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From the Commander
Cdr J. Stephen Yeomans, P

I am constantly reminded about the many things the Charleston Power Squadron has to be proud of: excellent educational opportunities, wonderful cruises, public service safety programs, interesting event meetings, the list could go on and on. One thing that is often overlooked, however, is the members who make up this truly great organization. At no time has this been made more apparent to me than at our squadron Headquarters cleanup day held on 14 September. Although an earlier attempt at this activity was rescheduled from two months earlier (a special "thanks" go to P/C Billy Lynes for working that day when no one else could), we had a turnout of ten members on the 14th.

We mowed, pruned limbs, defoliated the fenceline, power washed the building, trimmed hedges and landscaped, scoured the kitchen / bar area, finished the installation of the new stove, installed smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, vacuumed everything, and still made time for a cookout at 1300! All of these folks responded to the call made at the last membership event at Fort Johnson (more on that in a minute) and the notice in The Palmetto Log. If you need yard work done, Ed & Cindy Kridler are the folks to call! Power washing your house? Steve Rustin and Terry Marinko got it covered! (Steve's power washer rocks!) Hedges getting out of hand? Vince & Loretta Lombardo have the tools and talent. Kitchen needs attention? Diane Williams, Boo Ward, and Charlotte Yeomans can handle anything. Just need general maintenance on everything else around the house? Tony Ward, Kirk Williams, and I can be had (for a price!).

I would like to send very special thanks to Cindy Kridler. Once the building was power washed, it was obvious that it would need to be repainted (old paint peeling, signs of where mold was before washing was still visible). Cindy volunteered to spend the following Wednesday painting the building with me. She came, paint in hand (actually in van) at 0930 on Wednesday, and stayed until 1630 painting everything in sight! She brushed, I rolled, and the building received the coating of paint it desperately needed. We also replaced the front porch lights, got the timer for the light at the back of the building working (it illuminates the parking area), and oversaw the installation of the new water line to the kitchen (The sink now works! Terry, your idea worked great!). I think the building now is something all members can be proud of!

The membership event in September at Fort Johnson (home to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources) was extremely interesting! Thanks to Lt/C Lee Mims, our meeting was held in the auditorium of the main DNR building, and an in-depth presentation (visual power point, no less) on Capers Island was presented to us by Hayne VonKolnitz, DNR agent assigned to Capers. Hayne has an obvious love for the Island, and the practical knowledge to make a real difference in its' conservation. His experience is all first-hand, and the pictures we saw of the area via the computer projection presentation (most of which he took himself) were postcard quality. I have never been to Capers, but after that presentation, I guarantee I am going to go! His discussion of the wildlife (watch out for the snakes!) and erosion problems were most informative, as well as his request for help in getting donated certain services necessary for people to continue to enjoy the Island. As DNR's budget is pretty slim where Capers Island is concerned, there is no money for new pilings at the public dock, or for removal of trash (metal debris mostly) from the Island. If anyone knows of folks who could donate their services in either of these two areas, please contact Hayne VonKolnitz at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. This is yet another way the squadron can make a difference in the Charleston area!

Our next membership event will be held on 10 October at 1930 in our headquarters building in West Ashley (Cocktail hour starts at 1830). Our speaker will be Commodore Ken Coker of the Charleston Cruising Club, and he will speak as to the club's activities and events. As with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, we share members with this boating organization as well. I had the pleasure of speaking to their membership in September, and they are an active group with a full cruising schedule. I look for our two organizations to share in some activities in the future. The October membership event is a covered dish affair, and burgers or hot dogs will be available as well.

Our October cruise is to Toad Hall on James Island at the invitation of Fred & Joyce Wichmann. This is an oyster roast / covered dish affair. Without exception, this has always been a great cruise! Festivities start at 1800 on 26 October (Saturday), and I can think of few places in Charleston where you can view a more beautiful sunset. This cruise is open to members from other squadrons as well (a great event for a weekend trip to Charleston), and members of the current District Bridge are expected to attend. For directions to this event and to let the planning committee know you are coming (we have to know how many oysters to get), please call Lt/C Charlotte Yeomans at (843) 869-7808. Harry, don't worry. I'll make sure we have something other than oysters for you this year!

