Time is like a flowing river. No water passes beneath your feet twice

Running Lights
Page 1
January 2016
SKOKIE VALLEY
SAIL AND POWER
Membership Newsletter - Volume 16 Issue 1
Time is like a flowing river. No water passes beneath
your feet twice. Much like the river, moments never
pass you by again, so cherish every moment life gives
you and have a wonderful
New Year!
Come for the Boating Education…Stay for the Friends
Running Lights
Page 2
January 2016
A MESSAGE FROM OUR COMMANDER
H
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! I hope you had
a joyous and safe holiday season.
January is named for the Roman god Janus, the “god of
beginnings and endings”. Janus had one head with two
faces: one face looking back into the past, and the other
looking forward to the future. That’s why January is a
time to reflect, to make “Resolutions” that change our
lives for the better…to lose weight…to exercise more…
or maybe even, to become more active in Skokie Valley.
Sooner or later everyone gets coaxed, cajoled, or cornered into New Year's resolutions. So, I thought I would
share my 2016 resolutions with you.
Skokie Valley Sail &
Power Squadron
2015-2016 Bridge
COMMANDER
Cdr Don Sidman, JN
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
P/C Ron Zingler, AP
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Lt/C Kim Ambrose, AP
SECRETARY
Lt/C Gail Sidman, S
TREASURER
Lt/C Sue Anthony, P
CO-EDUCATIONAL OFFICERS
Lt/C James E. Soyka, SN
P/C Bud Lemke, JN
ASST. EDUCATIONAL OFFICER
Lt/C Richard Davidson, SN
847-726-7309
847-634-3806
847 917-2258
847 726-7309
224-402-3107
847-635-6239
847-577-9522
847-295-8845
IMMEDIATE PAST COMMANDER
I/P/C Ron Zingler, AP
847-634-3806
ELECTED MEMBERS AT LARGE
Lt Skip Ambrose, AP
Lt Dave Anthony, P
Lt Paul Sparkes, SN
847 767-4123
224-402-3107
847-202-4342
This year, I resolve to:
1. Spend more time with family and friends…because
life is not guaranteed.
2. Learn something new…because education can
change your life.
3. Help others…because life is a buddy-system.
4. Get organized…because it provides time for everything else.
5. Exercise regularly…because I am important to
someone else.
6. Live every day to the fullest, and take lots of photographs…memories count!
7. Having fun is NOT A SIN…Life is a journey…Enjoy
the trip!
Like all resolutions, they are vague on the “how” part.
But, I can see Skokie Valley in every one of them:
whether it’s taking or teaching classes, organizing or going on cruises, performing vessel safety inspections, or
working on the Bridge. As for exercising, having fun and
living every day to its fullest, that goes without saying.
This year, I hope your resolutions will include space for
Skokie Valley. See page 11. Only with your participation
can we continue to provide:
 Public Boating Classes, Vessel Safety Inspections,
and Advanced Grade Member Courses. These are fun
activities, and make the waters safer for everyone by
reducing boating accidents. We really do save lives!
 The best year-round line-up of cruises and events. For
2016, Our Cruise Chairman Ron Zingler and his committee are planning another terrific cruise schedule!
Tentative schedule is on page 6.
Finally, Gail and I would like to thank everyone who attended our Open House (pictures on page 9). It was the
largest and noisiest party this house has ever seen. I
hope you all had as much fun as we did. And “thank
you” for all the wonderful party food, and those “Support
the Troops” donations.
I wish you all a healthy, happy 2016.
