The large group of guests included Sherrie Tossell, Suzi Gulcher, Cody Murphy (Suzy Z’s guest), Tom Hiatt (returning from a long absence, thusly not really a guest) Inga Hempeaa, Volker Schreferbarthold from Germany – a Rotary visiting, and Jennifer Williams, our speaker today representing the Southern California Coast Guard as Captain and head of that arm of our military presence.
Virginia Butler reported on the roaring success of the recent Beer and Wine Festival at Botanical Gardens, sponsored by our Club and that of Sunset and San Pedro. The auction items raised a bunch of money and meant a donation to RI Foundation of $1450 as well as the funds available to the Boys and Girls Club and the Wounded Warriors foundation, recipients of the proceeds generally from this event.
Greg Sparkman thanked the club members who helped at the Festival and asked that any photos taken be sent to him.
Captain Williams, our speaker, gave a short but thorough summary of the responsibilities of the Coast Guard, including the fact she has been in charge only a short while and she lives in one of the houses by the Light House near the Interpretive Center in RPV. She is in charge of the rather small but effective staff of USCG folks under her, having jurisdiction over 350 miles of coastline from Port Hueneme down to Dana Point in San Diego – and also 300 miles out to sea, which is a VERY active and potentially dangerous section of the Pacific Ocean, with multiple sea lanes for vessels of all types, underwater pipelines, and all of the many duties of USCG sections world-wide (except for ice breaking – not much need for that in Southern California). She saved the bulk of her comments to relate two fascinating and exciting “incidents” she – and the other government agencies the USCG works with here – had to resolve, one of them during her first week in her new job. That event was the very dicey need to salvage (and eventually sink) a barge that had partially sunk partway off the coast of Point Magu. The other involved a 12 hour search and rescue of a fisherman who went overboard from his brother’s boat. He treaded water for over 9 hours, mostly at night, and when rescued he had no clothes on, since he was only in shorts (which he removed trying to fashion a make-shift float – unsuccessfully) and flip flops. He was still alive and very grateful for the US Coast Guard help, even though his shorts – gone forever in the deep – had $2000 in cash winnings he had just won in Vegas.
