Newsletter Publication of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-3 Lake Murray, SC MARCH 2017

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY Flotilla 12-3 Lake Murray, South Carolina

www.uscgaux-lakemurray.com

Flotilla Island, Johnson Marina Road, Chapin, SC

7th COAST GUARD DISTRICT COMMANDER Rear Admiral Scott Buschman DIRECTORY OF AUXILIARY DISTRICT 7 DIRAUX, Commander Xaimara Vicencio-Roldan DISTRICT SEVEN Commodore (DCO) Judith Hudson Chief of Staff (COS) Gary Barth U.S. COAST GUARD SECTOR CHARLESTON Commander, CAPT Gary Tomasulo U.S. COAST GUARD STATION CHARLESTON Senior Chief, BMCS Justin Longval Executive Petty Officer, BMC Tim Abrams AUXILIARY LIAISON Sector Charleston, LT Jeffrey Prebeck Station Charleston, BM1 Mahire A’Giza AREA SECTOR COORDINATOR ASC, COMO Henry Pratt DIVISION 12 Commander (DCDR) Allen James Vice Commander (DVCDR) Joe Livingston

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY Flotilla 12-3 Lake Murray, South Carolina

Flotilla Island, 2390 Johnson Marina Road, Chapin, SC

N 34° 06’ 23.7” W 081° 18’ 54.1”

Photo by Michael Mikutaitis

FLOTILLA 12-3 LAKE MURRAY

Flotilla Commander

MICHAEL MIKUTAITIS

Vice Commander

ROBERT FALSETTI

Immediate Past Flotilla Commander

FESTUS BURCHFIELD ---------------------------------------------------------

LAKE MURRAY MARINER Newsletter Staff

Editor Barbara Burchfield with Russell Jernigan, John Mezynski, Calvin Bowen & Matthew Lindsay LAKE MURRAY MARINER is the official newsletter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-3 and is intended as a publication to keep the membership apprised of the ac-tivities of the Auxiliary. All articles and photo-graphs submitted must be consistent with the policies of the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary and may not be returned. Personal information of members is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. The use of these rosters, addresses and telephone numbers on any computer or online service including the Internet is prohibited by the Act.

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2017 STAFF OFFICERS

Communications CALVIN BOWEN

Communication Services BARBARA BURCHFIELD

Diversity STEPHEN PSTRAK

Finance BARBARA BURCHFIELD

Human Resources FESTUS BURCHFIELD

Information Systems MICHAEL MIKUTAITIS

Marine Safety JOHN BRADLEY

Materials REBECCA CONNELLY

Member Training ALLEN CROTHERS

Navigation Services

ROGER DEATON

Operations FESTUS BURCHFIELD

Public Affairs LINDA WARREN

Publications

BARBARA BURCHFIELD

Public Education ROBERT FALSETTI

Program Visitors -RBS PAULA SCAGLIONE

Secretary/Records

MICHAEL MIKUTAITIS

Vessel Examinations JOHN MEZYNSKI

Special Projects RUSS JERNIGAN

BILL LINDSAY KENNY USCHELBEC

On the cover: “Be Smart, Be Safe, Have Fun” cover page of the new paddle sport pamphlets now availa-ble at the Auxiliary National Supply Center through your Flotilla Staff Officer-Materials.

LISTENING LEARNING LEADING

Michael Mikutaitis, Flotilla Commander

Greetings!

My apologies for not being at

the meeting last week; it was

unavoidable.

I would like to take this oppor-

tunity to thank our guests Tom

and Susan White from Flotilla

12-1, Capt. Mike Prichett and

Master Deputy Derek Wilson from the Richland

County Sheriff’s Dept. My thanks also to the mem-

bers that attended the February meeting.

I look forward to getting feedback on the guest

speakers and the topics they spoke about. It looks

like many subjects were covered and our members

know what to look for when out on patrol or just be-

ing in the area of Lake Murray. We have always had

a great relationship with the law enforcement of

Richland and Lexington county and will continue to

do so. Kudos for keeping the minutes, Barbara.

The flotilla appreciates Susan and Tom White com-

ing up from 12-1. Instructors please use her

knowledge when you give ABS or other classes.