See you on the 10th! - Steve

EDUCATIONAL OFFICER
Lt/C Stephen C. Kromer, P

B

First, we ran two on-the-water-training sessions for the current Piloting class. I think that all who attended these two sessions will agree that P/D/C Charlie Rhea did a great job of building a pelorus on the spot. During the first session the class constructed a compass deviation table for No Sense. We did this in the North Edisto River using the range at the entrance to Bohicket Creek. During the second session the class practiced plotting LOP's in Charleston Harbor. We had some great entertainment arranged (see separate article) and I think all in the class will agree that both days were fun-filled learning experiences. This class took the Piloting exams starting with the closed book on 17 Sept and the open book during the following two weeks. If you see any of the folks in this class, please wish them well on the exams.
Next on the agenda was the start of the fall courses. We had great turnout for these classes. We have 10 people taking Engine Maintenance, 6 taking Weather, 3 taking Navigation, 2 taking Sail 102 and 1 taking Instructor Qualification. Believe it or not, we ended up doing team teaching on both Engine Maintenance and Weather. Here's what happened.
The National Weather Service has transferred Steve Brueske, who has been teaching Weather ever since I joined the squadron, from Charleston to Great Falls, Montana. I talked with Steve, who said his new home is on the Missouri River and has low temperatures some where below -50 F. He anticipates leaving the Charleston area sometime in the first or second week in October. I sure hope the Weather Service provides an allowance for cold weather gear. If they were moving me, I'd demand a shrimp import allowance. I'm sure I speak for all of us in the Charleston Power Squadron when I say: We're gonna' miss you Steve and thanks for all the time you have put into teaching us Weather.
Anyhow, with Steve's move taking place so quickly we had to postpone the start of the weather class so the new instructor can get his feet on the ground. The new instructor's name is Paul Yura and he has been transferred from Brownsville, TX to Charleston. I have had a couple emails with him and the first comment he made was: "Boy do you have big tides here. In Brownsville we only 1-2 foot tides." Given that he only arrived in Charleston a week ago Paul is uncertain as to when he can start. We talked about October, November and January. Keep reading The Palmetto Log for more information; we'll pass on information as it becomes available.
Just as we were ready to start the Engine Maintenance course, David Walsh got a job. Actually, he always had a job but he didn't do much except fish. Finally, his company hooked and landed him for a project. So now he's commuting to Nebraska, something to do with alfalfa and farmers in bib overalls. Next time you see David, ask him about it. I get confused just thinking about stuff like that. So guess what happened? Dick Finn and Ken Beeber stepped up to each teach some of the sessions that David can't - problem solved. I know the class will get excellent instruction from the group. Thanks, guys, y'all made the squadron function even in the face of the unexpected.
The remaining classes, Navigation taught by Ed Kridler, Sail 102 taught by Mike Hamme, and Instructor Qualification taught by Peggy Bauer, all went off without a hitch.
Next up, we started a Seamanship course on 21 Sept. Mike King is instructing. If you have not taken a class taught by Mike, now is a good time. Mike is always fun to listen to, and if there is anyone that knows more about boats and boating, I haven't run into him yet. Mike can even tell you the best time to clean the bottom of your boat. I know that by the time you read this, the class will be underway but there is still time to sign up for this course.
Last but not least, we have scheduled a Boat Smart Course for 16 Nov & 23 Nov. Tentatively, we will run this class at Tele-Tech Services office located at 500 Oakbrook Lane in Summerville. The conference room will hold 12 to 15 people. If we start to get more people registering for the course than the room can hold, we will either find another location, or split up the sessions. Let's see what happens. You might want to start talking this up with people that you run into, especially to people that live in Summerville. Directions will be posted on the squadron website and posters will be available for distribution around town within the next couple of weeks.
That's all folks! More next month.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Lt/C Vince Lombardo, P

