Ronald J. Rainey

Ronald J. Rainey, 70, of Marion, Ohio, passed away 26 April 2012 at Marion General Hospital. Rainey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 30 Nov. 1941 to Joseph and Mary Rainey. He graduated from North Royalton High School in 1960 and Kent State University in 1965, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education.

Rainey’s position with GTE brought him, wife Janet and their family to Marion from Erie, Penn., in 1980. Heretired from GTE in 1996 after a 27-year career as manager of buildings, fleet and energy. He went on to serve as area director for the Marion Cancer Society and led the office to national accolades with the annual Cancer Stereothon fundraiser.

Sailing on Lake Erie was a lifelong passion for Rainey. He skippered five boats to Boat of the Year in the Erie MORC fleet in Erie, Penn., and served one term as commander of the Marion Sail & Power Squadron. He and his family spent their summers sailing in Sandusky Bay.

Rainey is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Janet; daughter Jill L. (and husband Ken) Walls of Sunbury; son Jeffrey R. (and wife Jill) Rainey of Marion; granddaughter Abigail Janet Walls of Sunbury; and many cousins and friends. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and younger brother Dennis Rainey.

A member of USPS since 1970, John Alter, SN, was elected 2012 chief commander. 

Alter and his wife, Judy, live in Whispering Pines, N.C., and are members of the Raleigh Sail &Power Squadron.  Both are natives of Toledo, Ohio. Alter has held numerous officer positions at the squadron, district and national levels.  He has served as squadron commander, district commander, national treasurer, national administrative officer and national executive officer.

Alter received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and spent 27 years in executive positions with Ohio Bell Telephone Company before he moved to North Carolina.  His background also includes strategic planning and forecasting and budgeting.

“As a nonprofit organization, our role is to provide boating education and safety to the recreational boating community through our nationally recognized courses and seminars that can be taken in classroom settings or online,” Alter said. USPS has a membership of more than 40,000 in all 50 states as well as Japan and Puerto Rico.

During the 2012 Annual Meeting held in Jacksonville, Fla., Alter accepted his new role as chief commander, asserting, “By becoming educated and safe boaters, we’ll all have more fun on the water in our boats, which is why we all go boating in the first place.”

To find out more about USPS, visit www.usps.org

A longtime contributor to The Ensign, Marlin Bree won a Merit Award in the 2011 Boating Writers International Writing Contest in the Boating Adventure Category during the 2012 Miami International Boat Show. This marks Bree’s sixth consecutive BWI award.

Bree was recognized for his story, “Ten Feet Across the Pacific,” which ran in the Spring 2011 issue of The Ensign and tells the story of a Minnesota schoolteacher who designed and built his own 10-foot plywood boat and sailed it from Long Beach, Calif., to Honolulu, Hawaii, and later completed the entire trans-Pacific crossing. It was a record-breaking sail, and Bree served as the information officer for the voyage.

Bree is also the only writer in BWI history to win the coveted BWI Grand Prize writing award twice, both for articles that appeared in The Ensign.

Bree is a marine journalist and the best-selling author of “Broken Seas: True Tales of Extraordinary Seafaring Adventures,” “Wake of the Green Storm: A Survivor’s Tale,” “Call of the North Wind: Voyages and Adventures on Lake Superior” and “In the Teeth of the Northeaster: A Solo Sail on Lake Superior.” He is a former newsman for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a past president of the Minnesota Press Club and is profiled in “Who’s Who in America.”

You can read the story here (page 16).

National Safe Boating Council is looking for creative ideas for its “Wear It!” campaign. Your org could get $3K! http://ow.ly/8vp5r

To promote its “Wear It!” Safe Boating Campaign, the National Safe Boating Council is offering funding to state agencies and other groups who participate in the campaign on a grassroots level.

NSBC will award a total of $30,000 to eight to 10 applicants to promote the safe boating campaign. The organization is looking for new, innovative concepts but is also interested in supporting ideas that have worked in the past.

