s announcing the program and an on line reporting method brought results in by Monday for the media. 283 citations were issued across the land, more than 25 states issue all year. 17,690 vessels were checked in all.

Powerboat hands on training – The National Strategic Plan calls for this training and advanced education but there are no standards in place. Several organizations are currently conducting this type of on water training, plus commercial providers, and some best practices are being formed.

I attended several breakout sessions, one on marine surveyors which was very interesting. NSBC put on a session featuring the Inflatable Life Jacket Kit, and I attended a session given by the CG LE Academy on equipment carriage requirements.

There was a day and a half of outdoor activities, including 4 contests, Olympic style, such as volley ball and races. The North won the grand prize.

The networking opportunity was terrific, and I was able to sit with the major players that will sponsor the Tour for Life, a Florida National Safe Boating Week event which will put a jet boat in the water in Jacksonville and run it to Miami, about a 400 mile trip down the ICW. At each overnight stop, a media event is planned. I was invited to the National Water Safety Congress Awards Luncheon, and witnessed many people being recognized by the Congress. One Auxiliary flotilla garnered three awards, another claimed a Regional Award, and Paul Newman, RBS Specialist D11 also received a Regional Award. I also attended the United Safe Boating Institute board meeting, whose minutes will be distributed later. All in all, a very successful Summit.

Bill Griswold

Tips for the Squadron Commander

2010-03-16T17:24:00.001-07:00

If you are a new squadron commander, you may have been surprised with a “Dues Status” email this month. If you didn’t receive one this month, it means that your squadron does not have any “PAST DUE” members or we don’t have a valid email address for you.

The message is intended as a reminder that there are some members within your squadron who may need to be contacted. It is not meant to be commentary on how your squadron is doing on membership. The data in the message is a snapshot of the last 12 month. I have received a number of requests for the names of the members who are “PAST DUE”. That data is available at http://www.usps.org/dues/reports . One of the requirements for accessing the data is a squadron password (Master, Updater or User). That requirement has resulted in several messages from commanders indicating that they do not know their squadron passwords. If you are just coming into office, your predecessor should have provided you with the passwords. If not, just call headquarters and they will be glad to provide you with what you need. If you are going out of office, please be sure to help your successor out and provide him or her with the tools needed to do the job.

If you did not receive the message because we do not have a valid email address for you, you should have been notified by a member of the bridge who does have a valid email address. A common message I receive is along the lines of “I don’t know why national doesn’t have my email address, I’ve had it forever”. Please do all of us a favor and check your profile on the Information Center (http://www.usps.org/national/tools ) . Just scroll down to “Manage Your Profile” and you will see the data which is on file for you and you can update it. You can also make updates thru DB2000. If these do not work for you, headquarters is ready and willing to help. It is essential that all bridge officers have a valid email address on file.

SailAngle Tools Work

2010-03-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Squadrons which have taken advantage of the SailAngle Auto Enrollment option have taken a big step towards realizing the full potential of SailAngle. As can be seen in the following graph, Districts 16, 24, 28, and 30 had taken advantage of the option when these statistics were gathered. In the period from Jan 21st to Mar 10th, 599 additional USPS members were signed up. Two days later, 767 more joined the ranks.

For details click here.

New SailAngle Sign-up Tool

2010-02-16T12:15:00.001-08:00

When the SailAngle sign-up’s in Darien Squadron jumped from 12 to 353, Stamford Squadron jumped from 7 to 155, and San Luis Rey Squadron jumped from 24 to 106, it was apparent that something significant had happened.

Squadron’s anxious to take advantage of the Group Messaging, RSVP Calendar Events, and Group Forum Messages which SailAngle offers approached the folks at SailAngle.com with an alternative to individual sign-up’s.

The squadron notifies their members that they will be signed up on SailAngle.
Members may elect to opt out.
After an appropriate waiting period, the squadron provides SailAngle with the certificates of all who have not opted out.
SailAngle enrolls those members.

SailAngle agreed to provide the tools and the results have been great. At this time seven squadrons have adopted auto enrollment paving the way for improved communications within their squadrons.

The power of the tools available on SailAngle is directly proportional to the number of members signed up. To empower all of USPS, we encourage all of our squadrons to embrace the Automatic Enrollment Program. SailAngle has provided step-by-step instructions and sample letters at the link below:

http://www.sailangle.com/autoenroll/?track=monthly_broadcast

Dave Hinders

National Secretary

Blast message

2010-02-15T06:36:00.001-08:00

The Investment Policy, the Conflict of Interest Policy and the Whistleblower Policy are posted on the USPS Treasurers’ website.

To all District Commanders and Squadron Commanders please remind your treasurers’ to get the New USPS Treasurers’ Manual on the Treasurers’ website.

Dick

V/C Richard M. Peoples, SN

National Treasurer

321-773-5402

RPeoples1@cfl.rr.com

708 Puesta Del Sol Plz.

Indialantic, FL 32903-3624

Public Contact Update

2010-02-13T21:02:00.001-08:00

As more and more of the boating public makes contact with squadrons via the internet, the importance of the squadron Public Contact increases. We are making progress; moving from 63% to 73% of squadrons with a valid Public Contact.