To those flotilla members that volunteered their time

to come out to the Columbia Boat Show to man the

booth that was shared with us by the Lake Murray

Association, thank you!

We have the Palmetto Sportsman’s Classic coming

up in March and will need volunteers for that event.

Members, please consider training to be a vessel

examiner, program visitor and/or instructor. Many

more activities coming up in March and April, please

think about lending a hand for those events and

training opportunities.

Be safe my friends,

Mik

WHAT’S COMING NEXT…...

3/04 Navigation Systems Workshop 3/12 Team Coordination Training 4 Hour

Class 3/27 Fort Jackson VSC (John Mezynski) 4/01 Chapin Community Service Day (Bill

Lindsay) 4/18 Fort Jackson Safety Stand-Down (John Mezynski) 4/22 ABS Class (Bob Falsetti) 4/28-30 Coast Guard Boat Crew Training

(Festus Burchfield) 5/06 ABS Class – Boy Scouts 5/20 70th Birthday celebrated 5/20-26 National Safe Boating Week 6/10 National Marina Day 6/23 CG Auxiliary Anniversary 7/29 Lake Day (John Bradley)

COMMUNICATIONS Calvin Bowen, FSO-CM Flotilla 12-3 members Hiroko Bowen, Robert Falsetti, John Bradley, Paula Scaglione, Anthony Giunta and I attended the Telecommunications (TCO) training workshop Feb. 25 at USCG Station Charleston. TCO Workshop was designed to train members how to operate an Auxiliary radio station and serve as a Watchstander at a Coast Guard Auxiliary facility. With the radio equipment at Flotilla Island we should be able to stand up a radio station for operational use.

Staff Officer Reports

Above: Paula Scaglione and John Bradley familiarize them-selves with the local chart. Below: Ann Graham, FL 12-6 East Cooper, shows Calvin and Hiroko Bowen how to find and interpret symbols and other charted information. Photos by John Mezynski.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS Michael Mikutaitis, FSO-IS Please check your records at the Division 12 Aux-

Info report through the District 7 site. The data-

base generates an informational report for Divi-

sion 12 and each flotilla in the division. Don’t

worry about making a mistake in AuxInfo - you

can’t hurt it so go ahead and experiment.

If you feel you have information missing, contact

me. Keep up with your 7029 reports.

Members who supported our boating safety booth

at the Columbia Boat Show should submit a Form

7030 with the Public Affairs code 10J - Communi-

ty Relations. This is for your time at the boat

show. All preparation and travel times should be

reported on Form 7029.

HUMAN RESOURCES Festus Burchfield, FSO-HR

We still have three members in Application Pend-

ing (AP) status, one of them for over two years

now. Repeated requests for the status of their

background checks have not been answered,

however we will continue our efforts.

On the positive side, new member Owen Barker

received his member number on March 1, and

can now start the next phase of completing Auxil-

iary Mandated Training (AUXMT) courses and the

recommended Basic Qualification (BQII) course.

There are a number of interested people in joining

our unit that we are talking with.

MATERIALS Rebecca Connelly, FSO-MA Just in - new pamphlets!

“Be Smart, Be Safe, Have Fun” is a beginner’s guide to safer paddling.

The new paddle craft brochures have been added to the Auxiliary National Supply Center (ANSC) catalog as Form 3004a.

When you request an order, please provide the following information in your email…

Your Name

Your Member Number

Your mailing address

Reason for the order for the justification section - Event or Events

Please let me know if the order was received and if it was it a complete shipment or partial. Thank you.

MARINE SAFETY John Bradley, FSO-MS Lake Day will take place Saturday, July 29, with

Flotilla 12-3 participation for the first time. Our

second meeting with the Justin Pepper Founda-

tion is schedule for March 23 to continue making

plans. This community service event will be to

clean up Spence Island with a host of other agen-

cies to improve beautiful Lake Murray. There will

be lots of opportunities for members to help out.

PUBLICATIONS Barbara Burchfield, FSO-PB

A great many photos are being rejected for pub-

lishing. Usually the photo has been flawed be-

cause someone is not wearing the standard uni-

form or is wearing it incorrectly. If you see a mem-

ber in incorrect uniform, you would do them a favor

by helping them (and the unit) correct the situation.