—Cdr. Don Sidman, JN
Running Lights
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January 2016
Mark Your Calendar
January 2016
6
6
15
15
14-18
20
Wed
Wed
Fri
Fri
Thurs-Mon
Wed
Executive Board/Bridge Meeting, 1900
Skokie Valley Breakfast Club, 0900-1000
January Member Dinner Meeting
Publication Deadline—Running Lights
Chicago Boat, RV & Strictly Sail Show
Skokie Valley Breakfast Club, 0900-1000
3
3
6
10-19
15
17
18-21
19
Wed
Wed
Sat
Wed-Fri
Mon
Wed
Thurs-Sun
Fri
Executive Board/Bridge Meeting, 1900
Skokie Valley Breakfast Club, 0900-1000
D/20 Squadron Development Workshop
Winter Cruise, Marathon, Florida Keys
Publication Deadline—Running Lights
Skokie Valley Breakfast Club, 0900-1000
USPS Annual Meeting
February Member Dinner Meeting
February 2016
Alcott Center, Buffalo Grove
Market Square, Wheeling
Jimmy’s Char House, Libertyville (page 5)
Karen D’Amico (630-483-9741)
McCormick Place (page 3)
Market Square, Wheeling
Alcott Center, Buffalo Grove
Market Square, Wheeling
Cabela’s, Hoffman Estates (page 4)
Larry & Christine March
Karen D’Amico (630-483-9741)
Market Square, Wheeling
Orlando, FL (page 6)
Giuseppe’s, Des Plaines (page 8)
Extra Boat Show
Volunteers Needed
USPS will have a Boating Skills Virtual Trainer (VT) simulator at the Chicago Boat, RV &
Strictly Sail Show, scheduled 14-18 January
2016. We expect this will draw a lot of attention and more visitors to the USPS booth
this year, so the Boat Show Committee is
asking for extra volunteers.
The Boating Skills simulator is an award
winning training unit that allows students
to practice maneuvering a boat on an open
lake, docking and other exercises. It is
very realistic with three large 3D monitors,
steering wheel and throttle. In fact, the
Boating Skills VT simulator received the
2015 Innovations Award from NASBLA.
In all, USPS has 18 Boating Skills simulators
developed through a grant from the U.S.
Coast Guard. Working with the National
Marine Mfg Association, simulators are being shipped to major boat shows across
the country. USPS is the only organization
that has a simulator for public demonstration, and it will be advertised by the show,
drawing many visitors to our booth.
The Boat Skills VT includes:
 Three 20” monitors
 Boating console has a steering wheel
and Mercury Marine throttle with trim
buttons, navigation lights and horn
 Ability to change wind and current
conditions, as well choosing day or
night scenes
Volunteers receive free admission to the
Boat Show on the day you volunteer. If you
are interested in lending a hand and learning to use the new Boat Skills simulator,
contact Jim Geske (jim_geske@juno.com or
call/text Jim at 847-703-0885).
To learn more about the new Boating Skills
Virtual Trainer simulators, visit
www.usps.org/boatingskillsvt
Running Lights
Page 4
January 2016
Welcome/Town Hall Meeting
AO & Secretary Meeting
Pat Antoni & the rest of the D20 Bridge will
share information about USPS, & leave plenty
of time for questions & audience discussion.
Hear about current member benefits & learn
best practices for USPS branding.
Keynote Speaker: Brunswick Corp.
Squadrons share information about HQ800 &
other tools to improve the educational dept.
We have two Brunswick representatives...
SEO Meeting
The first speaker will discuss the state of the
marine market and what Brunswick foresees
as the future for the boating industry.
Commander & XO Meeting
The second speaker will discuss customer
and product trends specific to Brunswick and
their product lines.
Intro to DB2000
Squadrons discuss successes and struggles
of managing a squadron. Learn & share ideas.
Pat Antoni helps members learn to use
DB2000 to prepare a member roster, historian
report, track course completions, etc.
On-The-Water Training
Learn how the USPS on-the-water programs
are being integrated into the USPS educational classes and seminars.
Instructor Recertification
Opportunity for any squadron members teaching classes to get their instructor certification.
Members are required to be certified every 4
years in order to teach.