The meeting was called to order by Lt/C Vince Lombardo at 1931 at the Headquarters Building. A quorum was present. Those present were: Lt Corrin Marinko, Bob Gulbrandsen, Lt/C Loretta Lombardo, P/Lt/C Martin Gipe, P/C Hil Winters, P/D/C Ken Beeber, Lt Dick Finn, 1st/Lt Barbara Weaver, P/D/C Bob Gissell, Lt Janice Kromer, Lt/C Steve Kromer, Mike Hamme, P/C Billy Lynes, Lt Terry Marinko, Steven Rustin, P/Lt/C Cindy Kridler, P/R/C Ed Kridler, Lt/C Lee Mims, Lt John VanWay, Lt Michael King, Caitlyn Yeomans, and Lt/C Charlotte Yeomans.

The minutes of the previous Executive Committee were accepted with the following revisions: Per Lt John VanWay, the membership meeting for October, not September, is scheduled for Headquarters. Per Lt/C Steve Kromer, the Instructor Qualification Course has been scheduled.

Educational: Per Lt/C Steve Kromer: Weather Instructor Steve Brueske is moving out of the area in five to six weeks. He is looking for a replacement instructor. Also, Lt David Walsh will be commuting out of the area for work during the week; therefore, the Engine Maintenance course will be held on Saturdays instead of Wednesdays.

Lt/C Kromer is working on obtaining a location for the next Public Boat Safety Course in Summerville. The course to be held at the Edisto Island Yacht Club has been postponed until at least the beginning of next year.

There are now PowerPoint presentations for both the Piloting and the Engine Maintenance courses for the squadron.

Executive: Per Lt/C Vince Lombardo: Steve Cofer-Shabica will be taking over the Co-Operative Charting Program for the squadron in January 2003 pending approval from next year's Executive Officer. Also, the D/26 position is still vacant.

Administrative: Per Lt/C Lee Mims: The October business meeting will be a covered dish dinner at Headquarters. The October cruise will be an Oyster Roast at Toad Hall on the 26th.

Treasurer: Per Lt/C Loretta Lombardo: Membership money is still trickling in. New members are still joining. The squadron is solvent. Fifty-eight people were in attendance at the last membership meeting. Lt/C Mims won the50-50 drawing and then donated it back to the Squadron.

Secretary: Per Lt/C Charlotte Yeomans: A new tape recorder has been obtained for recording the minutes, for better accuracy. The deadline for articles to The Palmetto Log is the 10th of the month. Lt John VanWay has started sending The Palmetto Log to all of this past year's participants in the Boat Smart Course so they can receive more information about the squadron.

Commander: Cdr Steve Yeomans was not present to give his report; he is guest speaker at the Charleston Cruising Club.

Old Business: P/D/C Ken Beeber and Lt Dick Finn are continuing the project of building the second boat show booth. P/R/C Ed Kridler had two copies of the graphic to be used for the booth made. The word spacing will be adjusted to read "Charleston Power Squadron" instead of "Charleston Squadron."

P/D/C Bob Gissell inquired about the status of the By-Laws. Lt/C Yeomans replied that they had been sent to Al Lakin for the third time. They were sent registered mail this time.

Lt/C V. Lombardo stated that the D/26 Fall Conference and Change of Watch deadline for participation in events is 20 September.

The squadron Change of Watch ceremony will be held in the Point Grill at the Omar Shrine Temple. It was asked that, if there was a buffet, to place the buffet in the side hallway to alleviate any crowding problems.

P/D/C Gissell requested that a special "Boxed-In" highlight be placed in the October The Palmetto Log to announce officially the October business meeting.

New Business: Per Lt Janice Kromer: The Boat US Grant deadline is 1 November 2002. She is asking for a committee to help in putting together the information needed for the presentation of the program. The program has been put together by Lt/C Steve Kromer and Mike Hamme at the request of the Mount Pleasant Fire Department; the program will be to train firemen, policemen, and EMT's for emergency situations in marine environments.