Staff Officer Reports

Staff Officer Reports

PUBLIC AFFAIRS Linda Warren, FSO-PA The 2017 Public Affairs Contest guidelines were announced with these competing categories:

Publication Public Affairs Event Contest Photography Video

All submissions to any contest category below should have been produced, written or photo-graphed between 1 May 2016 to 31 May 2017. Submissions for all categories shall be received no later than 1 June 2017. Each first place winner will be announced and presented with a plaque at the 2017 Coast Guard Auxiliary National Meeting (NACON). Eight categories are judged: Public Affairs, Fellow-ship, Marine Safety, Member Services, Operations, Public Education, and Vessel Safety Checks. Make sure that Auxiliarists are in proper uniform for the event!

Public Affairs: Auxiliarists spreading the Auxiliary message to external and internal audiences.

Fellowship: Auxiliarists having fun in a social set-ting. Beware of alcohol, cigars or cigarettes in photos.

Marine Safety: Auxiliarists engaged in proctoring marine license exams, assisting in inspecting containers, vessels, etc. Auxiliarists engaged in beach cleanup and other environmental activities.

Member Services: Auxiliarists recruiting and/or providing information or services for members (fingerprinting, ID photo taking, etc.)

Operations: Auxiliarists operating boats, aircraft, radios, etc.

Public Education: Auxiliarists providing instruction to the public.

Vessel Safety Checks: Members performing VE’s.

Team Coast Guard Events: Auxiliarists assisting or interacting with active CG or Reservists in any approved mission except law enforcement.

The complete 2017 contest guidelines are in PDF format available for download at the Public Affairs web site. Write an article! The Lake Murray Mariner has placed 1st and 2nd in the district, so it really is possible to win! When shooting photos, don’t be afraid to move subjects around when ‘something’ spoils the photo. Pay attention to uniform standards and look at backgrounds that may ruin the photo. Here are some tips posted in MYCGAUX:

Faults That Sabotage Picture Usefulness

Weak content; little story-telling value

Busy composition, no center of interest

Poor technical quality (tones, lighting)

Eye glasses perched on head or ball cap

ODU sleeves rolled incorrectly

Unauthorized cover

Unauthorized shirt, trousers, footwear or jacket

Unzipped uniform jacket or life jacket

Mismatched uniforms in a group shot

Wearing jewelry or a wristwatch while on pa-trol and underway

Collar device and insignia on ball cap do not match

The letters, “U.S.C.G. AUXILIARY” rather than “USCG AUXILIARY” on the ODU

T-shirts missing on Trops or ODUs

One or more photo subjects have a cigarette, cigar or a glass of alcohol

Images from publicdomainpictures.net

VESSEL EXAMINATIONS John Mezynski, FSO-VE District 7 has announced the continuance of the Vessel Safety Check Performance Awards in 2017. VSC AWARDS: 25 VSCs (Blue Certificate) 50 VSCs (Bronze Certificate) 75 VSCs (Silver Certificate) 100 VSCs (Gold Certificate) PADDLE CRAFT VSC AWARDS: 30 Paddle Craft VSCs (Blue Certificate) 50 Paddle Craft VSCs (Silver Certificate) 100 Paddle Craft VSCs (Gold Certificate ) When you earn an award, let me know and I will send it to Williams Hayes, Division 12 Staff Officer-Vessel Examinations for processing. The basic VSC award can be a combination of power boats and paddle craft.

Staff Officer Reports

PROGRAM VISITATIONS Paula Scaglione, FSO-PV Last month I had the pleasure of visiting some of our program partners from the lakeside instead of shore side! What a nice experience it was to make a quick stop at the marinas while doing crew train-ing during a patrol. The staff seemed to enjoy see-ing us after the winter break and it’s a great time to resupply them with new pamphlets and information as they prepare for the boating season to begin. Think outside the box! Besides the normal marine dealers, I also stopped at Camping World and left brochures for folks like me who enjoy both land and water fun. Storage facilities and upholstery shops can also be good PV partners. One of our Program Visitors has a couple of grocery stores that provide space for our brochures.

