On the Social Side

1. At a Friday Night Social. This is a BYOB event.
2. At a general monthly meeting.
3. At an organized dinner/lunch/breakfast.
4. At the various on and off water events,
like cruises, raftups, boat shows and so on.

First Quarter

Welcome to the VBPS 2010 Blog

Please feel free to use this to help spread the word about the Vero Beach Power Squadron. If something strikes you that you would like to share, please do so. We all have different ways of seeing things. Ideas are good only of you share them. Have a great year. Bob Scully

Youth Sailing In Vero

http://www.ysfirc.org/

Dan Thomas provided the following article for the Nautical News, which is the bimonthly newspaper published by the Vero Beach Power Squadron for its members. In the article he said "I am most pleased to announce that the Vero Beach Power Squadron will support the newly formed Vero Beach Youth Sailing Program." Way to go VBPS.

About the Blog

This is for you. I caught a cold and had some time on my hands so I put this together to help get the word out on the Vero Beach Power Squadron. I take full resposibility for all errors contained herein. I use spell check and occassionally ask my proof reader for her asssit but things still slip thru. Some of the pictures are linked to other sites. If you click on the picture you will leave the blog and travel to USPS, VBPS, or other sites that relate to boating in general. Photos included in the posts will enlarge when you click on them.

Troop Support

VBPS Supports our Troops

There was a lot on interest in supporting this indevor, just like in the past. Thanks to all who participated.  This came to me so I am passing it along. Nora and her husband are new members of the VBPS and they are already getting involved.

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Hi Bob,
My husband, Dan & I, delivered a van full of donations to the Veterans Admin. Office on Tuesday. The contact person there is Carol Waldrop. It's called the "Operation Warm Heart". Her email address is doxeelady@yahoo.com. If you want further details for your article.

I sent thank you notes to the 3 donations that I know of that came from non members of the VBPS.

Wanita Barnhart of Sebastian, FL is the lady who with her co workers made the 200 stars for troops. She did say she could use more used flags. I don't feel I can give you her number but if you mention that in the article & get a response I'll call her & tell her so she can make the arrangements.

The other donations came from the residents of the Ranchland Mobile Home Park in Vero Beach. The names I got were Joanne Mulligan, organizer & individuals Ed & Joyce Mc Quillen.

Thanks again for all you're doing for the VBPS.

Nora Lichty

Gone Fishing

The Vero Beach Power Squadron (VBPS) schedules a day of fishing on the Indian River for the Boys and Girls Club of Indian River County, a few times each year.

Chairman Fishing Group, Richard Carlin, coordinates the event. Members provide boats, fishing gear and bait. Financing for food, prizes and miscellaneous is covered by the VBPS.

What does it take to make a day of fishing on the river? A lot of planning, lots of personal flotation devices, volunteers, boats, fishing gear, bait, cameras, kids and some instruction about how to maneuver about the vessel under way, how to handle fishing pools, how to bait hooks, and a little safe boating instruction on the water, boating education from the captain and crew aboard each vessel, and much more.

The boats and volunteers show up at 8:30. The Boys and Girls Club participants arrive by bus and are greeted by numerous VBPS members. Everyone moves into the VBPS building. All the boys and girls are fitted with Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs also known as Life Vests) and briefed on the events to come. Groups are assigned to a boat.

After a few hours of fishing lunch is provided back at the squadron building. At the last event some of the kids received trophies for " Smallest Fish Caught, Biggest Fish caught and Most Fish Caught". Prizes for naming boat parts and answering questions in general included a fishing rod and reel setup, hats and fishing related gifts.

MOre pictures can be found here http://www.photos.verobeachps.com/images%202009/BGCIRC%20Fishin'%20Day-08152009/album/index.html

Annual Change of Watch

The 54th Annual Change of Watch will be held Sunday January 10, 2010 at the Vero Beach Yacht Club, 3601 Rio Vista Blvd, Vero Beach Fl 32963.

The dress code for the occasion is as follows - Officers: Uniform B which consists of a Blue Blazer with accessories as described by USPS Uniform "B". Women: Appropriate for the Change of Watch. Men: Blue Blazer as described for the Officers or USPS Class A Uniform w/ Bow Tie or Coat and Tie.

Reservations Required. Cocktails at 1700 Dinner at 1815.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Finding us is easy

If you don’t know we are in Vero Beach and we teach Safe Boating. That is our main goal. Most of the classes are posted on our website at www.verobeachps.com. You may also register on the site.

VBPS is on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=100000046572671&ref=profile

VBPS is on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/vbps/4021323545/

VBPS is on another blogspot http://verobeachpowersquadron.blogspot.com/

VBPS is on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiA_J9WWInA&feature=fvsr

Some of the Fleet

Supporting Indian River Community

The Vero Beach Power Squadron is involved in the local community. Over the years we have been involved with and support the Homeless Family Center, Environmental Learning Center, the After Hours Program, Boys and Girls Club of Indian River, Habitat for Humanity, and Support the Troops,to name a few. OU 2010 goal is to continue this effort.