		19-Oct-09		14-Nov-09		12-Feb-10
District	Squadrons	w/o Contact		w/o Contact		w/o Contact
1	12	7	58%	7	58%	6	50%
2	19	5	26%	4	21%	4	21%
3	18	6	33%	0	0%	0	0%
4	16	6	38%	0	0%	0	0%
5	36	18	50%	15	42%	12	33%
6	17	10	59%	9	53%	7	41%
7	13	8	62%	6	46%	6	46%
8	15	3	20%	2	13%	2	13%
9	22	9	41%	9	41%	5	23%
10	11	2	18%	3	27%	3	27%
11	6	2	33%	2	33%	2	33%
12	8	4	50%	5	63%	5	63%
13	13	4	31%	4	31%	4	31%
14	8	2	25%	2	25%	2	25%
15	11	6	55%	6	55%	5	45%
16	16	5	31%	4	25%	4	25%
17	13	3	23%	3	23%	3	23%
18	4	1	25%	1	25%	1	25%
19	10	5	50%	4	40%	4	40%
20	18	7	39%	7	39%	5	28%
21	14	5	36%	4	29%	3	21%
22	18	5	28%	3	17%	1	6%
23	11	4	36%	3	27%	3	27%
24	9	4	44%	4	44%	3	33%
25	9	2	22%	1	11%	2	22%
26	13	4	31%	4	31%	4	31%
27	20	5	25%	5	25%	6	30%
28	6	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
29	8	1	13%	1	13%	0	0%
30	8	2	25%	3	38%	3	38%
31	5	1	20%	1	20%	1	20%
32	6	5	83%	5	83%	4	67%
33	7	5	71%	6	86%	5	71%
Total	420	156	37%	133	32%	115	27%

Time for Team Ready

2009-12-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

Time for Team Ready

It’s time. It’s time to turn things around. Squadron membership is down. Squadrons are having trouble filling leadership positions. We need to make membership Job One.

The environment has changed. Folks have less time for civic organizations. States are offering low cost or even free boating classes. Our traditional methods of recruitment just aren’t as effective.

However, the market is huge and our market share is tiny. With over 70 million boaters and 13 million registered boats, our 40,000 members represent only 0.06% of the market.

We have the tools. Our educational program, with our classes, seminars, and operator certification, is second to none. We have marketing and public relations tools available for free or reduced cost. We have experts in recruitment, retention, leadership, activities, and member benefits. We have membership opportunities for every type of boater.

What we lack is a way to help squadrons employ these tools. What we need is a team of experts ready to assist squadrons and districts; a resource available with tools and suggestions to help squadrons be all they can be; a Team Ready. This is where you come in.

We’re recruiting a group of regional Team Ready Representatives. Technically, assistants to the National Administrative Officer, TRRs will receive special training in education, public relations, recruitment, squadron activities, and leadership development. TRRs will be a regional resource for squadrons and districts to lead local seminars and provide information as requested. TRRs will be the power users of all the tools USPS has available.

It’s time. Are you ready to help? Are you Team Ready? If you’re interested, please submit a resume’ at http://www.usps.org/national/comnom/ and look for “Admin Dept – Team Ready Rep” in the National Assignment Section drop down box. We’ll be starting with one TRR from each of the eight regions used by Operator Certification: Caribbean, Mid Atlantic, Midwest, Mid South, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest.

USPS is coming about and charting a new course. We are Team Ready!

By P/V/C Robert Baldridge, SN

NOAA CHART SURVEY HELP NEEDED

2009-12-15T21:48:00.001-08:00

We're asking for help in reaching out to USPS members to complete a brief survey on NOAA nautical charts and chart updates. It's a follow up to a 2008 survey, conducted in cooperation with NOAA, USPS, and OceanGrafix, which is NOAA's POD (print on demand) chart provider. Your participation would help a lot, and if you can forward this request to other ' boating active ' members of your squadrons who might not have received this e-blast it would help even more. Thank you for your help! Link to the survey and details about its purpose is here: (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7FVQKZP)

SailAngle.com Announces Next Series of Webinars

2009-12-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

Beginning 04 January, 2010, SailAngle will launch the next series of weekly Webinars to demonstrate the powerful tools that will help you and your Squadron members get the most from SailAngle.com. The next Webinar will focus on advanced messaging techniques for effective communication with your Squadron, District, Committees, and individual Members. The following week will begin a series of SailAngle 101 Webinars starting with “Basic Website Navigation.” The Advanced Messaging Webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 5th at 7:30 PM EST. Visit the SailAngle Webinar page to register to attend and to watch previously recorded Webinars. Space is limited so reserve your spot right away.

To register and view an archive of recorded Webinars, visit: http://www.sailangle.com/index/webinar

Keep your eye out in January for the first Boating Education Webinar “Maneuvering in Tight Quarters” to be presented on SailAngle.com by Robert "Bob" Sweet, the USPS National Education Officer. This will be the first in a series of Educational Webinars offered throughout 2010.

Have you activated your SailAngle.com account?

2009-12-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

If not, you need to act now! You are missing out on all the features specially designed for the USPS that have become our “standard communication platform.” It's free for USPS members and the Squadron Groups are totally private, meaning your communication and the Squadron's communications on SailAngle.com are protected, SPAM-free and more secure than on any public website. Don't miss out - - activate you account today and join your fellow USPS members on SailAngle.com. Go to www.usps.org and click on the "Access SailAngle.com" button; it only takes a minute and you will automatically be a member of your Squadron, District, National, and Committee Groups.

USPS Annual Meeting and EXPO

2009-12-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

The best investment of your time, February 2 through 7, next year would be to attend the USPS Annual Meeting and EXPO at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Convention Center and Exhibit Hall, near Orlando, Florida. Address:1000 W. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830. Attend as many days as you like, but don't miss Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Don't miss Leadership Training, Educational Meetings, DB 2000 Seminar, Adult CPR Training, Fashion Show, Weather Seminar, How to Form a Provisional Squadrons and all of the Department discussions at EXPO. See details at http://www.usps.org/. National Meetings Committee Page. See your D/C about social activities

R/C Trudy Brown, AP
National Meetings Committee
Ph: 425-454-0115, Cell 425-753-3667
e-mail; Ldandtrudy@att.net
Address: 3220 98th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004