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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF AUSTIN POWER SQUADRON             A UNIT OF UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS
Always Plot Your Course Safely and Fly Your Ensign Proudly
Vol 47 Issue 8
August 2009
From The Commander
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R 		If we had enough activities planned, we could pick and choose what events works for each of us! Just a few weeks after our very successful "Party Boat" excursion, we also have a rendezvous at Lake Texoma and the same weekend, a Saturday with the Sea Scouts on Belton Lake. I hope everyone takes advantage of these opportunities.

About the Party Boat trip; it was good to see all the kids running, screaming and enjoying themselves in the water (and some of the adults doing the same). Now we have a chance to spend some time with older kids. The Sea Scouts

are 14 years and older. They are eager to learn sailing and water activities from their adult leaders in an atmosphere similar to the Boy Scouts. We had hoped to sponsor an activity with the nearby Sea Scout ships but with scheduling in between events and school starting back up, it was looking bad for a while. But then something better came up - a couple of the ships planned an informal Continued...

AUGUST EVENT
Activity: Sea Scout Rendezvous
August 8
12:00 Meet-N-Greet
Location: Lake Belton Outdoor Recreation Area
Cost: $8.00 per car park admission
Inside this issue:
Executive Dept.2
Education Dept.2
Administrative Dept.3
Photos5
Calendar8
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Bridge 2008-2009
The Plotter is the official publication of the Austin Power Squadron, a unit of the United States Power Squadrons. Address correspondence and contributions to Editor, The Plotter, 13313 Lamplight Village Ave., Austin, TX 78727. Telephone 512.748.3455. We retain the right to edit any material submitted to The Plotter.
Editor
Ron McCracken

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Commander--Cdr Stephen R. Schmidt, AP
Executive Officer--Lt/C Karl Fisher, AP
Educational Officer--P/D/Lt/C Christine G. Geist, SN
Administrative Officer--Lt/C Max Werkenthin III, AP
Secretary--Lt/C Sherri Le Wicker, S
Treasurer--Lt/C Robert K. Little, AP
Members at large:
  • Lt James Harrison, AP
  • Lt Patrick Tyler, S
  • P/C Chet Geist, SN
weekend of being on the water and they extended an invitation to us. The weekend of Aug 7 & 8 happens to also be the weekend of the Texoma rendezvous but I seem to remember a while back when the words "flexible" and "spontaneous" came up in the conversation when we discussed scheduled AuPS events. See the flyer attached and thank you T.W. Cook for working this out for us.

I'll see you at one or the other of these events,

Cdr. Steve Schmidt, AP
Commander

From the Executive Department
We all know that this summer will be one of the hottest, if not the hottest, on record. The drought in central Texas is making national headlines and scenes of beached docks on Lake Travis are all too familiar. Unfortunately, the lower lake levels on Travis make recreational boating more dangerous as boaters contend with less space and newly emerging hazards. The accident rate 		on Travis is, not surprisingly, up this year. Travis boaters are also putting more pressure on the area’s constant level lakes as access to Lake Travis becomes increasingly more difficult. You may have read in the Statesman that there was a boat collision last week on Lake Austin that sent several children and adults to the hospital. This is recurring story that we are all too accustomed too. I was curious about boating safety statistics and started poking around on the web. I found an excellent site maintained by the Coast Guard that provides an annual report on recreational boating accidents in the United States. The URL for the site is:
http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/ accident_stats.htm

I downloaded the latest report (2007) and the table on page 6 is taken from its Executive Summary. The lessons provided in this table are, of course, the basis for much of the USPS’ educational outreach. The statistics really drive home the importance of being alert and sober on the water and maintaining your vessel. Have fun and be safe.

Lt/C Karl Fisher, AP

From the Education Department
 We completed our last scheduled America’s Boating Course for this boating season on July 18th, at the Travis County West Service Center. The class was made up of sixteen youngsters and adults. Many thanks to the instructors, Charles Strong, Rob Gentry, John Causey, Chet Geist and Paul Mallett, and to helpers, Max Werkenthin III and Ginny Strong. We missed having Matt Syptak at the computer posting the results, but he did help a lot by setting up the computer program before going on vacation.

The Junior Navigation class is completing the final chapters of the course and preparing for the exam. The students have completed the required sights and will be taking their exams this month. continued...

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Be sure to check out the National Educational Promotion flyer on Page 4! You could be eligible for some valuable prizes!

P/D/Lt/C Christine G. Geist, SN
SEO

Setting out on the Lake Cruise At Carlos-n-Charlies After the Lake Cruise
From the Administrative Department
Happy Birthday!
August Birthdays
Scott Hearn1
Bill McNiel6
Sarah Dorn10
Austin Cook11
Ginny Strong14
Brian Engles16
Shirley Gentry16
Ali Prewitt18
JR Canion22
Roberrt Carswell22
Jim Merritt22
James Walker22
Dan Roper23
Charles Strong26
Corey Mayo30
Steve Thorwegen31
September Birthdays
Leroy Forbes01
Cynthia Miller01
Herman Willi01
Angel Vazquez03
Dan Reeves04
Angel Frias06
Michael Swader06
Mary Marcotte10
Gregory Vazquez14
Warren Swader16
John Causey21
Eugene Crouch26
Emily Robillard27

Lt/C Max Werkenthin III, AP
SAO

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Leaving the dock Arrival at anchorage
Taking the plunge Keeping cool
Conversing in the shade A relaxing afternoon on the water
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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTIN POWER SQUADRON, A UNIT OF UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS
Previous page
What's ahead for APS... We're On the Web...
http://www.austinpowersquadron.org
August
   7 Sea Scout Regata at Lake Belton
   7-9 D21/D31 Rendezvous--Lake Texoma
September
   9-13 Nat'l Governing Board
   15 Squadron Meeting



Austin Power Squadron
13313 Lamplight Village Ave.
Austin, TX 78727