The Coast Guard Auxiliary is presenting Boating Skills and Seamanship at HCC from March 28 - May 16th.

https://communityedregistration.heartland.edu/CommEdWebReg/description.j... Education Program&subject=RECREATN&classNumber=4770

Boating Skills & Seamanship

RECREATN 1256, Course Code: 4770

Several members of CLSA, including myself, are also members of Flotilla 84 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Flotilla 84 has been sailing out of Clinton Lake since Salt Creek was dammed up in 1977 creating it.

Since it was founded in 1939, the Auxiliary's primary mission has been to assist the Coast Guard in its non-military and non-law enforcement missions. Originally known as the Coast Guard Reserve, this non-military volunteer component of the Coast Guard started out by patrolling the waters along the coasts of the United States.

Exelon hosted its annual Clinton Power Station Merit Badge Fair on August 13th. This event is how I found my way to Clinton Lake, the CLSA, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. My dad and I brought my sons, Matt and Sam, down for a weekend of camping and fishing for us, and First Aid Merit Badge for them. We had our 1987 Catalina 25 "Argyle" in Peoria, which was ninety plus minute drive from our home in Ottawa, and found that driving to Clinton took almost the same amount of drive time. Average depth of the river is 4 feet. Average depth at Clinton Lake is 14 feet and no Asian Carp.

Fot those of you with access to ESPNU:

The Gill National College Sailing Championship airs on ESPNU on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:00pm ET. Host Gary Jobson takes an in-depth look at the top 18 college sailing teams vying for the Collegiate Championship. A special feature is exclusive onboard footage along with interviews of the sailors. This production is produced in High Definition.

This program is presented by Sperry Top-Sider, Rolex and Gill.

Any blogs added to clsasailing.org are now announced on tweeted on the "clsasailing" twitter site. You can follow under the clsasailing web site "News" tab.

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Attention on Deck!

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 84 is presenting a 3-hour Public Education Seminar "How to Read a Nautical Chart" on Feb 19th at Imo's Diner in Farmer City from 12-3. If you would like to register or receive information regarding the textbook, email or call me.

A three hour seminar course unraveling the mystery of charts.

I came across this letter by Ray McAllister describing why a course like "Suddenly in Command" would be so important for a boating family to attend. Flotilla 84 is presenting "Suddenly in Command" at Imo's on Jan 22, 2011. The letter follows.

SUDDENLY IN COMMAND

By Ray McAllister, FSO-PA, 3-6
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
©Ray McAllister 2002

http://a0850804.uscgaux.info/

Auxiliary Flotilla 84, which serves the Clinton Lake Boating Community, is in the process of creating a winter/spring Boating Education Seminar schedule. We're writing to CLSA members attempting to get an indication of interest. What courses you may be interested in taking and whether any of you, your spouse, or children may commit to attending. Please let me know if you and yours would be interested in signing up for any of the seminars. If you have any questions, please call me or email me at jeff.poundstone@gmail.com.

If you have a CLSA family membership and only one person is receiving email via CLSAsailing.org, I will happily add other family members to the user list so that anyone who wants can get email about club events.

 (Or if you are a member and aren't getting any CLSA email announcements, let me know that too!)

Send me your name and email address to vokac@mchsi.com.

Thanks!

Ruth Ann Vokac

From Greg Jobson's email announcements:

We plan to cover the America's Cup on ESPN360. Note announcement below. It also has an explanation on how to subscribe to ESPN360.

I hope you will watch.

Best Regards,

Gary Jobson

ESPN360.com Weighing Anchor with the 33rd America's Cup