To apply, just download an application online or contact Rachel Johnson at outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org, and she will send you a copy of the Guidelines and Application via email or mail. Applications are due before midnight EST 10 Feb. 2012.

If you have any questions, call 703-361-4294 or email outreach@safeboatingcouncil.com.

In the Fall 2011 issue of The Ensign, an article in Shipshape, “Prepare your boat for hibernation” (p. 14), carried an incorrectly spelled attribution. Frank Barron wrote the article, and we at The Ensign apologize for the error. As part of our mea culpa, here’s a little more information on Barron:

Capt. Frank Barron III is a United States Coast Guard 100Gt Master and a SAMS surveyor for Blue Water Marine Surveys. When not surveying, delivering, instructing or conducting charters along the U.S. East Coast, Caribbean and Bermuda, he and his wife, Lynne (also a USCG captain), spend a lot of time continuously restoring  their 1958 48-foot, wooden Wheeler on Jekyll Island, Ga. The couple are also members of the Golden Isles Power Squadron.

And in case you’re interested in just how to prepare your boat for hibernation but never saw the article in the Fall 2011 issue, here is Barron’s article again, for your reading pleasure:

Prepare your boat for hibernation

Before putting your faithful family boat to bed for the winter, give your boat’s systems a little attention.

If you have a marine head, it most likely has a diaphragm pump. Just before you take the boat out for the last time, put a tablespoon of mineral oil in the bowl and pump it a few times. This will lubricate and protect the diaphragm or gasket, keeping it ready and functional for the next season. Also, empty any trash, pump out the tank and sanitize the area.

Exercise the seacocks when the boat is out of the water. For Marelon seacocks, use a drop (not a spray) of lightweight penetrating oil; for bronze seacocks, use heavier grade grease. Open and close seacocks a few times before leaving them open.

If your vessel will remain in the water, close the seacocks. Make sure they are sturdy and operate smoothly. According to BoatU.S., 50 percent of sinking claims are because of underwater fittings, so visit your boat often in the winter.

Drain your freshwater tank if you have one. Flushing it out several times in the spring will eliminate any stale smells.

Spray exposed electrical connections in the engine room, under the dash and below cabinets with a quality anticorrosion spray. Do not use WD40; it gums up in a saltwater environment. Blaster CSP Corrosion Stop is better; it’s hard to find but worth it. Bring electronics inside to a dry, secure place.

Remove all food items from the cabin. Hungry critters will find those leftover crackers or that loaf of bread before you do next spring. Also, open cabinets and closets and lay cushions on their sides to minimize mildew. You may want to scatter a few dryer sheets around.

To winterize your engine, refer to your owner’s manual.

–Capt. Frank Barron

Born 30 June 1920, Father Wilfred M. Dumm, OSB, passed away 23 Sept. 2011.

Father Dumm was a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, who joined Tybee Light Power Squadron in 1968, a year after being assigned to the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga. At the school, Father Dumm taught physics, math and electronics; held leadership positions in the Benedictine Priory; and served as the school’s alumni director after his retirement.

In 1986, Father Dumm began his tenure as USPS national chaplain, a position he held until January 2002. He also served as District 26 chaplain and Tybee Light chaplain. Father Dumm’s poetic prayers were published in The Ensign magazine for many years, and many squadrons use his book A Beacon of Prayer for benedictions and invocations.

A Mariner’s Prayer
(Written by Father Wilfred M. Dumm)

Astride the rolling deck of life,
We find our posture, one of prayer.
The past elicits words of thanks;
The future begs a Father’s care.

We chart our course on life’s great sea,
Help hold our craft on even keel.
Though storms o’ertake us on the way,
Let us not falter at the wheel.

Grant peace to those who’ve crossed the bar
And hope to all who struggle still.
They always serve Your purpose best,
Who mold their way to Thine own Will.

Bill Stephenson passed away on 13 Sept. 2011. He was born 22 Jan., 1940, in New York City and lived on Long Island for most of his life. He moved to Florida in 1991 and lived in Ft. Pierce for the last 13 years.

