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Paul Berka
Flotilla Commander
Commanders Corner
The Flotilla has four new Boat Crew members! They are Robert Blodgett,
William Carter, Russell Cox and Duncan Hutchinson. These new Crew Members
have been working for almost two years to pass the qualifications for Boat Crew. I
would like to thank Dwaine Harris and Richard Daniel for their personal efforts in
training and preparing the candidates for crew qualifications, as well as Tom Jerussi
and Randy Glas for providing their facilities for the two boat drills.
In addition to the new Crew Members above, Jay Bird, Kelly Duncan and
Dwaine Harris re-qualified for Crew. Also, Randy Glas and myself re-qualified for
Coxswain. Not all of our trainees were able to make this last QE, and Tom Jerussi
needs to complete his night exercise to re-qualify for Coxswain. The current plan is
to have another QE in September. Members who missed the June QE should start
preparations for the September event.
James E. Curran Jr. has requested to retire from the Auxiliary. James has
dedicated twenty-five years to the Auxiliary, and we would like to thank him for his
hard work and dedication, and wish him all the best.
The next Flotilla meeting is scheduled for July 9, 2014 at 1900 hours (7:00 PM)
at the Station Charleston. We need to have a good turn out at this meeting. We had
only 13 out of 62 members in attendance at the June meeting, and were unable to
have a quorum.
FLOTI LLA 12-8, CHARLESTON, SC
WWW. USCGAUXCHARLESTON. COM
Our next Flotilla meeting
will be held Wednesday,
9 July at 1900 in the
Brass Buckle.
Continued on
Page Four
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VI CE COMMANDERS REPORT
Id like to congratulate our new Boat Crew, and those who have re-qualified for
Boat Crew and Coxswain. Were all very proud of you, and look forward to working
with you on the water. As many of you old timers know though, now the real work is
beginning.
All four Boat Crew trainees passed their QE. They are William Carter, Russell Cox,
Robert Blodgett and Duncan Hutchinson. Boat Crew re-qualifications were Jay Bird,
Kelly Duncan and myself. Coxswain re-qualifications were Paul Berka and Randy Glas.
Congratulations! We do not have time to rest however, as we still have shipmates who
will have QE later in September. Thanks are also in order for Richard Daniel and Paul
Berka for their hard work in preparing the membership for this QE.
R/S
Dwaine Harris
VFC, Flotilla 12-8
Dwaine Harris
Vice Flotilla
Commander
Vice Commanders Report
Did You Know?
The first cutter to use wireless telegraph was
the Grant, part of the Revenue Cutter Service.
The historic transmission occurred in 1903. The
Grant, named after the 18th President of the
United Sates, Ulysses S. Grant, was put into
service in 1871.
She spent the first part of her service on the
East Coast, and then spent the last part in the
Nort hwest , pat rol l i ng t he coast l i nes of
Washington and Alaska. She then conducted her
last cruise in the summer of 1906.
Coast Guard Trivia
Revenue Cutter Grant
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
In This Issue
Coast Guard Trivia Page 3
Commanders Corner Page 2 & 4
Communications Systems Page 8
Commandants Message Page 5
Finance Page 7
Flotilla Calendar Page 5
Flotilla Staff Officer Info Page 12
Flotilla Vice Commander Page 3
High/Low Tide Information Page 11
Information Systems Page 8
Meeting Attendance Roster Page 10
Member Training Page 7
National Marina Day Page 10
Navigational Systems Page 8
Publications Page 8
Secretary Records Page 9 - 10
Vessel Examinations Page 7
Empire State Building Honors the
USCG Auxiliary 75th Anniversary


On June 23, 2014, the Empire State Building was lit
in Light Blue, Red and White to celebrate the Coast
Guard Auxiliarys 75 years of volunteer service to
the United States Coast Guard and the boating
public. The Auxiliary colors graced the top of this
magnificent building, and were visible to millions
across the New York metro area.
Admiral Robert Papp, past Commandant of the
Coast Guard, praised the 31,000-member force as
the worlds premier maritime volunteers. The
Auxiliarys theme for the 75th anniversary is:
Honoring the Past Preparing for the Future.
As the boating season is now in full swing, and
were approaching the hottest part of the year; I want
to remind everyone to stay safe, stay cool, and stay
hydrated.
Lets have a productive and effective year!