Per Lt/C V. Lombardo: In the Ensign, an announcement was made that USPS signed a Memo of Agreement with the Boy Scouts of America for the participation with the Sea Scouts Program. P/C Billy Lynes state that one Boy Scout Troop in Mount Pleasant is a Sea Scout Troop. P/C Lynes is the BSA District Representative for the Motor Boating Badge. Lt VanWay suggested that the squadron extend an invitation for the next Boa t Smart Course to the Sea Scout Troop and donate all needed materials to them.

Per Lt/C V. Lombardo: The Christmas Party will be a Headquarters on Friday, 6 December 2002.

Per P/C Hil Winters: Merit Mark recommendations are due on the 15th of October.

Lt Mike King will have a safety tip to present at next week's membership meeting.

Steve Rustin handed out over 250 Boating Safety Packets.

P/C Lynes brought up that the 21st of September is the Beach/River Sweep.

Hospitality for the Long Bay cruise is scheduled to be held at the Charleston Harbor Marina on Friday, 20 September 2002.

The meeting adjourned at 2033.

***An Addendum to the Minutes is as follows: During the membership meeting at the Grice Marine Laboratory on Thursday, 12 September 2002, a motion was made by P/C Fred Wichmann and seconded by P/R/C Ed Kridler that the Charleston Power Squadron back the nomination of D/C James R. McVey to the 3-year term on the D/26 Nominating Committee. The membership present overwhelmingly approved the motion. Cdr Steve Yeomans, James West, Kirk Williams, Denise Smith, P/C George Kennedy, Betty Kennedy, Lt/C Lee Mims, Lt/C Vince Lombardo, Lt/C Loretta Lombardo, P/Lt/C Cindy Kridler, P/R/C Ed Kridler, Lt/C Charlotte Yeomans, P/C Merellene Ward, P/C Tony Ward, Matthew Zender, Lt Mike King, Joan King, Lt Dick Finn, P/D/C Ken Beeber, Muriel Beeber, Lt/C Steve Kromer, Lt Janice Kromer, Lt John VanWay, Donna Fleming, P/C Fred Wichmann, Joyce Wichmann, Lt Bob Lovinger, and Lt Wendy Walsh were present at the aforementioned Meeting.

!!ATTENTION!!

Please be advised of the following addendum to the Nominations List posted in the September 2002 issue of The Palmetto Log

"The name of Lt John W. VanWay, SN, was inadvertently left off from the list of Members-at-Large for the Executive Committee. Please consider this nomination with the names which are already listed."

This addendum was submitted by P/C Merellene H. Ward, JN, Nominating Committee Chair, to Lt/C Charlotte F. Yeomans, P, Secretary, on Monday, 24 September 2002.

Directions: At the end of Wappoo Bridge, take the right fork onto Maybank Hwy. Go approx. 1-½ miles and turn right at the 3rd light onto Riverland Drive. (At the golf course and just before Stono Bridge) Go .4 mile to the 4-way stop. Toad Hall is about .2 mile ahead on the left. If you get lost, call 795-9172 or 296-9129.

So, how many things can happen in one weekend?

The weekend of 6 Sept, No Sense and I did a round trip to Charleston for an on-the-water-training session, as related in the Education Department article in The Palmetto Log. After I got back, I started thinking about everything that happened (and No Sense didn't even break) during the weekend and thought it might be fun to relate it all to the rest of the squadron. If you're tired of listening to me ramble about stuff, stop reading now.

Anyhow, No Sense is not a boat to run single-handed. So I recruited Glen Workman to crew for the trip from Bohicket Marina to Charleston Harbor. I should have known right from the beginning that it was going to be an interesting weekend. If y'all know Bohicket, you know that the current can be amazing. Given that, we always go in or out based on tides. Glen and I got to the boat on time for the tide change, got the boat prepped and ready to go, fired up No Sense's powerful diesels, and backed out of the slip. Then I went brain dead and twisted the boat the wrong way. The way I turned the boat would have caused some serious problems had the current been running hard. I knew better, I knew which way the current was running, and just went and did everything backwards. No real problem though since the current was hardly running at all. This just reinforces that you can never be too careful, especially with current at Bohicket Marina.

