By John Simons
Our Great Loop adventure took one year and covered 6,500 miles. We departed from Waukegan Harbor in mid-September 2015 and, after making a series of left turns, returned to Waukegan Harbor in September 2016. Our crew consisted of John and Priscilla Simons and Dale and Andy Arnold.Hundreds of “Loopers” make this trip each year. America’s Great Loop Cruising Association conducts seminars to help Loopers prepare for the adventure.
You can read part one here.
By Capt. Katherine Redmond
In my opinion, anchoring out is one of the greatest pleasures of boating. Whether relaxing near the beach, rafting up with friends, or hiding out in one of the little coves that can only be reached by water, anchoring out is awesome.
By Gino Bottino, MD
As a member of the US Sailing Sports Medical committee, I have been working on plans to reopen sailing centers for sail training and Olympic sailing, as well as big boat sailing, amid the pandemic. Here are a few recommendations that can be made applicable to recreational boaters as well:
By Dave Osmolski
With the coronavirus pandemic squarely upon us this spring, boating was curtailed during the worst possible season. With marinas and public and private boat launch ramps closed, many boats languished in boatyards and driveways.I wonder how many boat owners, like me, were faced with water in our gasoline fuel tanks. Water collects due to condensation and ethanol additives absorbing water from the atmosphere, which has been going through periods of heating and cooling.
By Sally Stuart
The Spirit of Adventure approached the drop-off site at Skidmore Beach and ran up the beach a short distance. We crawled up over the chairs, out the window and onto the deck. The crew lowered a ladder. We climbed down and reached up for our gear and kayaks as the crew handed them down.We waved as Spirit of Adventure backed up and pulled away. Looking at the pile of gear on the beach, we wondered if everything would fit in our kayaks. With our gear finally loaded, we squeezed in our kayaks and paddled off to Skidmore Bay to spend our first night in kayaking Glacier Bay National Park.
By Shelli Swaim
My husband, Jeff, drove to Las Vegas on March 15 to attend a three-day golf tournament put on by a group of friends from the central coast of California. Though social distancing was relatively new, he armed himself with hand sanitizer, a can of Lysol, disinfectant wipes and medical gloves.Shortly after returning home, however, he developed a headache. By the next day, he had a fever. He wore an N95 mask he found in the garage to prevent infecting me. By then, he had a constant headache, fever and loss of appetite. Just three days after his symptoms began, I developed a cough and fever. Realizing we’d both contracted COVID-19, we were glad we’d been isolated at home since Jeff’s return from Las Vegas.
By The Ensign staff
As the national pandemic crisis stretches on and states begin to reopen businesses and public places, finding ways to stay safe while coping with social distancing requirements continues to be important for everyone.At the start of the crisis, United States Power Squadrons, America’s Boating Club, temporarily closed its headquarters office in Raleigh, to comply with North Carolina’s guidelines. Squadrons and districts followed similar precautions, cancelling classes and events to keep their members safe. In short order, national, district and squadrons found ways to cope with social distancing restrictions while continuing to support our members.
By Craig Grosby
Billed as a non-tipping can holder, the Toadfish Can Cooler uses an innovative suction-cup technology that allows it to stick to any smooth surface. When I received the can cooler, it looked like any other hard-sided koozie on the market.The similarities ended there. The double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your beverage of choice cold for about two hours, maybe longer, depending on how long it stays in the shade—more than enough time to finish your beverage.
By Bob Potter
Serious boating tragedies occur at sea, dozens, hundreds or thousands of miles from shore—right? But on the Intracoastal Waterway just dozens of yards from land? To Linda and me, it seemed highly unlikely, if not impossible. A recent experience changed our minds.
By Christine Wenk-Harrison
A recent road trip to visit family in Florida took us to Rotonda West, about 50 miles south of Sarasota. Our hosts have a home on a circular canal where bird watching is a daily pleasure. With no outlet to salt water, only a limited number of small boats (pontoons and motorized skiffs) occasionally pass by. Jim thought a kayak would be ideal until his brother advised him that alligators also inhabit the canal.We did, however, get to kayak when our family took us to nearby Don Pedro State Park for a two-hour kayak paddle to the park’s barrier island, which is accessible only by boat. We walked along the beautiful mile-long beach, which offers some of the best shell collecting I can recall.
Jean is survived and was surrounded by the love of her life, her devoted husband of 72 years, Donald Kenneth Carl; as well as daughter, Donna Carl Henderson and husband, David Henderson of Bedford, VA; son, Kenneth William Carl and wife, Delores Estes Carl of Mineral, VA and daughter, Marie Carl Lilly and husband, Ben R. Lilly of Dayton, VA. She is also survived by her grandchildren: William Owen Carl, Orange, VA; Kelly Henderson Dye, Mooresville, NC.; Zebulon Carl Lilly, Harrisonburg, VA; Whitney Carl King and husband, Keith King, Mineral, VA, William Boyd Lilly, and wife Whitney Lilly of Harrisonburg, VA. She enjoyed and was delighted by her great grandchildren: Colin King, Lauren King, Brody King, Justin Dye and Finnegan Lilly. The love of many devoted nieces and nephews filled her life with joy along with a special longtime friend, Fern Kauffman.
Jean was born and grew up in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, Class of 1944. She lived most of her adult life in Kensington, MD. In 2014, she and Don moved to Bedford, VA. She was an RN nurse trained during WWII in the Cadet Nurse Program. Her nurses’ training was at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC.
