The Global Positioning System, or GPS, brings spectacular navigational information to almost anyone. They can be found in the sports sections of Walmart and K-Mart, as well as marine stores, for as little as $100. As you probably know, even the simple sets provide accuracy to 100 meters or less, and run on simple AA batteries. They provide information on position, speed, and direction and time to a destination. Only small antennas are required, and a simple set can be used on board, in a car, or carried while hiking or hunting.
Even some relatively simple sets can be interfaced to auto-pilots and laptop
computers. With a second "differential" signal, accuracy can be improved to just
a few meters. Advanced, and much more expensive, GPS sets can display full color
electronic marine charts on their own screens.
The program for our April meeting will be about GPS. Lt/C Jack Stemple, AP, is planning a "show-and-tell."
Although it is the most accurate navigational tool ever designed, it is just a tool. Carelessly used, a GPS set can guide a boat directly onto a shoal. Some problems come from design limitations, while others result from improper use.
GPS doesn't "do away with that Piloting stuff." Instead, it gives additional reasons to understand latitude and longitude, as well as depth information. In addition, GPS tells you the shortest route between points, which is not necessarily route the best when currents and winds are involved.
A GPS set contains a powerful computer. By now, everyone has heard of "The
Year 2000 Problem" for computers. Garmin and Magellan, who produce most of the
inexpensive GPS receivers on the market, say they have incorporated software
that anticipates "Y2K."
GPS is not yet a part of our formal USPS® Advanced Grade courses,
but we do have materials available to us in the Learning Guide series, formerly
known as Supplemental Courses. You can order the GPS guide from USPS
Headquarters on the 800-FOR-USPS line, or now from marine dealers such as
BOAT/U.S. and E&B/West for about $5.00. There are many other guides
available, including ones on Radar, Boat Insurance, Oceanography, and
Marlinespike.
Lt. Wallace Venable,
AP, Mountaineer Editor
When the management of a periodical changes, it is often a good idea to have the new staff explain their plans.
P/C Joe Silbaugh, N set an excellent pattern for The Mountaineer, and my goal is to try to maintain his high standards. I will continue to bring you a mix of local, district, and national news.
Every officer, including committee chairs, owes the members regular reports. For some, like the Auditing Committee, this may require only a dozen words once a year. For others, it means providing monthly information on your work.
I plan to emphasize our members, their boats, and their boating activity. I can only do this with everyone's help. Each month I will be soliciting short pieces from several members. When your turn comes to contribute, please write something. I need facts and ideas. I will do my best to polish your writing if you request help. If you don't write it yourself, someone else may do it! I want to try to keep reports short, in fact, I'd rather just have people write about their reports than publish them as documents. I want to keep the style fairly informal.
One major change should already be apparent. Joe was putting out ten pages a month, but I am doing only six. One reason for this is that we have no "printing" budget for The Mountaineer. For some time, a member has been running the newsletter on an office copy machine at no charge. That could not be continued indefinitely, and I have asked the Bridge to decide on a solution.
There are several important factors, which include: (1) We do not distribute enough copies to use "bulk mail." (2) By National policy, we mail to as many D7 and National officers as we have members. (3) Copy costs can be held to about a third of the total for six page issues.
Potential solutions include (1) raising dues, (2) asking members to contribute money voluntarily, (3) running copies on your boss's Xerox®. We hope to avoid raising dues.
I think the tremendous record of Mountaineer Power Squadron over the past few years is due in large part to the monthly communications provided by The Mountaineer. I see cutting issues or "subscribers" as problems, not solutions. To continue to reach our many friends outside our local membership, I have posted an "On-Line Edition" of The Mountaineer on the squadron's "web page" on the INTERNET. This version omits many personal details (birthdays and some phone numbers) but contains color artwork and photos.
Access it through http://www.usps.org
Lt/C Alan Smith,
JN
Our Morgantown "Boat Smart" class got underway on 16 March at Westover United Methodist Church, led by Ray an Susan Derk. We had over twenty present, including Sea Scouts, their parents, and other students. P/C Wallace Venable, AP lead the first class.
The Fairmont class is to start at 1900 on 16 April at the YWCA on Pleasant
Valley Road.
This is your last reminder of the three classes for members scheduled to start in April.
For Seamanship contact Ray Derk, for Piloting call Jeff Stalnaker, or for
Cruise Planning get in touch with Charlotte Silbaugh.
What is one of the things that got me interested in the United States Power Squadron?
I remember a gentleman that I talked to when I first started looking at USPS.