After that little hair-raiser, Glen and I cruised up the Edisto River to the Intracoastal Waterway. As we passed Yonges Island, we noticed a Sunfish and a kayak sort of just hanging around and drifting. Glen and I talked about whether or not they were having a problem and decided that they were not since there was no indication from them of any distress. We got a good long look at them since we were in the no wake zone just before the commercial shipyard up that way. We decided that the kayak was giving sailing lessons to the Sunfish, but since there was little to no wind, they were not going anywhere. About 45 minutes later we heard a PAN-PAN on the radio and the coast guard said they were looking for two small craft that were caught in the current on the Stono River. Glen and I talked about whether or not this was the pair we had passed a while ago and decided it couldn't have been because they were not in any distress. Another 15 minutes goes by and the Coast Guard repeats the PAN-PAN with more information. Now they are talking about a yellow Sunfish and an orange kayak off Waldmalaw Island drifting towards the North Edisto River. Oops, these were the guys that we passed an hour ago.

Glen and I talked about turning around but knew we were an hour away and decide to just monitor the situation. Turns out not turning around was a good decision because about 10 minutes later a Coast Guard boat going to get these folks went by us at high speed, so even if we had turned around they would have gotten there well before No Sense. After thinking about this situation, I started wondering what we could have or should have done differently. I'm still not sure. If anyone has any ideas please feel free to suggest them so that the next time something like this happens we have better ideas as to what to do.

Having said that, there are a couple of things that occurred to me after the fact. First, the guys in the Sailfish and kayak need some boating lessons. If they had done anything to attract our attention we would have stopped and helped them on the spot. Second, from the position where we saw them, drifting into the ocean was about impossible. They were several miles from the entrance to the Edisto River, and from where the Intracoastal enters the Edisto, it is 7-8 miles from the ocean. All they had to do was wait until the tide turned and they would drift right back to where they started. Alternatively, they could have found a dock and held on or angled for the shore and waited for the tide to change. It is possible that they could not do that if the Sunfish did not have a paddle and there was no wind. Third, the coast guard watch stander talked way too fast. Both Glen and I had trouble understanding what he was saying.

At any rate, we finished the trip to Charleston Harbor without any other strange stuff happening. No Sense and I stayed at the Charleston Maritime Center. For those of you who don't know about the Charleston Maritime Center, it is a great place to stay if you can get in. They only have a few slips but if you don't mind tying up to a fixed pier, you can usually get a spot or sometimes they'll let you stay overnight on the fuel dock. The transient dockage is the cheapest in Charleston - as is their diesel fuel. I'm not sure about gasoline, but I would guess that it is also cheap compared to other places in town. The big advantage to the Maritime Center is that you can walk to a lot of places downtown, unlike the other marinas in the harbor. Now that I have done the travelogue, let me tell y'all about the bad news. There is no water in the center of the marina, which makes getting in or out an adventure. Water depth goes from 20 feet at the end of the fixed pier to 2 inches in the center of the harbor. Lot's of fun at low tide if you need to maneuver. Anyway, Glen and I managed to get No Sense into the slip they had for us without putting it in the mud, and since there were no new holes in the boat, it was a good day all around.

On Saturday, we left the dock around 0900 to run the on-the-water training for the current Piloting class. We cruised along the Charleston waterfront, which is always nice, and then up the Ashley River. At that point we started running various courses through the harbor, and the class took bearings on various objects and practiced doing DR's, LOP's and TVMDC calculations.

Around 1030 the entertainment started. We looked up and saw a Coast Guard helicopter do a couple of passes of a search pattern over the area in front of the Battery. As we continued to watch, the helicopter went into a hover and dropped a swimmer in the water. Actually, I think they were trying to land the swimmer on a small boat but missed and he ended up half in the water and half on the boat. They then proceeded to practice taking the swimmer off a boat. This went on for about an hour and a half. Great stuff. The class was so dedicated that even while I was tooling around with the boat watching all of this, they were plotting DR's.

