DIRECTION FINDER DIRECTION FINDER I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. US Coast Guard Auxiliary SiIERRA DIVISION Newsletter,

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1 US Coast Guard Auxiliary SiIERRA DIVISION Newsletter, DIRECTION FINDER DIRECTION FINDER Newsletter date: July, 2018 Volume LII Issue 07 Inside this Issue: Page Fourth of July 1 Pledge 2 I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 2nd Amendment 3,4 2nd Amendment 5 Nav. Question 6 Set & Drift Nav. 7 Dem. vs Republic 8 Odds and Ends 9 The DIRECTION FINDER is published by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Sierra Division Submission of articles or subjects of interest, including photographs are welcomed and encouraged. The editor reserves the right to make changes without altering the intended content. All submissions should be directed to the editor: Victor Beelik 915 Cliff Drive Santa Paula, CA vbeelik@roadrunner.com The information contained in this publication is subject to the provisions of the: Privacy Act of 1974 and may be used only for the business of the Coast Guard or the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Photo by: Vic Beelik

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3 Volume LII Issue 07 Page 3 THE SECOND AMENDMENT The second amendment, part of the bill of rights, was ratified in 1791: The ink had hardly dried on the ratification on the US Constitution papers before a political movement was undertaken to amend the Constitution to declare gun ownership as a specific right. When the Revolutionary War ended and the Americans were making their new Constitution, they were very aware of the need for self-defense. They still needed protection from Indians and they wanted to be able to defend themselves from any external enemies that might arise. They were also very aware that the new government they were creating could turn corrupt and they wanted to defend themselves from it if necessary. Once the debate to approve the constitution began in the states, it soon became apparent that the Constitution would not be accepted by the necessary nine states to go into effect, without the addition of a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights is a specific list of rights of the people. Many anti-federalists said they would not accept the Constitution without one. A select committee assembled to review amendments proposed by James Madison authored the language that would become the Second Amendment to the Constitution: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Prior to ratification, Madison had hinted at the need for the amendment. Writing articles, he contrasted the proposed American federal government to European kingdoms, which he criticized as being afraid to trust the people with arms. Madison went on to assure Americans that they would never need to fear their government, as they had the British Crown because the Constitution would ensure them the advantage of being armed... To remedy the problem, the Federalists promised that the First Congress would pass a Bill of Rights if the anti-federalists would go ahead and vote to accept the Constitution. James Madison TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the difference between a DEMOCRACY and a REPUBLIC? (Answer: Page 8)

4 Page 4 DIRECTION FINDER As promised, James Madison proposed twenty amendments during the First Congress. Ten of them eventually became law. These first ten amendments to the Constitution are now known as the Bill of Rights. Second Amendment Supreme Court Cases The United States Supreme Court never made a ruling on the question of whether the right to bear arms was an individual right or a state right solely for creating a militia, in the first 217 years of its existence. But finally, on June 26, 2008, in a case called: District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court conclusively ruled that the "right to bear arms" is an individual right. This was a narrow 5-4 decision that said total gun bans by local governments were unconstitutional, but it did allow for some regulation of guns. Usually, for example, prior criminals and mentally ill people are prohibited from owning guns because they might harm someone with them. Many places also require registration of guns. In general, individuals are allowed to have guns in their homes, but cannot just carry them down the street or into public places without concealed carry permits. The Court allowed for these types of regulations. A QUOTE FROM THE PAST: I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction, the world will have a generation of idiots. Albert Einstein (Todays Smart phones etc )

5 Volume LI I Issue 07 Page 5 NAVIGATION QUESTION Here is the question: Two boats (A) and (B) on the same course are separated by 40 nautical miles. Boat A is doing 15 knots and boat B has speed of 6 knots. Question: Assuming both boats sail the same course and keep their respective speeds, in what time will boat a be alongside boat b? Graphics: A B X 40 nautical miles b Remember Speed = Distance/time t = time it will take for boat A to catch up with boat B a = distance boat A has to travel, a=40+b speed of boat A is 15 knts. 15=a/t or t=a/15 b= distance boat B has to travel speed of boat B is 6 knts. 6=b/t or t=b/6 therefore a/15=b/6 Solving for a= 15b/6 substitute for a in a=40+b 15b/6 = 40+b 15b = 6(40+b), 15b = b 15b-6b=240 9b=240 Thus boat B has to travel b = 240/9 = 26.7 miles t = b/6 = 26.7/6 = 4.45 hours Boat A will be alongside Boat B in 4.45 hours or 4 hours and 27 minutes

6 Page 6 DIRECTION FINDER CURRENT SAILING If there is a current in the waters you are sailing, it will affect your progress through the water. What is a current? Most navigation books will define a current as the sum of any or all outside forces that will affect your vessel s intended course through the water. The key word here is ANY. Let s list some of these so you get the idea: horizontal motion of water (such as tidal currents, ocean currents such as the gulf stream ), wind affect on the vessel (it can increase or decrease your speed or windage will push the vessel sideways), helmsman introduced steering error, error in log, excessively fouled bottom. The actual current can be determined by comparing a vessels actual position (FIX) to its DR (Dead Reckoning) position. Current is measured and expressed a SET (direction toward which it flows) and DRIFT is it s speed. So how do we compensate for the current? We need to calculate the course to steer (CTS) to compensate for the current. To do this we need to know four values: The desired course, the SET (direction) and DRIFT (speed) of the current and the boat s speed through the water. D New Course to Steer (CTS) A FIX C SET & DRIFT E Initial course/speed B DR Position DESTINATION Point A is the starting point of your voyage with a given course toward your destination at a given speed. After a given time you notice that a current is setting you north westerly of your intended course. You plot your DR position B at the time you establish a FIX giving your actual position at C. Noting the distance and direction from B to C alows you to calculate the SET and DRIF of the current. For example, if the time between A and B is 18 minutes (0.3 hrs) and the distance between B and C is 0.4 nautical miles the DRIFT= Distance/time = 0.4/0.3 = 1.3knots Now you know the SET and DRIFT of the current you can plot your course so that the new Course to Steer (CTS) will compensate for the current and you will reach your destination. Assuming of course that the Set and DRIFT will not change. First plot your new course from the currentposition C to your DESTINATION, Extend your current vector BC for an hour (1.3 knt) CD (this is known as the one hour vector method) take a drafting compass (or a pair of dividers) draw an arc, point D as the origin and the speed of your boat for one hour as the radius. The intersection of the NEW COURSE and the arc is the point E. The direction given by D to E is the new CTS. Note that the distance C to E is your SOG and COG You might say that the marvelous computer chip in your GPS does this calculation continuously so why bother plotting it on your chart? One can visualize better by graphically plotting.

