Today marks the beginning of the 85th year of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Here’s a little background about the auxiliary and the role they play and the accomplishments that have been made over the last year.

Created in 1939 as the Coast Guard’s “Volunteer Reserve”,
the Auxiliary has served with pride as uniformed volunteers. Over
the last 84 years, the Coast Guard Auxiliary has grown and evolved
to incorporate new and innovative methods to promote recreational
boating safety on America’s waterways and to assist the Coast
Guard as a true force multiplier. Auxiliarists demonstrate selfless
service, enthusiastically devoting their time, skills, and resources
to an increasingly diverse range of roles that preserve and protect
our Nation’s maritime interests.

This was exemplified in 2022 when the Auxiliary served at the
vanguard of the Coast Guard’s response on our Nation’s southwest
border. More than 145 Auxiliarists volunteered to handle complex
logistical challenges to support the unique mission, enabling the
timely humanitarian processing of over 320,000 migrants.

In 2022 the Coast Guard Auxiliary provided over 6,200 boating
safety courses, 48,000 vessel safety checks and 62,000 marine dealer
visits. Auxiliarists helped ensure that America’s maritime public
enjoyed their recreational boating endeavors in a responsible and
safe manner.

Auxiliarists augment Coast Guard units in increasingly diverse and valuable ways. They launched a virtual
Auxiliary flotilla to support Coast Guard Cyber Command, delivered
superb culinary assistance in dining facilities both ashore and
underway, and provided remarkable support to Coast Guard recruiting
through their Auxiliary University Program.

The Auxiliary Chaplain program continues to provide critical
support to our Coast Guard workforce during a time of demanding
operations. Auxiliary Chaplains now outnumber our Active Duty
Chaplains in Coast Guard service. They have deployed on cutters in
support of Operation Vigilant Sentry, and performed all the usual
duties of Chaplains ashore, drastically increasing the Service’s
capacity to care for our workforce.

These facts were highlighted recently by ADM Steven D. Poulin, Vice Commandant (VCG) who concluded with this: “thank our Coast Guard Auxiliary for all their incredible contributions, along with their exceptional commitment to Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. Bravo Zulu and
Semper Paratus!”

On a side note this Captain and his first mate are celebrating their 41st anniversary next week, barely half of the illustrious service of the CGAUX. Also look for some new features and guests contributors starting next month as we address new challenges beyond those things purely nautical.

Despite the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island the ‘Tween Waters Inn is fighting back and slowly reopening to accommodate first responders, working crews and local residents. The restaurant will actually be opening to serve Thanksgiving dinners to the repair and restoration crews tomorrow according to ‘Tween Waters CEO Doug Babcock. And he says you will soon see the climbing Santa making his annual appearance. You can read more about his story of resilience and community teamwork by clicking here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all! Appreciate what you have and please work to make a difference for those hurricane victims that still need our help.

Note: access to the Sanibel and Captiva islands is still strictly limited to those working crews and residents only.

National Safe Boating Week is a great time to remind ourselves that safety never takes a holiday, even over the boat-busy Memorial Day Weekend. Make sure your boat and its systems are in good working order before you head out on the waters. Remember that life jackets work best when they are actually worn.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s official boating safety website provides: updates to new safety regulations for fire extinguishers; how to find a local boating safety class (required for any power vessel operators born after Jan. 1st, 1988); boating safety tips (see below), and local vessel safety checks courtesy of the Coast Guard auxiliary unit in your area.

See something, say something. It’s important and in fact required that boaters utilize available safety equipment like a VHF radio. You should monitor channel 16 to hear urgent advisories as well as distress calls, and your local WX weather channel for marine weather forecasts. For a quick review on handling distress calls check out this article in Soundings.

Have a great weekend and a safe start to the 2022 boating season!

Second Wind has left us and is off to take its new captain and crew onto their own adventures. We wish them fair winds and following seas.

We’ve certainly enjoyed almost a decade with the sturdy motorsailer and the places that she took us. We will remember the friends and good times we had as she carried us on our adventures up and down the eastern seaboard and Bahamas from our home base on the Chesapeake. The priceless sunsets and evening tranquility as dolphins protectively patrolled our anchorage. It was a great way to spend the first part of our retirement as we pursued our dream of literally sailing off into the sunset six years ago.

While it’s sad to leave an old friend we hope it opens up opportunities for the next phase of our retirement. Perhaps boat chartering adventures on far away seas to distant shores? Please give your suggestions and we’ll start planning!