After the Coast Guard finished practicing, we started to cruise up the Ashley River. As we passed the red marker a mile or so from the Coast Guard station, one of the students warned that there was a boat coming up on our starboard side between us and the marker. I looked over- and sure enough, there was a big boat passing us at high speed. Talk about stupid. This guy had the entire Ashley River channel to my port side but chose to take the 25 yards between my starboard side and the marker. Boy did he wake us! We had stuff all over the cabin floor when we went inside later, including (sin of sins) some beer knocked out of the fridge. Right after I finished fussin' and cussin' at this moron (if he ever applies for membership in the squadron I think we should make him the first guy in history we turn down) I heard a radio call. "This is the Sheriff's boat off your port side - go to idle and prepare to be boarded." Yeah!! The Sheriff's deputies spent 45 minutes going through this guy's boat. Yeah!! Yeah!! Later on, after they finished with him, the Sheriff's boat passed us again and the deputy in stern looked over with a big grin and gave us a thumbs up. Yeah!! Yeah!! Yeah!!

After we finished cruising the Ashley River, we moved over to Mt. Pleasant and did some additional plots and DR's in the main shipping channel. It never fails to amaze me that there is somebody in a small boat, sail mostly, but some powerboats, that think they have the right-of-way in the shipping channel. At least twice, we were taking bets on whether or not a sailboat was going to get run over by a container ship. You could hear the harbor pilots call on the radio and blowing 5 whistles at these guys. It seems like the 5 whistles wake them up. I know I'm a cranky old guy, but the first thing I do in that part of the harbor is keep a lookout for container or other big ships going up or down the main channel. When I see one, I make sure to get out of the channel. I don't want any doubt that I'm not going to be in his way and, for the most part, there is plenty of water outside the markers. Anyhow, we finished the on-the-water training with doing some additional plots and DR's on the Cooper River.

We finished early, and since there was a stiff wind and low tide wasn't for an hour and a half, we decided that we needed to check out the construction for the new Cooper River Bridge. We all concurred that they were doing a good job building this bridge.

We were finally ready with wind and tide to try getting back into the Charleston Maritime Center. Just as we were getting ready to call for help with line handling, there was a radio call from a sailboat that was also coming into the Maritime Center. His engine was out because his battery was discharged. He decided that he was going to sail the boat into his slip at the Maritime Center. He did. Except his brakes didn't work and you could see him crunch the bow on the dock. Now it was our turn. We did great. We got the boat to the fuel dock in good shape. Our deck hand tossed the line to the dockhand who dropped it in the water for us - I guess he was trying to see if we had floating lines. Now the fun starts. The wind is pushing the boat, mainly the stern, off the dock. Guess where? To the center of the marina where there are 2 inches of water since it was low tide. What an adrenaline high I got trying to get things squared away without running aground or sucking up a bunch of mud into the engine intakes. We finally got things turned around, literally. On the second pass, we got to the dock and the dockhand held onto the rope. After everything settled down, Charlie Rhea took me aside and quietly said to me, "There was nothing to get excited about - the boat would have stopped a long time before it hit anything solid". Leave it to an "Old Salt" to put things in perspective. He was absolutely right. The worst thing that would have happened is we would have been sitting in the mud for an hour or two waiting for the tide to come in. I need to remember that the next time something like that happens. Oh well, no new holes in the boat, so it was a good day.

On Sunday, Nick Russo and I took No Sense back to Bohicket. It was a lovely day and I thought that we were going to make it all the way back without anything exciting happening. But no! Nick and I were talking so much that on the North Edisto River, we ran poor old No Sense into the mud. We know the North Edisto like the back of our hands. Every time we go out, we run all or part of the Edisto. Shoot, the channel in the Edisto is so wide and so deep that I use it to teach my grandkids how to steer the boat. Just goes to show you that no matter how well you know the waters, if you lose your concentration, you will end up in the mud. Luckily enough we were able to motor off. Even if we were stuck, we would not have been there long since it was about 30 minutes before low tide. After that, we made it back to Bohicket without any new holes in the boat, so it was a good day.