That Gentleman was Richard Harter a Past Commander I believe from back in the
late 1960's. The one question he asked me was, Did I know in a few hours that I
could take my boat and be in a Foreign Country? I never have forgotten that
question because that question really intrigued me about Boating. That Foreign
Country he spoke about was our neighbor Canada. So some day that is my dream
trip! Pack up the Lady & Lord and trailer to Ohio or New York, put her in
one of the Great Lakes and visit that Foreign Country that is not as distant as
a Foreign Country might sound. The Splendor I think would be Great seeing it
from the Helm of your Boat.
P/C Robert Leeper, S
The current USCG Defect Notification and Recall list includes boats in the
following lines. If you own one of them, call the USCG at 800-368-5647 for
details. By law, all repairs on recalls are made at the manufacturer's expense.
Recalled boats and motors should not be used until repairs are made.
BAJA BOATS, 1997-98 Islander, Outlaw, 38 Special, and Hammer
BOSTON WHALER, 1997 15-ft. Dauntless
CARVER BOAT CORP., 1995-97 310 Express, All 350 Mariners
CELEBRITY BOATS, 1997 Speedster
FIBER SPORT, 1995-98 267, 267F/S, 252, 262
FOUR WINNS, 1995-97 238, 258 Vista
LARSON BOATS, 1995-96 280 Cabrio and 1997 290 Cabrio
MASTERCRAFTERS, 1996 Ragin Cajun, Esprit, Fishmaster
MEDARIS MARINE, 1991 54-ft. Jamestowner Houseboat
MERCURY MARINE, 1997 MCM 3.0LX, MCM 4.3LX, MCM 5.7L
SEA RAY BOATS, 1997 190BR, 210BR
VOLVO PENTA, 1997 4.3L GL GS GL, 5.7L GS GI, 7.4L GI and DPX 415
WELLCRAFT MARINE, 1993-97 23SE, 26SE and 1997 240SE, 260SE
Summer's Coming, and We're Going Boating!
June 1998
20 Stonewall Jackson Lake Mountaineer PS Rendezvous
& lake festival
July 1998
17-18 District 7 Rendezvous - Oakmont Yacht Club, Allegheny River
25 Tygart Lake Mountaineer PS Rendezvous
August 1998
15 Cheat Lake Mountaineer PS Rendezvous
September 1998
11-13 Mason Dixon Festival - Morgantown
Meeting boats, do not dread
When you see three lights ahead!
Port your helm and show your red.
For boats a-passing you should try
To keep this maxim in your eye.
Green to green or red to red -
Perfect safety - go ahead
If to starboard red appear,
'Tis your duty to keep clear;
Act as judgment says is proper
Port or starboard, back, or stop her!
But when on your port is seen
A steamer with a light of green
There's not so much for you to do
The green light must keep clear of you.
Both in safety and in doubt
Always keep a good lookout;
Should there be no room to turn,
Stop your boat and go astern.
from Mechanics Illustrated "The Boat Book" c.
1930
Many of you know that Dick Little has been a strong proponent of increased commercial use of our rivers. He has gotten tired of waiting for the towing industry to expand their services and has taken action. He found a Canadian ferry boat for sale at an INTERNET auction site, and put in a successful bid, using his USPS VISA card. Plans are to carry both cars and trucks from Pittsburgh to Jimmy Securo's terminal at Cataba. Dick says he hopes the DOH will upgrade the road. (Jimmy would be happy if they would grade the road.)
Given the oval deck shape, plans are to install a dog track. This will allow them to obtain a video poker license. By offering drivers a choice between poker machines and driving I-79, they expect a lot of business from truckers.
Dick is unsure whether he will name the boat Mountaineer Roads
or keep the Canadian name Poisson d'Avril. No decision has
been made whether the boat will be taken down the Atlantic coast and up the
Ten-Tom, or whether the Great Lakes route and Chicago Canal will be used.
Delivery is scheduled for April first.
District 7 now has its own flag. The flag shown above was approved at the USPS Annual Meeting in January.
It will be placed on sale at the D-7 Spring Conference.
D-7 now also has a web page on the INTERNET.
Our correspondent in the Netherlands reports that a boat magazine ran a series of interviews with lock keepers about the highlights of last summer. One told a story, which he swore was true. A large motor boat was waiting to go into his lock. It was steered by a middle aged man, with his wife standing at the stern. She was holding a rope with a loop in it, which she had put over a bollard to moor the boat while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
As soon as the lights went green, the man, without any warning to his wife, opened up the throttle and rocketed into the lock. His wife, still holding the rope fell in the canal.
The lock keeper said to the man "Why didn't you go and help your wife out of
the canal." He replied "It's the third time she's done it this week, I can't
spend all my time waiting for her, it's wasting my holiday."