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One Curiosity

What are the odds that one particular boat could be owned by three people all with an uncommon first name? There are only currently about 30, 000 people with this name in the United States. That’s less than .01% of the population. Yet all of the unrelated owners of Second Wind had the given name Walter. So what are the odds? Please leave your guess in the comments below.

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Many times it is not what we know that hurts, it’s what we don’t know that can have major impact.

So it’s only reasonable that when someone is making a major purchase, a house, a boat or an expensive used car it can be worth hiring an expert to give you a thorough analysis. To look under the floorboards, the deck or the hood to see what potential problems are lying in wait.

But there is also something worth examining when it isn’t a new purchase. When you hit key milestones in life it’s time to take a look under the hood of your most personal investment – your body. Call in the pro’s to take a survey of your key operating systems, take your body to WOT – wide-open throttle – to see how everything is working. If there isn’t something meeting spec, check it out before you have a catastrophic failure. You can’t always call TowBoat US.

Isolated and alone. Separated from family and loved ones. American prisoners of war during WWII used small Red Cross supplied diaries to record their thoughts and daily experiences as they counted down their days in captivity, far behind enemy lines. I had a chance to review the diary of a B-24 pilot who was shot down over Germany after completing 27 missions from his 8th Army Air Force base in the United Kingdom. This came to me from a friend who had seen my last posting about WWII bomber aircraft and revealed the P.O.W. journal from her father that somehow survived over 75 years since the Stalag and forced winter marches through Germany in the final days of the war. In addition to his lecture notes from prisoner-organized classes, her father included a list of the fabulous restaurants he planned to enjoy when (and if) he returned to the U.S. It also documented the names and background of the other downed airmen that shared his quarters.

Today’s “bullet” journal concept gives people a way to collect and express their thoughts, organize their priorities and plan their busy days. The “bullets” in this case describe short punctuated line items that summarize and save time. It helps people cope with daily stresses and optimize their life.

During WWII these journals were the product of not only bullets from enemy aircraft, but also the shrapnel from anti-aircraft guns protecting industrial centers. The writings helped the captured preserve their sanity and sense of hope under extremely trying and desperate conditions.

I guess it is a good thing that today people can focus more on personal development and self-promotion rather than just self-preservation, but let’s not forget the people and events that enable this lifestyle today. As we have learned during the past week, not all of our heroes contribute to a happy ending, but their sacrifice and dedication is no less worthy of our respect and honor.

Please drop me a note if you would like more information about the story of this one B-24 pilot who survived to return home and live his American Dream.

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This month the crew of Second Wind expands its reach to aero-nautical adventures as it attends The EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2021. Aeronautics means literally “sailing through the air” and the principles of aerodynamics and airflows, lift, and pressure differentials apply equally to flying as well as conventional sailing, but even more so to today’s AC75’s series Americas Cup racers that are “designed to fly”.

The International Experimental Aircraft Association’s Fly-In Convention is billed as “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.” Over 8,000 pilots and their individual aircraft descend on Wittman Airport and encamp across the surrounding fields, many sleeping in small tents positioned under their wings. They are joined by hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts for a week of plane-spotting, aerial acrobatics, Warbird restorations and experimental and (aircraft) homebuilder supplier exhibitions and educational forums. We enjoyed the company of an expert local guide who walked us through a full day program of exploration and discovery before weather curtailed the evening flying show and fireworks.

Photos include UPS’s latest 747, one of the last to roll of the production line, plus a variety of historic WWII military aircraft. This includes the P-51 Mustang, that provides testament to the greatest generation which most, like my uncle George, have already passed into memory, but should always be in our gratitude for fighting for the freedoms that we enjoy today. I think some of these freedoms as expressed are silly or self-centered, like the right to not bare arms for a life-saving vaccine, but please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Also learned about a new eVTOL (electric vertical take-off & landing) aircraft named BlackFly which will soon offer a “flying-car approach” to personal transportation. No, it doesn’t have rolling wheels like a car but it has a simplicity of design the allows it take off and land virtually anywhere, even on the water. Electric power, like on the Ford Electric and Hybrid trucks, minimizes maintenance but also limits range and capacity. Although pricing and availability are not yet finalized it is reportedly priced “in the range of an SUV.” I would guess more like a Range Rover than a Hyundai or Ford Maverick.

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Go Fast F-16 that is LOUD!