Running Lights
Page 5
January 2016
January Member
Dinner Meeting
Friday, 15 January 2016
1800 Cocktails (Cash Bar)
1900 Dinner
1413 Peterson Road
Libertyville, IL 60048
jimmyscharhouselibertyville.com
Dinner $26 per person
Entrée Choices:
Greek Pork Chops
Chicken Alfredo
Pan Fried Tilapia with Lemon Butter
All entrees include soup, salad,
choice of potato or rice, chef’s garnish,
coffee, tea or soft drink
For Reservations,
Contact Christine March
cmarch12@gmail.com
or leave a message
on 815-307-2743
Running Lights
Page 6
January 2016
Tentative 2016 Event & Cruising Schedule
Month
Event
January
Dinner Meeting
January
Date
Location
Host
Chicago Boat Show
January 15
(Friday)
January 14-18
Jimmy’s Char House
Libertyville
McCormick Place
Larry & Christine
March
Jim Geske
February
Winter Cruise
February 10-19
February
Dinner Meeting
February 19
(Friday)
Marathon, Florida
Keys
Giuseppes LaCantina
Des Plaines
Larry & Christine
March
Gary & Lorraine
Vinzant
March
March 5
(Saturday)
March 11-13
Lincolnshire
Eaglewood Itasca
Dave & Sue
Anthony
Pat Antoni
April
Marriot Lincolnshire
Play: Sister Act
District 20 Spring
Conference
Change of Watch
April 23
(Saturday)
TBD
TBD
May
Fishing Trip
Waukegan Harbor
Don Sidman
May
Dinner Meeting
TBD
Dixie Weidner
June
Racine Sundowner
May 7
(Saturday)
May 21
(Saturday)
June 3-5
Reefpoint Marina
Paul & Lisa Sparkes
June
TBD Impromptu Trip
June 24-26
TBD
Dave & Sue
Anthony
July
Milwaukee Air & Water
Show
Michigan Cruise
July 9-10
McKinley Marina
July 15 (Friday) July 24 (Sunday)
July 30
Saugatuck
Aug 20
(Saturday)
Aug 13-14
Chain of Lakes
Sept 10
(Saturday)
Oct 8 or 15
North Point Marina
March
July
July
August
District 20 Cruise &
Rendezvous
Rock’n the Chain
August
Chicago Air & Water
Show
September
North Point Sundowner
October
Richardson Farm
Ron Zingler
Peoria
Kim Ambrose
Chicago Lakefront
Spring Grove
Dave & Sue
Anthony
Al & Pat Antoni
USPS Annual Meeting, Orlando, 18-21 February 2016
Rosen Centre Hotel on International Drive
Find meeting details & a great selection of daily tour activities on the USPS
National Meetings site. Thursday is open meetings for various USPS committees. Friday continues with department meetings, free seminars, & EXPO
exhibits. Saturday is the official Annual Meeting & evening Change of Watch.
Running Lights
Page 7
January 2016
Facts About Snow
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All snowflakes have six sides.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest snow flake on record was 18 inches
across and 8 inches thick. It was found in Fort Keogh Montana in January 1887.
Snow is actually clear and colorless. Because of the many tiny surfaces from which light is efficiently reflected, what little light that is absorbed is uniformly distributed over visible light giving
snow its white appearance.
The most snow ever recorded in a 24 hour period was 76 inches. It happened in Silver Lake
Colorado in 1921. The second largest snowfall was also in Colorado in 1913. It registered as
63 inches of snow.
The largest snowfall in a season happened in the 1998/1999 season
at the Mt. Baker Ski area in Washington State.
80% of all the earth’s fresh water is frozen as either ice or snow.
A Blizzard occurs when you can’t see ¼ of a mile. The winds must
be at least 35 miles per hour and last at least 3 hours to be classified as a blizzard. If any of these conditions are not met then it is
only a snow storm.
The US averages 105 snow storms a year. A typical snow storm will
last between two to five days and drop snow in multiple states.
OUR GREAT LAKES,
OUR GREATEST RESOURCE
The Great Lakes have an effect on
weather in the region, known as lake effect. In winter, the lakes often have no
icepack in the middle. The air and moisture picked up by the prevailing winds
from the west is slightly warmer in relation to the cold surface winds above. As
the warmer, moist air passes over the colder land surface,
the moisture produces concentrated, heavy snowfall.
This is similar to the effect of warmer air dropping snow as
it passes over mountain ranges. It is not uncommon for
heavy snow to occur during completely clear skies because
of this phenomenon.
The lakes themselves can also increase precipitation totals.
During freezing weather with high winds, the lake effect
snowfall can be very heavy along lakeshores to the east
such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and New
York. Notice we didn’t say Illinois!
CAPTAIN
AHAB’S QUIZ
Most boats with a cabin should have smoke &
carbon monoxide detectors. Home-model detectors
will work well on a boat? True or False?