As I said at the beginning, I would not have thought it possible to cram all these good times into one weekend, but we did.

As you remember, a heavy rain started about Wednesday. The rain continued Thursday but three boats started for Dock Holiday Marina. Since this is a rather independent group of captains, we all started and arrived at different marinas the first night - IOP, Georgetown, and Wacca Wache. Rain continued on Friday so the group agreed to meet at Georgetown and declare the cruise as "Georgetown II." The day ended with a great indoor "Pot Luck Dinner."

On Saturday the rain lightened up a little bit and a fourth couple joined us by car. We decided to take advantage of the "wheels" and planned a cultural trip to Brookgreen Gardens. It was less than 20 miles north of the marina on US 17. By now, the group was getting "boat happy" and would go anywhere to get off their boats. Since the car could only hold half of the group, it required two trips. The first group left after lunch and about a mile from the garden encountered a "down burst" of rain. It was so heavy that the traffic on US 17 (4 lanes) came to a complete stop. Fate was following us. After a few minutes the rain lightened up and we got to the Gardens toll booth. Here we learned that the indoor exhibit we wanted to see was closed for the day. Of course, the outdoor sculpture was available for viewing in the rain. We decided not to enter and returned to a lot of long faces. At least a few of us got a car ride out of the deal. That night we went out to dinner, with umbrellas, of course.

Sunday broke off nice with heavy clouds, no sun, a light breeze but no rain. Here the group started to break up. Two boats and the car left for Charleston but the last boat stayed for another day. Since you may have wondered about the advantages of traveling with the "Underwater Cruise Club" I thought I would list a few:
" No problem deciding which SPF suntan lotion to use.
" No problem deciding which clothes to wear because they are all wrinkled.
" You don't have to wash down the boat after a day's run; the rain does it.
" Drinking beer after 10:00 am is permitted.
" Less traffic on the waterway.
" Tow Boat/US and Sea Tow have boats readily available on a rainy day.
" Fewer shallow spots after a heavy rain.
" When you cut the trip in half, it saves on fuel.
" Fewer people using the marina showers.

No Sense Ol' Paint
Gooneybird dot calm (car)

P.S. Join us in November for the cruise to Bohicket Marina.

As you may have heard by now, I have decided to "retire" as your Editor of The Palmetto Log as of the end of this year. It has been a challenging and rewarding position over the last two+ years; however, it's time for me to move on to other things (primarily relaxing and traveling with Donna).

It is important that someone step forward and assume responsibility for this work, which is essential to the ongoing operation of Charleston Power Squadron. The monthly newsletter is the main communication channel from your Executive Committee and Bridge to you as members.

So that you prospective volunteers know what is required in publishing The Palmetto Log, I've put together the following general thoughts:

-It will take about 15-20 hours per month, if you do it all yourself.

-You should be "conversant" with computers and a publishing application. We currently are using Adobe PageMaker 6.5; however, it could be changed to another application if one is more comfortable with another one.

-You will edit the articles submitted by others, import them into the publication document along with photos (need some type of photo editing program), create the calendar, schedule of events and other items as you creatively package the final monthly issue.

-Have someone proofread it then make the necessary corrections.

-Either copy it to a disc or print it out and paste it together and take it to our printer, Accuprint in Festival Center.

-Pick it up from the printer and take it to Hope Services, our collators and mail service, in West Ashley.

-E-mail articles and photos to CPS Web Site webmaster Harry Darby.

You can see that it would be very beneficial to have more than one person involved with the Editor, to balance the workload.

If there is anyone out there who wishes to help the squadron, please contact Charlotte Yeomans or our incoming Secretary, Bob Gulbrandsen. I will be happy to work with whoever takes this over to effect a smooth transition.

Your soon to be retired Editor - John

In spite of what Lt/C Stephen C. Kromer, AP, had written in his Educational
Department article in the last issue of The Palmetto Log, I take great
pride in saying that I was involved in the development of the JN99 and
JN99/01 courses. I also take great pride in saying that I had nothing to do
with the development of N99.

P/R/C Edwin G. Kridler, SN