Just when it seemed that youth would dominate the headlines and capture the attention of sports fans everywhere, when new diseases seemed to focus on taking out those of advanced age, there are signs of hope for us of in the last, or perhaps best, half of life.

From NFL football, to PGA golf, to IndyCar racing the senior statesmen of their sport are taking home the top prizes as those decades younger can only watch in awe and amazement.

Congratulations to Phil Mickelson, oldest player to win a major PGA Championship and yes congrats even to Tom Brady, now with our local team the Tampa Bay Bucanneers, the oldest quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.

Congratulations to all those men and women who use their life-long experience to push the boundaries of their age, those who continue to battle age discrimination in the workplace, those who work and achieve to the best of their abilities, not to others’ conception of what should be their “age-appropriate” behavior. Who else should we recognize as exemplary of age-defying feats of perseverance and bravery? Please add them to the comments below.

Ya can’t keep an old pirate down.

Experienced vessel willing to train new skipper – she knows the waterways, the best anchorages, and comes equipped with a forgiving sail plan and a generously powered diesel to bring it home in all types of weather. Apply at https://www.boats.com/sailing-boats/2007-island-packet-sp-cruiser-motor-sailer-7443045/

Second Wind, home on any bay, ocean, river or canal is seen here in Newport, RI

Point Loma is home to the Cabrillo National Monument commemorating the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who sailed his ship the San Salvador in to San Diego Bay in 1542, to become the first European to set foot in California. It’s a remarkable piece of land that overlooks San Diego Bay and the city of San Diego on one side and the boundless Pacific Ocean to the west. We made a trip there a few years ago and today’s holiday and recent news events brought it back to focus.

Point Loma is less well known as the home to the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, a solemn memorial for those who have served our country and a tranquil setting for reflection. It has been used for those who have served since the mid-1800s and the last unclaimed niche at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was filled in 2014. This has ended an era at one of the nation’s most beautiful and historic burial grounds for veterans which includes at least 23 Medal of Honor winners. Those surviving spouses of veterans buried there and their eligible children may have spots reserved that will still allow them to be interned with their loved ones.

While the Point helps commemorate those who fought and died to preserve our cherished freedoms it also now highlights those that would risk their lives to achieve those same freedoms and opportunities. On May 3rd three migrants died as an overloaded trawler-style boat floundered on the rocks and reefs off the Point, the apparent result of a human smuggling operation gone bad.

The historic lighthouse did little to help the floundering trawler as it must have lost power and/or steerage as it crashed onto the reef around 10 in the morning. Had it been a night attempt the consequences would have been far worse.

As the crew of Second Wind sailed home through the storm of the rising COVID-19 tide last spring, we looked forward to a time when we could sail without constantly flying the yellow quarantine flag*. We believe that time is upon us, although we still must exercise caution we can prepare to continue our adventures. For us, those new adventures will include more land-based activities in warmer climes. For others, who have not yet had the chance to set their sails for distant shores, the opportunity is nigh. The motorsailer Second Wind is now available to handle the nautical adventures of her next owners.

Where has she taken us?

From the expansive inlets and mini-fjords of Downeast Maine, through the sounds of Long Island and the rivers of New York, the coastal waters of New Jersey, the bays and backwaters of the Chesapeake, through the Dismal Swamp and canals and rivers of the Carolinas, the meandering Moon River of Georgia, to the coastal towns and inlets of Space and Treasure Coasts of Florida, out across the deep-blue Gulf Stream to the Bahamas and then back through Palm Beach and then down through Miami and Key Largo, around the Florida Keys and up through the Everglades and into southwest Florida and the abundant bays and rivers. I’ve included assorted photos of locations and crew mates that we have enjoyed over the last several years, so please enjoy.

Take the step to explore the possibilities a motorsailer could offer you. By-water is a unique way to see the country, to spend good times with friends and family, to fish, snorkel and anchor in quiet hide-aways with millionaire dollar views of the water and expansive sunsets and sunrises. Click on the link below to find out the great pricing and immediate availability of this solid cruiser sitting ready on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay.

https://www.denisonyachtsales.com/yachts-for-sale/41-Island-Packet-Sp-Cruiser-2007-Rock-Hall-Maryland/7443045l

Happy Retirement to our favorite crew-mate BA!

Today was her last day of full-time employment and she is looking forward to the freedom her new schedule affords her, including a new grand-baby due in about a month. Congratulations and good timing as the country is finally starting to open up as the vaccines become more available.

*the quarantine flag was only used when we entered port in the Bahamas and then when we returned to the U.S.