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Volume 116, Issue 1
Message from the Chief of Staff
Do your friends know you’re an Auxiliarist?
It started innocently enough with a text message from Michelle, a
college classmate. Her 17-year-old daughter Reena recently joined the
Sea Scouts and really took to the idea of boating. Sea Scouts is a
specialized program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and
women ages 14 to 20 organized to address a youth members' boating
skills and promote knowledge of our maritime heritage. In September,
the BSA and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary announced a new
agreement to make Sea Scouts the official youth program of the
Auxiliary.
Michelle, knowing that I’ve been a boater since high school and a
member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, asked if I could take her and her
daughter boating next time they visited the Jersey Cape.
Are you kidding? Auxiliarists rarely need an excuse to get underway,
but taking someone on their first boat trip is a real treat.
On the agreed upon day, we all met at the Cape May (FL 08-02)
Flotilla’s docks. Before we walked to the boat, I asked Reena about her
experience in the Sea Scouts. She said they took the New Jersey Boating
Safety Course, created a float plan and sailed a boating simulator,
among other tasks. That was the part of the training she seemed to
enjoy the most.
Joseph Giannattasio
District Chief of Staff
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
5th District-Northern Region
Together we performed a vessel safety check allowing Reena to become familiar with the boat, its systems, location
of gear and safety equipment, and to provide a practical reinforcement of what she already learned in her boating
safety course.
Before we started making way, I reassured Reena — and her mom — that this would be a very smooth and gentle
voyage. The goal is to enjoy the experience, but if at any time anyone feels uneasy to let me know — no questions
or judgment — and we’ll return to port.
That briefing was hardly needed. Once making way, I turned the helm over to Reena. With a few prompts from
me, Reena drove for the next 90 minutes and did a wonderful job. While the voyage was less than ideal due to the
many vacationing recreational boaters, it certainly wasn’t congested and afforded a nice first experience for Reena.
A few turns into the reach leading to the docks brought Reena’s first voyage to a close. She played it pretty cool on
the outside, but she was fully engaged and happy to be involved as we tied up to the dock.
Success. Another positive first boating experience for the next generation.
That voyage wouldn’t have happened if Michelle hadn’t known — or remembered — I was an Auxiliarist. So that
begs the question…do your non-Auxiliary friends know you’re an Auxiliarist?