Paul Berka
FC, Flotilla 12-8
Commanders Corner
(Continued from Page Two)
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COMMANDANTS MESSAGE
Admiral Paul F. Zukunft
Commandant, United States Coast Guard
To the Men and Women of the United States
Coast Guard:
Earlier today, I had the honor of relieving Admiral
Papp as the 25th Commandant of the Coast Guard. I
am incredibly humbled by this opportunity, and I
thank Admiral Papp for his leadership and service to
the nation over the last 39 years.
Below, you will find the web address to my
Commandant's Direction. This document is intended
to guide the Service during the next four years. It is
founded on our Core Values of Honor, Respect, and
Devotion to Duty, and guided by the principles of
Service to Nation, Duty to People, and Commitment
to Excellence. I ask that each of you, whether Active
Duty, Reserve, Civilian, or Auxiliarist, take a moment
to review its contents.
http://www.uscg.mil/direction
You inspire me, and you have my trust,
confidence, and admiration. Together, we will ensure
our Service is always ready for the challenges ahead.
Semper Paratus!
Above Left Photo: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson (center) presides as Adm.
Paul Zukunft (left) relieves Adm. Bob Papp during a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard
Headquarters in Washington May 30, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
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JULY 2014 JULY 2014 JULY 2014 JULY 2014 JULY 2014 JULY 2014 JULY 2014
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRI DAY SATURDAY
1 2 3 4
Independence
Day
5
6 7 8 9
Flotilla Meeting
1900, Brass
Buckle
10 11 12
Division Meeting
VE: Limehouse
0800-1200
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
VE: Wappoo Cut
0800-1200
VE: Bristol
0800-1200
20 21 22 23 24 25
Scuttlebutt
Deadline
26
27
VE: Bushy Park
0800-1200
VE: Cypress Gar.
0800-1200
28 29 30 31
Historical July Events
1797: Congress passed "An Act providing a Naval Armament," empowered the President to "cause the said revenue
cutters to be employed to defend the seacoast and to repel any hostility to their vessels and commerce, within their
jurisdiction, having due regard to the duty of said cutters in the protection of the revenue." The act also increased the
complements of the cutters from ten men to a number "not exceeding 30 marines and seamen."
1818: The Revenue Cutter Dallas seized and libeled the Venezuelan privateer Cerony off Savannah for having
violated the nation's neutrality laws.
FLOTI LLA CALENDAR
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Member Training
Never Stop Learning
Richard Daniel, FSO-MT
June was a very busy month for
training. Two-boat drills were set
up in preparation of upcoming QE
of Coxswain re-certification, crew re-certification
and New crew certification. We had a hands on GPS
workshop that covered both classroom, as well as
applications on two different facilities.
The QE was held, and successfully completed.
This included entering waypoints in the GPS and
going to location, docking the tow to the dock and
transferring the distressed vessel to the dock. This
also included a night navigation exercise for the
coxswain. All the crews did an excellent job. This
proved that practicing was the difference. Never
Stop Learning. ICS 300 was included in the months
activity.
Many thanks go out to all the operations folks
taking part, the out of town QEs, and in particular,
St Johns Yacht harbor for hosting our training. Please
make it a point to share your knowledge with new
members so they too can get in the learning mode.
Finance
Frank Leister, FSO-FN
Financially we have not had a significant event
in the last month. Our budget is slowly working its
way out of the calendar induced imbalances, and I
am confident, baring any unforeseen transactions, we
will finish the year in good financial shape. We do
need more revenue from PE to seal the budget.
We are quickly coming up on the next dues
cycle. On August 1st, you will receive an email
invoice for the 2015 dues. If you don't get the email,
you still owe the dues, so it is worthwhile checking
to make sure your current email is the one in
Auxdata. FSO-IS Carter can be reached at
uscgauxcharleston@gmail.com if you need to update
your email address.
In case youre wondering why we start the dues
cycle in August when we don't pay the dues until
2015, it is because it takes that long to determine
who didn't pay, and of those, who won't pay, and
then scrub them from the Flotilla's roles. If we don't
get that done early in the fourth quarter, the District
bills the Flotilla for people who are no longer in the
Flotilla. That in turn negates three dues paying
members contribution to the Flotilla's coffers.
As always, any questions or comments are
welcome. Please feel free to contact me at
fcl@lwinslow.com.
Thank you.