As a homemaker and housewife, she enjoyed family camping, boating, ice skating and other water sports. Jean, the First Mate, and Don, the Captain, cruised for years onboard their beloved vessel, Donje, on the Chesapeake Bay. They made two journeys on the Great Loop traveling north on the inland waterway from Maryland to the Great Lakes. Then they continued these voyages down the Mississippi into the Gulf, to the Bahamas and up the inland waterway back to Solomons Island, MD. She was an avid seamstress as well as a Bridge and Rummy player.
Jean was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and then Bethesda First Baptist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended Bedford Baptist Church in Bedford, Virginia. She was a Brownie Scout Leader. She volunteered with handicapped children. She was a member of the Rockville Sail & Power Squadron in Maryland. Don has been a member of the United States Power Squadron since 1962. Jean joined in 1975. Their active days pre-date 1973, the inception date of what is now America’s Boating Club Rockville. With 39 merit marks to their name, they certainly were a long-haul couple working to benefit the organization.
Jean’s family greatly appreciates the wonderful loving care that Jean received during her final years at the Bedford County Nursing Home. Jean had been in poor health since a fall she took in 2017 and had been in a nursing home for the last two years. Although the nursing home was in lockdown since March 13th, her death was not coronavirus-related. The family requests those wishing to make memorials consider: Bedford Baptist Church, 1516 Oakwood Street, Bedford, VA 24523, Alzheimer’s Association, 3739 National Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612 or a charity of your choice.
A memorial funeral service to celebrate her life with burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be held at a later date. Tharp Funeral Home &
Crematory, Bedford, is assisting the family. To send condolences online, please visit tharpfuneralhome.com.
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Dick was born in New York State on June 28, 1934, and passed away as the result of injuries from a fall on April 14, 2020.
Dick Jarmon
Dick is survived by his loving wife, Patricia, of 50 years, a son, Jeff (Shirley) Jarmon, in Missouri, a daughter, Laura (Ken) Burgett, in Mt. Clemens, MI, a sister, Mary Pierpont (significant other, Howard Yoas), five grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, and his beloved dog, Sunshine.
A memorial service will be planned at a later date.
Dick enjoyed a long career at GM Delco Division, but we all knew him as a Member of United States Power Squadrons and Birmingham Power Squadron.
Dick joined Birmingham Power Squadron in 1966, when our meetings were held at a very smoky Kingsley Inn and membership was by invitation only. Dick was teaching our public boating classes in Bloomfield Hills in the mid-1960s, when we taught a 13-week class and had hundreds of students in each class. He continued to teach Basic Boating for years, adapting more or less as the class was shortened to 9, 8, 7 & 6 weeks. He and Pat continued to teach boating safety until 2008 when Power Point and other electronics replaced Dick’s blackboard and overhead slides. What an amazing service. Dick was proud to have been nominated as District 9 Teacher of the Year.
Dick also completed his Full Certificate (today a Senior Navigator) with various elective courses through the years finishing with a Weather Class taught by Mt Clemens Power Squadron in 1981.
Along the way, Dick was mentored by a number of the founders and early members of our squadron, including: P/C Booth, P/C Young, Cdr Hamilton and upcoming Cdrs. Miner, Shirk, Neal, Moss, Pear, Raymond, Couzens & Erickson, among others, who drew Dick into the heart and bosom of United States Power Squadrons. What he learned and who he got to know & like lead him through years of safe, enjoyable boating and activities. The 30 foot Owens became a 36 foot Pacemaker and got acquainted with Tobermory, Little Current, Georgian Bay & the North Channel, often in the wake of Ericksons or Pears. Rendezvous, Cruises, District Conferences and National Meetings in Miami (one Miami Meeting saw four BPS couples sharing a room) expanded his friendships statewide & nationally.
Dick joined the Birmingham Executive Committee as Secretary and moved through the chairs to become our 13th Commander in 1975.
As Pat reports, “Somehow Dick moved up to the District 9 Bridge and in 1987, Birmingham had the distinction of having the three commanders: Jim Lawson, Squadron Commander; Dick Jarmon, District Commander; and Dick Miner as Chief Commander.”
During this period, Dick made life-long squadron friends across the state who are too numerous to mention.
Then P/D/C & close friend Ted Smith again joined Dick to work on hosting a 75th Anniversary Celebration in ’89 and a Governing Board Meeting in D/9 in ’94. Of course his District involvement lead to more friendships and jobs in the National organization so our Squadron uniform guru & nitpicker found his niche as Rear Commander of the Flag & Etiquette Committee in 1999 with help from our P/R/C Hostetter & his D/9 mentor & coach R/C Acheson and others.
Dick’s longtime & enduring friendship with Ted Smith led to Dick becoming Flag Lieutenant for him when he became USPS Chief Commander in 2002. What followed was two years of traveling, meeting dignitaries from all sorts of USPS allies, fetching, carrying and general support of arguably the busiest man in USPS. Dick loved it!
Pat says, “What brought him to USPS and specifically Birmingham Power Squadron was the desire to learn, & then to share, boating education. What has kept him involved over all the years? The many, many friendships that grew up within all levels of both USPS & CPS. His enjoyment of boating was made possible by the many lessons learned in and out of the classroom. It is impossible for either of us to imagine what Dick’s life would have been like without both the learning and those friendships.”
For the record, Dick Jarmon was an Emeritus Member of the United States Power Squadrons, which represents his 52 Merit Marks earned in his 54 years of membership. Speaking personally and as a “twice-time Commander,” Dick was on my go-to list of members whose counsel I sought whenever I faced a dilemma – especially one dealing with flags and etiquette or squadron decorum. His service to Birmingham and United States Power Squadrons is truly breath-taking and we shall miss him mightily.
Dick, we shall miss your friendship and good humor. We wish you, Fair Winds and Following Seas and Long May Your Big Jib Draw. -Thomas Geggie
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