(see answer on back page)
Lt Tom Clark, AP, Contributing Editor
Courtesy of Perchant Publishing
Running Lights
Page 8
January 2016
Member Dinner Meeting
Friday 19 February
1830 Cocktails
1930 Dinner
$28 per person
Cash Bar Available
Dinner Includes:
Giuseppe’s La Cantina
1062 Lee Street
Des Plaines, IL 60016
www.giuseppeslacantina.com
Rolls, Antipasto, Minestrone Soup, Salad, Pizza, Tri-color Pasta Primavera,
Mostaccioli Marinara, Meat Lasagna, Italian Sausage w/Green Pepper &
Onions, Fresh Fruit, Coffee, Tea
Dessert: Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
Reservations due by 15 February
Gary & Lorraine Vinzant
847-827-7179 or SailAngle
Running Lights
Page 9
January 2016
Commander’s Open House
Gail Sidman
Joanne & Ron Zingler with Sue Anthony
Judy Sommerfeld
Kim Chmela & Caryl Lemke
Dave & Sue Anthony
Carol Fey
Bridget Doerner & Stu Zwang
Jim & Cindy Geske with Pat Antoni
Nancy Buellesbach
Al Antoni &
Ray Buellesbach
Cdr Don Sidman, Kay Widdis & Al Antoni
Running Lights
Page 10
January 2016
Pensacola Lighthouse
30°20′47″N 87°18′29″W
Pensacola Bay, FL
Originally the Pensacola Lighthouse was a lightship named Aurora Borealis. This ship was sent
there in 1824 because the bay is hard to locate.
This was just a temporary solution and in 1836
construction began on a tower. This tower did
receive complaints because it was only 30 feet
tall.
The construction of the present lighthouse began in 1856 and it was lit January 1, 1859. The
new tower is 150 feet tall and also sits on a bluff
located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station, placing the light 190 feet above sea level. The lens is
composed of 344 glass prisms in a hollow beehive-shape and stands over 9 feet tall and 6 feet
across. It has a range of 27 nautical miles.
In 1939 kerosene was replaced with electricity.
Prior to 1939 the lighthouse keepers had to pull
weights of a clockwork mechanism every two
hours to keep the lens rotations. In addition they had to climb 177 spiral steps every
two hours during daylight. Two five-gallon 40 pound buckets of oil had to be carried
up the steps to supply the lamp.
The day we arrived at the light it was very foggy. The picture was taken later in the
day after the fog had lifted. We visited the former Keepers’ Quarters, which contains
the Navy Command Display Center with exhibits pertaining to the history of the
lighthouse. In 1974, the Pensacola Lighthouse and Keeper’ Quarters were listed on
the National Register of Historic Places.
Submitted by: Bridget Doerner, N
Photo by: George H. Doerner, SN
Running Lights
Page 11
January 2016
January Anniversaries
Richard Calfa
Sandra Frankenbush
Tom Drewes
Bill Haag
Arthur Moses
Gerald Grofman
2007
2006
1990
1997
1976
1972
10 yrs
11 yrs
12 yrs
20 yrs
21 yrs
45 yrs
Message from Cdr Sidman, JN
Congratulations on reaching another milestone
with the squadron. We appreciate your support!
Cdr Don Sidman, JN
We have openings for our 2016 Bridge. This
is the latest that I can remember where we
still have incoming Bridge openings. Please,
seriously consider serving as a Bridge officer,
committee chairman, or committee member.
Call or email me at 847-726-7309
d_sidman@hotmail.com
Save the date ...
Saturday 5 March 2016 4:30 pm
Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre
A divine musical comedy based on the hit film. When Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a
crime, the cops hide her in the least likely of places...a convent! Deloris finds her calling &
breathes new life into the convent, while discovering a sisterhood she never had before.
Plan to stay for dinner after the show at the Marriott
11/13
11/13
1102 N. Main Street
Algonquin, IL 60102
11/13
1/13
Running Lights
Page 12
FROM:
P/D/C Karen D’Amico, AP
318 Somerset Dr
Streamwood, IL 60107
January 2016
TO:
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Be sure to visit our internet sites:
Skokie Valley: http://
www.skokievalleypowersquadron.org
District 20: www.uspsd20Boating.or g
USPS: www.usps.or g
Safety: www.safeboatingcampaign.com
Captain Ahab answer:
False: boat model detectors are calibrated
differently & built specifically for marine
environments.
Editor and Publisher
P/D/C Karen D’Amico, AP
RunningLightsEditor@gmail.com
Contributing Editors
Lt
Tom Clark, AP
Lt
Bridget Doerner, N
1st/Lt Mike Hennessy, AP
P/C Ron Zingler, AP
Lt
Joanne Zingler, AP
Photographers
P/C George Doerner, SN
P/C Richard Calfa, N
Lt/C Ron Zingler, AP
Production Staff
P/C Frank D’Amico, AP