About 25% of Flotilla 12-3 are RBS-PV qualified. Lets all complete and report at least 4 program visits in March.

Jeff Sundius, Southshore Marina Manager, met with Festus Burchfield and Paula Scaglione in January as part of Paula’s training to become qualified as RBS-PV. Photo by Barbara Burchfield.

Staff Officer Reports

MEMBER TRAINING Allen Crothers, FSO-MT We remain at 84% completion of Auxiliary Mandat-

ed Training courses. The Basic Qualification II

(BQII) course is not only a good introduction for

new members but a great refresher for everyone.

Member achievements in February:

Linda Warren completed AUX-20, Introduction to

Auxiliary Public Affairs

Barbara Burchfield and Festus Burchfield com-

pleted the BQII course

Calvin Bowen, Hiroko Bowen, John Bradley,

Robert Falsetti, Anthony Giunta, John Mezynski

and Paula Scaglione attended the Telecommuni-

cations (TCO) Workshop on Feb. 25

2017 Operations Workshop was presented at

the Feb. 23 flotilla meeting for 14 members

Member training opportunities coming soon:

3/04 Navigation Systems, March 4

3/12 Team Coordination Training 4 Hour Course

NAVIGATION SYSTEMS Roger Deaton, FSO-NS We often are asked who to notify when the buoys are missing or off station and when reference lights are not working. It can be confusing with so many agencies that are stakeholders in Lake Mur-ray, including Scana Corporation, SC Electric & Gas, four county sheriffs and SCDNR among them. The buoys are managed and maintained by SC Department of Natural Resources. Contact them at (843) 953-9378 to report buoys and shoal mark-ers that need servicing. The reference lights and markers are managed by Lake Murray Country. For more information, read the article about its history, where to find them, and more in this newsletter.

New Opportunity Announced! Auxiliary Financial Educator Program The Financial Educator program is new for the

Auxiliary. We are being called on to support the

Coast Guard’s financial education, primarily to

counsel active duty service members regarding the

new retirement system.

We must ensure that our members who volunteer

for this program meet two major requirements:

1. A basic level of education in Blended Retire-

ment;

2. An understanding of the restrictions that ac-

company this undertaking.

Basic Level of Education:

Auxiliarists must have some formal financial edu-

cation, or experience with benefits counseling. A

CPA or CFP license or 401K benefits administra-

tion experience is preferred. Auxiliarists with Series

6 or 7 licenses and a history of working with the

active duty are also asked to apply.

Auxiliarists must complete the following four items

at a minimum, and others may be included:

1. Leader Training to Introduce the Blended Re-

tirement System for the Uniformed Services

Course (JKO

2. Blended Retirement System Financial Counse-

lors/Educator Course (JKO)

3. Opt-In Course (JKO)

4. BRS Calculator and tutorial (scheduled for re-

lease on 28 FEB)

To Apply as a Financial Educator, send an email to

robert.bruce@cguaxnet.us discussing their back-

ground, why they want to participate in the pro-

gram, their education, and their availability.

Robert O Bruce, MBA, CPA

Assistant National Commodore Chief Financial Officer US Coast Guard Auxiliary

OPERATIONS Festus Burchfield, FSO-OP Our first patrol took place Feb. 19 from South-

shore Marina on Voyager with two crew train-

ees aboard, John Bradley and Paula Scaglione.

I wish every day was as nice as the weather

that day - no humidity, no bugs, no heat, no

rain. Just another perfect day on the lake. And

it showed - lake traffic was unusually high for a

Tuesday in February.

Coast Guard Boat Crew Training Scheduled

We have received confirmation for Coast Guard

boat crew training April 28 - 30 at Flotilla Island.

I will send an announcement to Flotilla 12-3

members for registration. The training, taught

by U.S. Coast Guard Station Charleston active

duty personnel, will be limited to 25 boat crew

members and trainees. An invitation will be ex-

tended to other Flotillas in order to fill the class

and provide an opportunity to work with mem-

bers outside of our unit.