William W. Stephenson II

He was a retired nuclear power engineer. He served in the Navy for 16 years, including four years in the Naval Academy. He was a lieutenant in the Navy, having served on both the USS Dace and USS Nautilus submarines.

After retiring, he made his way back to water and had recently purchased a boat. He was a member of the Vero Beach Power Squadron, the Vero Beach Yacht Club and the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Volunteer Auxillary. One of his favorite activities was teaching young children to sail through the Vero Beach Youth Sailing Foundation.

Bill is survived by son Matthew W. Stephenson and daughter-in-law Kristen P. Stephenson of Laguna Niguel, Calif.; daughter April S. Toms and son-in-law Brian A. Toms of Dunwoody, Ga.; and four grandchildren who fondly called him his favorite name, “Grandpa Willie.”

He was a dedicated father, grandfather and friend. He will be missed terribly and remembered fondly by all who knew him.

On 15 August 2011, Lake Murray Power Squadron lost long-time member Elmer Harris Williamson Jr.

Born in Hendersonville, N.C., on 20 Sept. 1925, he was a son of the late Elmer Harris Williamson Sr. and Hannah Johnson Williamson. He served in the U. S. Army during World War II. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he was a civil engineer at B.P. Barber & Associates until his retirement in 1987. He was a member and one-time president of the South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers.

In 1969, he joined Lake Murray Power Squadron. During his 44 years of membership, he served as commander, attained the grade of Junior Navigator and became a Life Member, earning 27 merit marks. He was also a member of Lake Murray Boating and Sports Club and Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church.

Elmer H. Williamson Jr. is survived by his son, Rusty Williamson and his wife Robin; daughters Gloria Addy and her husband Wayne, Terri Bellika and her husband David, Sandy Andrews, and Cathy Brewer and her husband Harry; stepdaughters Pat Pyle and Jan Collins; grandchildren Stacey Grooms, Scott Addy, Jason Brewer, Melanie Brewer, Jason Andrews, Jesse Andrews, Dwane Bellika and Dustin Williamson; step-grandchildren Heidi Goff, Christopher Pyle and Marshall Pyle; eight great-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife Margaret C. Williamson, his second wife Gloria P. Williamson and his brother Curtis D. Williamson.

P/C David B. Herndon, N

The Atlanta (GA) Squadron lost a member who was a mainstay of their organization: P/C David B. Herndon, N, died from complications related to a pulmonary embolism 15 June 2011 while participating in the squadron’s annual week-long Intracoastal Waterway Cruise.

Herndon joined the Squadron in 2002. In that short time, he was editor of the Atlanta Squadron newsletter “Waterlog” for seven years, winning the Excellence In Journalism Award each year. He served as the squadron’s secretary, administrative officer, executive officer and commander in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Upon completion of the USPS Weather course, Herndon pursued his education further, completing Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigation and Navigation (this past spring), as well as Cruise Planning and Marine Electronics, thus earning the Education Proficiency designation. During this time, he assisted in teaching Advanced Piloting, BoatSmart and various seminars and had taken over teaching the Weather course. He recently gave a class to young people on the subject of boating safety.

He was always available to tutor those who needed a little boost with their studies — anywhere, anytime. In addition, he was on the rules committee and the bridge nominating committee and was instrumental in establishing and implementing a marketing plan for the squadron. He submitted several articles and photographs to THE ENSIGN.

Herndon loved playing the guitar, writing his own boating songs and being on the water. To that end, he planned several of the squadron’s ICW Cruises, including the one on which he crossed the bar.

Herndon

After a 40-year career with ATT and ATT umbrella companies, Herndon, who had recently celebrated his 62nd birthday, was scheduled to retire in August.

He leaves behind his mother, brother, sister, two daughters, assorted relatives and in-laws and his wife, Cdr. Lisa Parsons Herndon. Herndon’s can-do attitude and ever present smile will be sorely missed by all who knew him.