At Local, District and National Meeting

The overall group is very well organized as a whole. Every month at the local level here in Vero Beach there is an Executive Meeting and a General Meeting. Its usually the first and second Mondays of the month but just to be on the safe side you should check out the schedule.




At the District Level there is a SPRING ( April 23, 24 & 25)and FALL Conference ( September 24, 25 and 26)at the Marriott in Boca Raton.

At the national Level there is a USPS Annual Meeting this coming February from the 2nd to the 7th at the Coronado Disney Hotel. They also will have a USPS Governing Board meeting in Bellevue, WA on August 30 thru Sept 4.

Cooperative Charting Group

A major civic service of USPS and its members is Cooperative Charting -- the contribution of correction data for nautical and aeronautical charts, reports on marine facilities, and condition of geodetic survey markers (benchmarks) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Ocean Service (NOS), both of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

USPS contributes the largest number of chart correction reports, although NOAA and NOS also obtain data from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Civil Air Patrol, among others.

The Cooperative Charting Group meet at the Squadron building every Thursday at 0930.

Owners of appropriate boats can also contribute by doing channel surveys, using a depth sounder. Members without boats can participate in the program in any of four ways: by serving as crew on a member's boat, by turning in reports on marina facilities, by checking aeronautical charts, (from a car), for correctness, or by reporting on the condition of geodetic survey markers, or benchmarks. These markers are used in surveying and map making, and finding them is like a treasure hunt.

National Safe Boating Week

This is a Yearly National Event. This year it is scheduled for May 15 thru May 21. The VBPS will be conducting Vessel Safety Checks thru out Indian River County. Its FREE all you need to do is call us at 772-231-9543 or stop by the building.

Lets get this party started

The schedule is out for 2010. There are 21 boating events and 15 dining occasions.

Sometimes its a formal sit down dinner in house and a few outside the facility at the Vero Beach Yatch Club. Other times its a self serve BBQ style event, an occasional breakfast with a lot of self serve on most boating cruises or raft ups.


Some of the luncheon cruises get us up and down the river to places like Squid Lips, Captain Hirrams and The Tiki Hut.

Some great festive and well attended party's include St. Patricks Day Party, Cinco De Mayo, Halloween Party and Christmas Dance. Costs per person range from $5 - $35 depending on the event and its location.

On Cruises

Some of our members are real enthusiatic and schedule 3 day to 3 week cruises going south and going north. The boats they take range from 25 foot to 45 feet, some with full blown accomidations (the vessel is completely self contained) and some boats you go from Point A to Point B and then get a hotel room at the yatch club or dock.

They organize cruises on houseboats on The Swanne River and cruiese on big ships to far away places like Alaska.

Safe Boating Classes

The classes show are open to the public.Its a great way to get an introduction into boating and we encourage all of you to do so. There are 7 different times to chose from. We have an 8 hour program on the weekends, a 14 hour 7 week Tuesday night program and a variety of 2 hour seminars sometime in June.


In the next few years all boaters will need a certificate to operate a vessel on the waters so you might as well get a jump on it.

We put special emphasis on boating education for members with courses ranging from Seamanship to Celestial Navigation, Engine Maintenance to Weather.

The Burgee

Calendar Ist Quarter

VERO BEACH POWER SQUADRON
2010 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8 December 2009

January Day Date Time Resp
Executive Committee Meeting Monday 4 1900 Bill Heimbaugh
Change of Watch Sunday 10 1700 Bill Heimbaugh / Jim Ward
General Meeting Monday 11 1930 Jim Ward
New Member Party @ Lehs Sunday 17 TBD Kathie Thomas
Lunch Cruise @ Harbortown Wednesday 20 1130 Bob Scully / Harold Leh
Ladies Lunch @ VBYC Friday 29 TBD Kathie Thomas
Annual Poker Run Saturday 30 TBD Bill Heimbaugh
VBYC Change of Command Sunday 31 TBD ?

February
Executive Committee Meeting Monday 1 1900
USPS Annual Meeting – Orlando, FL Fri.,Sat.& Sun. 5,6 & 7 Various National Event
General Meeting Monday 8 1930 Jim Ward
America's Boating Course Sat. & Sun. 13&14 900 Howard Daniels
Ladies Pot Luck @ Lehs Sunday 14 1300 Kathie Thomas
Boy's & Girl's Club Fishing Day Saturday 20 TBD Dick Carlin
Founder’s Day Steak-Out Sunday 21 TBD Dennis Joslin
Raft-Up @ Hole in the Wall Saturday 27 1100 Bob Scully / Harold Leh
(Vessel Safety Checks will be conducted)

March
Executive Committee Meeting Monday 1 1900 Jim Ward
Yard Sale Saturday 6 TBD John & Barbara Spilman
General Meeting Monday 8 1930 Jim Ward
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Sunday 14 TBD Dan & Kathie Thomas
Northern Mini Cruise Tues., Wed, & Thurs. 16,17 & 18 TBD Kathie Thomas
Vero Beach Boat Show Sat. & Sun. 27&28 900 Glenn Rose