If you are a boat crew trainee, you must be in

Application Pending (AP) or Basically Qualified

(BQ) status, wear standard ODU uniform, attend

the TCT-4 class on March 12, and have complet-

ed ICS 100 and 700 at a minimum.

To become qualified in the Surface Operations

program, find the requirements and manuals at

http://rdept.cgaux.org/documents/BeQualified/

BecomingQualifiedAuxiliarySurfaceOpera-

tions.pdf

Staff Officer Reports

Top photo: Paula Scaglione, Festus Burchfield and John Bradley share a light moment aboard AUXFAC Voyager at Lake Murray on Feb. 19, 2017. Middle photo: Festus Burchfield conducts the pre-underway briefing to new boat crew trainee John Bradley. Bottom photo: Festus Burchfield, Paula Scaglione and John Brad-ley on the dock at Southshore Marina in full Personal Protective Equipment. Auxiliarists in the South will often choose to keep their sleeves down to prevent sunburn and skin cancer. Photos by Barbara Burchfield.

Lake Reference Markers, Lights & Good Will Article by Barbara Burchfield, reprinted from the Lake Murray Association newsletter

Boating at night is not the same as day boating – it’s pretty dark out there and it’s easy to get disoriented. On Lake Murray we are fortunate to have a system of reference lights and markers to help us find our way during the day and at night. But this is also a story of community cooperation, unheralded dedication and civic service that every boater on Lake Murray should know about.

What You Need to Know

Reference markers are not navigation markers. They do not mark safe water, but rather they mark a position and give you an idea of where you are on the lake - kind of like a roadmap.

Reference markers are located onshore or near shore.

Red, even numbered markers are a triangle shape.

Green, odd numbered markers are a square shape.

The green and red markers are on opposite sides of the lake. Lake Mur-ray Power Squadron (LMPS) website links to a map showing the marker & light locations: http://www.lmpsonline.org/LMGoogleMap.html

LMPS’s webpage http://www.lmpsonline.org/reflights.htm gives marker numbers, light sequences, locations and GPS coordinates for Lake Murray reference markers and lights.

An Idea Becomes Reality

Plans for the reference light system began in March 1993 when a group of Lake Murray citizens concerned about boating safety, particularly at night, formed a committee. Led by Miriam Atria of Capital City/Lake Murray Country, the committee spent the next three years working hard with a great many stakeholders on the project and eventually presented the project to the legislative delegation for funding. In 1996, the refer-ence light system project went from the drawing table to reality on the lake. Since then, Lake Murray Coun-try has provided management, administrative and financial support to keep the reference marker light sys-tem operational as a community service (thank you!).

Who Do I Call to Report a Problem?

If you notice that a light isn’t working at night or see some other problem with the light assembly, contact Lake Murray Country (LMC) at (803) 781-5940. www.lakemurraycountry.com

This is Who We Are

As a boater and resident, just consider what is being accomplished with the reference markers and lights at Lake Murray for your boating safety. The community and business partners pull together to make things happen with no fanfare or thought of personal reward. Isn’t this is a great place to live?!!

And One More Thing!

Before leaving the dock at night, make sure your boat’s navigation lights are working, wear your life jacket, tell someone where you’re going, have good working communications, and safety equipment aboard.

Richland County Sheriff’s Office

Visits Flotilla 12-3

Captain Mike Prichett and Master Deputy

Derek Wilson were guest speakers at the

February 23 flotilla meeting.

Capt. Prichett said that Flotilla 12-3 surface

patrols provide extra presence on the lake

and it is appreciated, as well as the opera-

tions assistance with safety zones for major

boating events. Everyone wins when local

partners work together to provide safety on

and off the water.

Speaking of crime in the area, he mentioned

an increase in business, pharmaceutical and

commercial burglaries as well as problems

with drugs. Members were asked to be vigi-

lant in and around the community. If they

“see something”, “say something”. Call 911

for emergencies or immediate response or

Crime Stoppers with information.

When questioned about drinking alcoholic

beverages while boating, DM Wilson stated

there was no policy for drinking on a boat,

however operators will be cited/arrested for

intoxication in accordance with the law.