Vessel Examinations
Alan Miles, FSO-VE
The participation in Vessel
Exams has been poor in the
past few months. I will
continue to schedule and
conduct the vessels exams until the end of this
boating season. I encourage the vessel examiners to
come on out and get involved.
STAFF OFFI CER REPORTS
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Information Systems
William Carter, FSO-IS
Im pleased to announce that the
Flotilla has accumulated nearly
4,200 hours in Auxdata. Great job
everyone! At this rate, we will hit the
7,500 mark before the end of the Summer.
Many of you may have noticed that your hours
do not appear in Auxdata right away. The reason for
this has to do with the system updating. It seems that
Auxdata has been updating every two weeks instead
of once per week. While I am not certain if this will
continue to be the case, I will make sure that your
hours have been put into the system.
Thank you for all of your dedication and hard
work into making the Auxiliary such a great
organization.
Member Info Spreadsheet
Publications
William Carter, FSO-PB
As many of you know, when publications are
sent out, I always include an attached file, a link so
you can read the newsletter online and a link to
download it from Google Drive. The online service
that is used to post newsletters is called Scribd. Our
Flotilla has its own profile section, and using this,
were able to see how many views our newsletters
have had. As of this writing, our Flotilla publications
have been viewed by over 8,500 people! How cool is
that?
Communications Systems
William Carter, FSO-CS
As I mentioned in the Publications article, our
newsletters have been viewed by more than 8,500
people. Our Scribd profile section, the home of our
online publications, is also linked to the Flotilla
home page. This, along with our presence on search
engines, had helped to generate traffic to the Flotillas
website. Our Flotilla home page averages close to
three-hundred visits per month, with roughly half of
these being new visitors.
During this time, we continue to have people
sign up online for the ABS course, request Vessel
Safety Checks, and send us general inquiries about
the Auxiliary and boating safety. Im proud to say
that our internet presence remains strong.
Navigation Systems
Dwaine Harris, FSO-NS
In mid-July, we are planing an ATON patrol
along the Cooper River. This will be a day/night
patrol. We will need four people to assist with this.
Please contact me if you are interested in
participating in ATON, and let me know what your
availability is. While we dont yet have an exact
date, this ATON patrol will most likely be held on a
Saturday.
STAFF OFFI CER REPORTS
Remember to le all 7029, 7030, and 7038
paperwork for Auxiliary activities. Please feel
free to contact William Carter if you have any
questions on submitting paperwork.
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Call to order at 1900 by FC Paul Berka. Pledge
of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.
Introduction of Guests
We have a few guests tonight. From the Coast
Guard, Lt Commander Fitzgerald is here.
Duncan Hutchinson has a couple of guests,
Tanya Gallo, a registered nurse, and new boat owner,
from New York. She found out about us from the
boat show.
Peter Axiotis has also brought a guest from the
Civil Air Patrol, B.T. Marking. He wants to see the
water side of search and rescue.
FC Berka added that uniforms will need to be
purchased, as we are a volunteer organization.
Announcements from the Flotilla Commander
FC Paul Berka mentions that members received a
letter in the mail about the security of USCG Aux
data. If you need a new ID card, please make sure to
resubmit your request. Let me know if youre having
trouble, and Ill see what I can do to help you.
Adoption of Minutes
A correction is made to the minutes from the
previous meeting. Chuck Chirila is still FSO-MA.
A motion is made, and seconded, to accept the
minutes as published in the Scuttlebutt, with the
FSO-MA correction. All present voted to accept.
Flotilla Staff Officer Reports
(Additions to reports in The Scuttlebutt)
Human Resources: Duncan Hutchinson: Ive
reviewed the new Coast Guard Commandants
directions for 2014. From this standpoint, there is no
transition between the Commandants, but rather a
continuation.
Recruiting: If you are speaking to someone who
is interested in joining, and they have tattoos that
show below the wrist or neck, they will probably not
get into the Auxiliary.
Information Systems: William Carter: Some
members are still having trouble with their forms.
Please contact me if you need any assistance.
Materials: Chuck Chirila: Chuck Chirila is still
in charge of Materials. Try to keep stock available
and let me know when we are low on supplies. We
are currently out of coloring books for Public Affairs
events.
Member Training: Richard Daniel: We have
the big weekend coming up. QEs will be held at St.
Johns Yacht Harbor.
Navigational Services: Dwaine Harris: We
recently completed a day/night ATON patrol. We
checked 68 Aids-to-Navigation.