7 Volume LII Issue 07 Page 7 PHONETIC ALPHABET PLEASE LEARN TO USE IT! A ALPHA N NOVEMBER B BETA O OSCAR C CHARLIE P PAPA D DELTA Q QUEBEC E ECHO R ROMEO F FOXTROT S SIERRA G GOLF T TANGO H HOTEL U UNIFORM I INDIA V VICTOR J JULIET W WHISKEY K KILO X XRAY L LIMA Y YANKEE M MIKE Z ZULU

8 Page 8 DIRECTION FINDER TRIVIA ANSWER: The distinction between our Republic and a Democracy is not an idle one. It has great legal significance. DEMOCRACY: In a pure democracy 51 beats 49[%]. In a democracy there is no such thing as a significant minority. There are no minority rights except civil rights privileges granted by a condescending majority. Simply stated, a democracy is a dictatorship of the majority. The Greek Philosopher, Socrates, was executed by a democracy. He harmed no one, the majority found him intolerable. REPUBLIC: The government of Rome was called a republican government. The republican government was one in which: The power of government is held by the people. The people give power to leaders they elect to represent them and serve their interests. The representatives are responsible for helping all the people in the country, not just a few people. The United States republic is a form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people and are exercised by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen (elected) by the people, to whom those powers are specially delegated. The US Constitution and the guarantees to every state a Republican form of government. No state may join the United States unless it is a Republic. The US Republic is one dedicated to "liberty and justice for all." Minority individual rights are the priority. The people have natural rights instead of civil rights. The people are protected by the Bill of Rights from the majority. One vote in a jury can stop all of the majority from depriving any one of the people of his rights, this would not be so if the United States were a democracy. TO ENSURE SEPERATION OF POWERS, OUR GOVERNMENT CONSISTS OF THREE BRANCHES Legislative Makes laws (Congress) Executive Carries out laws (President, Vice President, Cabinet) Judicial Evaluates laws (Supreme Court and other courts)

9 Volume LII Issue 07 Page 9 ODDS AND ENDS: US CG EMERGENCY COM- MUNICATION: The US COAST GUARD is urging mariners to use and operate the right communication equipment on their vessels, especially during emergencies. The CG issued a safety alert last August after learning that some singe sideband radio users are still trying to contact the CG over some incorrect frequency. The CG has stopped monitoring the former international radio telephone distress frequency 2182 khz. More than four years ago. The CG considers Single Sideband radio, particularly models equipped with digital selective calling, especially reliable way of contacting the Coast Guard during distress. Triggering the emergency button on SSB radios sends an alert to the Coast Guard Communication Command. In place of the former distress frequency of 2182 khz the Coast Guard monitors the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System SSB-HF frequencies 4125, 6215, 8291 and khz. For more information on Coast Guard emergency procedures visit: DOGGING THE WATCH: The nautical watch system has been in existence since the earliest days of seagoing crafts, whose journeys lasted longer than a crew member could stay awake- and ensured the safe operation of a vessel. The most popular watch system used today is the so called four on four off which comprises six four hour watches. On a two watch system the crew is divided into the same time pe Starboard and Port watches. Thus each watch gets the same period day after day. In order to upset this monotony, it is necessary to dog the watch by injecting two two-hour watches in place of the four hour watch. This is called dogging the watch. The is called the first dog watch the is called the last dog watch NOT the second dog watch! The origin of the expression dog watch is not clear. Some suspect that it came from the words to dodge a watch or maybe from the sailor s expression for light sleep called dog sleep. WHAT DOES THE ABBREVIA- TION MHZ MEAN? Electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, is often described by its frequencythe number of oscillations (cycles) per second- One Hertz (Hz) is equal to one oscillation per second. The basic unit Hz was named after the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( ) who in 1888 demonstrated the existence of electromagnetic radiation. Radio frequency radiation is usually measured in Kilohertz, (KHz) (1000 cycles per second), Megahertz (MHz), Gigahertz (GHz) etc. So one MHz is one million cycles per second. THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: It is better to sit in your boat with a drink on the rocks than sit in the drink with your boat on the rocks.

10 Page 10 SIERRA DIV DCDR Linda Haynes VCDR Bruce Martin FC Dan Powers FC Bryce Leinan FC Dana Englekirk SIERRA DIVISION WEBSITES SIERRA DIV: FLOTILLA FLOTILLA FLOTILLA Tahoe Weather: index.php CG Station Tahoe Tel. # DIRECTION FINDER ARTICLE INDEX CAN BE FOUND IN FLOT WEBSITE Department of Homeland Security SO-PB Sierra DIV 11NR 915 Cliff Drive Santa Paula, CA OFFICIAL BUSINESS