Boaters should be aware that law enforce-

ment does not require probable cause to stop

a vessel. DM Wilson made it very clear that

drugs are illegal and arrests will be made, on

or off the water.

Master Deputy Derek Wilson and Captain Mike Prichett, Richland County Sheriffs Department, spoke to Flotilla 12-3 members at the Feb. 23 meeting at Flotilla Island. Photo by Barbara Burchfield.

Midlands Crime Stoppers 1-888-CRIME-SC

CHECK YOUR EMAIL BOX FOR NOTICE TO SIGN UP FOR FLOTILLA 12-3 BOOTH

AT THE PALMETTO SPORTSMENS CLASSIC

CHAPIN COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

Flotilla 12-3 is supporting the Chapin Community Service Day on April 1 as one of our community outreach efforts.

The annual service event supports a wide range of projects, including area clean ups, beautification, supporting the el-derly, helping youth, and feeding the poor.

Please sign up with BILL LINDSAY at nalbl@sc.rr.com

Bill will collect books, magazines and non-perishable food at the March 30 flotilla meeting if you are unable to help with the April 1 event.

Thank You Lunch at noon will take place at Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Hwy, for volunteers who helped take on a project

Wear your USCG Auxiliary logo shirt! Please send your pho-tos of our members to Barbara Burchfield, FSO-PB.

New 'Paddle Responsibly' logo released National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Released Feb. 28, 2017 The nonprofit Water Sports Foundation (WSF) has release a specialized paddle sports safety logo de-signed for, and approved by, the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety. The Coast Guard has promoted its popular Boat Responsibly logo for many years, but with an extra emphasis on paddling safety, it became apparent that there needed to be a sister logo designed spe-cifically for paddle sports. For the past five years, paddle sports popularity has grown steadily and so have boating deaths related to paddling. In 2015, according to a U.S. Coast Guard report, 143 paddlers lost their lives while participating in paddle sports. The trend of increased paddle sports deaths is causing concern amongst the Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division and paddle sports safety organizations. READ MORE

Spring Aboard — Take a Boating Education Course kicks off this month National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Released March 1, 2017

During the week of March 19-25, NASBLA, the USCG and many state and local partners will focus media efforts encouraging boaters to Spring Aboard by enrolling in a boating education course. Many

course providers offer incentives or course dis-counts for students who enroll in or complete a course during the Spring Aboard campaign.

ABOUT BOATING SAFELY ABOUT BOATING SAFELY ABOUT BOATING SAFELY Saturday, April 22, 2017

9:00am - 5:00pm

This boating safety course is taught by the U.S.

Coast Guard Auxiliary instructors of

Flotilla 12-3 Lake Murray

Conveniently located off North Lake Drive at

109 Palm Point Drive

Columbia, SC 29212

$30 per person includes USCG Auxiliary boating

safety course manual and materials

To register for this course, contact Robert Falsetti

at (803) 518-6163 or email rfalsetti@sc.rr.com

You can also register online at

https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/99222

TOPICS INCLUDE

Introduction to Boating

Boating Law

Boat Safety Equipment

Safe Boating

Navigation

Boating Problems

Trailering, Storing and Protecting Your

Boat

Hunting and Fishing, Water-skiing and

River Boating

Meet the U.S. Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team

USCG Sector Mobile, Alabama

The GST is one of 3 Special Teams that make up the National Strike Force. It is a vital national asset comprised of a unique, highly trained cadre of Coast Guard professionals who maintain and rapidly de-ploy with specialized equipment and incident manage-ment skills any time to any place or hazard. The GST is recognized worldwide as an expert authority in the preparation for and response to the effects result-ing from oil discharges, hazardous substance releases, weapons of mass destruction events, and other emergen-cies on behalf of the American public. Our area of responsibility covers all or portions of the 5th, 7th, and 8th Coast Guard Districts and Environmental Protection Agency Regions 4, and 6. In addition to these areas we also have international responsibilities for South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The Gulf Strike Team poses for their unit photo on March 2, 2017. Photo courtesy of our good friend and former Auxiliary Liaison Officer, USCG Station Charleston, BM1 Travis Rogers. You can find him hiding in the back!