Operations: Joe Fleming: QE will be held this
weekend. Ive received a request for an Auxiliary
facility to support a Miami training with radioactive
testing.
National Marina Day is also this weekend, and
will be held at St. Johns Yacht Harbor.
We will probably be conducting a safety patrol
for the 4th of July fireworks.
Old Business
National Safe Boating Week: Jay Bird
discussed our NSBW activities, and stated that we
are done for the year.
SECRETARY RECORDS
Continued on Following Page
Joe Woodbury, FSO-SR
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New Business
National Marina Day: We will have a PA booth
at the St. Johns Yacht Harbor. Those on QE and VE
will be in summer uniform, and PA will be in ODU.
Comments from Guests & Members
None at this time.
Adjournment
A motion was made for meeting adjournment
and announcement of fellowship to follow the
meeting.
Respectfully Submitted
Joe Woodbury, FSO-SR
SECRETARY RECORDS ( CONTD. )
Berka, Paul
Beauchemin, Tom
Bird, Jay
Blodgett, Robert
Carter, William
Chirila, Chuck
Daniel, Richard
Fitzgerald, Lt. CMDR (guest)
Fleming, Joe
Gallow, Tanya (guest)
Harris, Dwaine
Hutchinson, Duncan
Jerussi, Tom
Marking, BT (guest)
Thibodeaux, Barbara
Woodbury, Joe
Meeting Attendance
Top Left: Alan Miles preparing for a Vessel Safety Check. Top & Bottom Right: Preparing for QE. Bottom
Left: Barbara Thibodeaux after setting up the safety display. Photos provided by Joe Woodbury.
National Marina Day
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J ULY 2014 TI DE TABLES
HI GH LOW HI GH LOW HI GH RI SE SET
1 Tue. 05:17 / 0.38 ft 11:25 / 4.67 ft 17:24 / 0.52 ft 23:30 / 5.35 ft 06:15 20:32
2 Wed. 05:55 / 0.45 ft 12:04 / 4.67 ft 18:07 / 0.71 ft 06:16 20:32
3 Thurs. 00:07 / 5.18 ft 06:34 / 0.50 ft 12:47 / 4.70 ft 18:53 / 0.88 ft 06:16 20:32
4 Fri. 00:47 / 5.01 ft 07:17 / 0.53 ft 13:34 / 4.79 ft 19:45 / 1.00 ft 06:17 20:32
5 Sat. 01:33 / 4.86 ft 08:04 / 0.53 ft 14:27 / 4.93 ft 20:44 / 1.05 ft 06:17 20:32
6 Sun. 02:26 / 4.74 ft 08:57 / 0.47 ft 15:24 / 5.14 ft 21:46 / 0.98 ft 06:18 20:31
7 Mon. 03:25 / 4.69 ft 09:55 / 0.34 ft 16:24 / 5.42 ft 22:48 / 0.80 ft 06:18 20:31
8 Tue. 04:27 / 4.72 ft 10:54 / 0.14 ft 17:23 / 5.75 ft 23:48 / 0.52 ft 06:19 20:31
9 Wed. 05:29 / 4.84 ft 11:52 / -0.12 ft 18:20 / 6.10 ft 06:19 20:31
10 Thurs. 00:44 / 0.18 ft 06:30 / 5.04 ft 12:48 / -0.39 ft 19:16 / 6.43 ft 06:20 20:31
11 Fri. 01:38 / -0.16 ft 07:28 / 5.27 ft 13:42 / -0.62 ft 20:10 / 6.67 ft 06:20 20:30
12 Sat. 02:29 / -0.46 ft 08:25 / 5.50 ft 14:35 / -0.76 ft 21:02 / 6.81 ft 06:21 20:30
13 Sun. 03:20 / -0.67 ft 09:21 / 5.69 ft 15:28 / -0.79 ft 21:54 / 6.80 ft 06:21 20:30
14 Mon. 04:10 / -0.79 ft 10:16 / 5.82 ft 16:21 / -0.69 ft 22:46 / 6.66 ft 06:22 20:29
15 Tue. 04:59 / -0.79 ft 11:11 / 5.88 ft 17:14 / -0.47 ft 23:38 / 6.40 ft 06:23 20:29
16 Wed. 05:50 / -0.70 ft 12:07 / 5.89 ft 18:09 / -0.17 ft 06:23 20:28
17 Thurs. 00:32 / 6.06 ft 06:41 / -0.54 ft 13:04 / 5.85 ft 19:07 / 0.15 ft 06:24 20:28
18 Fri. 01:26 / 5.68 ft 07:35 / -0.35 ft 14:02 / 5.79 ft 20:08 / 0.45 ft 06:24 20:27
19 Sat. 02:23 / 5.33 ft 08:30 / -0.16 ft 15:01 / 5.74 ft 21:10 / 0.66 ft 06:25 20:27
20 Sun. 03:21 / 5.05 ft 09:26 / -0.01 ft 15:59 / 5.73 ft 22:12 / 0.76 ft 06:26 20:26
21 Mon. 04:19 / 4.87 ft 10:22 / 0.07 ft 16:55 / 5.76 ft 23:10 / 0.76 ft 06:26 20:26
22 Tue. 05:15 / 4.79 ft 11:16 / 0.08 ft 17:49 / 5.82 ft 06:27 20:25
23 Wed. 00:04 / 0.69 ft 06:08 / 4.79 ft 12:07 / 0.06 ft 18:38 / 5.88 ft 06:28 20:25
24 Thurs. 00:52 / 0.58 ft 06:58 / 4.84 ft 12:54 / 0.03 ft 19:23 / 5.93 ft 06:28 20:24
25 Fri. 01:36 / 0.47 ft 07:43 / 4.90 ft 13:38 / 0.01 ft 20:05 / 5.95 ft 06:29 20:23
26 Sat. 02:18 / 0.38 ft 08:25 / 4.96 ft 14:20 / 0.02 ft 20:43 / 5.93 ft 06:30 20:23
27 Sun. 02:56 / 0.32 ft 09:05 / 4.99 ft 15:00 / 0.08 ft 21:19 / 5.86 ft 06:30 20:22
28 Mon. 03:34 / 0.31 ft 09:42 / 5.01 ft 15:39 / 0.19 ft 21:53 / 5.75 ft 06:31 20:21
29 Tue. 04:09 / 0.33 ft 10:17 / 5.01 ft 16:18 / 0.34 ft 22:25 / 5.61 ft 06:32 20:21
30 Wed. 04:44 / 0.37 ft 10:52 / 5.02 ft 16:57 / 0.50 ft 22:56 / 5.45 ft 06:32 20:20
31 Thurs. 05:19 / 0.43 ft 11:27 / 5.04 ft 17:37 / 0.68 ft 23:30 / 5.30 ft 06:33 20:19
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Condentiality Notice
Telephone numbers and addresses of members are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. As a matter of
policy, rosters of names, addresses and telephone numbers shall not be made available to the general
public or any outside organization. Privacy of all rosters shall be safeguarded and the page clearly labeled.
The publications of these rosters, addresses, and telephone numbers on any computer on-line service
including the Internet is prohibited by the Privacy Act of 1974.
FLOTI LLA STAFF OFFI CERS
Flotilla Commander Paul Berka phberka@comcast.net
Vice Flotilla Commander Dwaine Harris dwaine108@aol.com
Immediate Past FC (IPFC) Paul Thomas paul_nadine@bellsouth.net
Citadel Detachment Commander Christopher Zeller czeller@citadel.edu
Citadel Detachment Leader Alan Miles bigcid@comcast.net
Communications Services Vacant
Communications Systems William Carter uscgauxcharleston@gmail.com
Diversity & Inclusion Gil Bradham gilbradham@gmail.com
Finance Frank Leister fcl@lwinslow.com
Human Resources Duncan Hutchinson dhutchinson51@gmail.com
Information Services William Carter uscgauxcharleston@gmail.com
Materials Chuck Chirila cchirila@sc.rr.com
Marine Safety Blake Cannon blakecannon1@gmail.com
Member Training Richard Daniel rbdaniel1829@aol.com
Navigational Services Dwaine Harris dwaine108@aol.com
Operations Joe Fleming joeflemingjr@comcast.net
Public Affairs Joe Woodbury joewoodbury@yahoo.com
Public Education Crystal Smith clynn4445@gmail.com
Publications William Carter uscgauxcharleston@gmail.com
RBS Visitor Peter Axiotis hydriguy@hotmail.com
Secretary Records Joe Woodbury joewoodbury@yahoo.com
Vessel Examinations Alan Miles bigcid@comcast.net

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