2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Presents Opportunity to Make Sport Fishing Safer

By Charles Truthan

Sport Fish

Febru- kickkoff fre h sh-

The 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series began on February 16th and ended on February 19th with a kickoff event held at Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the United States, located in Division 5’s local region. As the highest level of professional bass fishing tournaments, the Bassmaster Elite Series drew over 100 qualified boats to compete in this exciting event.

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, Division 5 dispatched three flotillas to Lake Okeechobee to conduct vessel safety checks (VSC) on boats participating in the contest. In addition to Division 5, Divisions 7, 8, 9, and 17 also had vessel examiners present to conduct VSCs. Auxiliarists in safety hazard vests were responsi- ble for traffic control as incoming boats were guided into position. By noon, examiners had completed safety checks on 57 boats and awarded 44 decals, ensuring that these vessels met the safety requirements necessary for participating in the event.

The coordinator for the Vessel Safety Check Blitz for the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series, Charles Truthan from Flotilla 99, Cape Haze, decided to designate the private property parking lot as a personal flotation device (PFD) free zone. In consideration of the Florida heat, it was also decided that the Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) blouse would be optional for Auxiliarists.

2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Participants

Vessel Examiners

Flotilla 56, Vero Beach and Sebastian

Thomas G. McCarty

Flotilla 58, Ft. Pierce

Dawn Fowler

Karl G. Hontz

Sean Patrick Hart

Robert Wannagot

Peter Dombkowski

Flotilla 59, Stuart

David B. Meier

Gary Bowerman

Gerard A Perry

Henry W. Cushard Ill

Marcus K. Kiriakow

Raymond V. Preiksatis

Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg

Greggory M. Lawson

Flotilla 87, Englewood

Jerry W. Powell

Flotilla 94, Franklin Lock

Donna Hornsby

Flotilla 99, Cape Haze

Ellen Marie Fitzpatrick

Flotilla 17-6, Central Brevard

Louis Pernice

Ralph Gregory Hendricks

Woodrow Peterson Ill

Flotilla 17-10, Osceola

Anthony I Wong

Flotilla 31, D92

Thomas James Chiappone

Administrative

Flotilla 99, Cape Haze

Charles Truthan

Joyce Truthan

Anne Brengle

Flotilla 51, The Pal Beaches

Louis Townsend

Flotilla 17-6, Central Brevard

Coleen Seitter

Flotilla 56, Vero Beach and Sebastian

Darrell L. Williams

Breeze

Deck The Chairs is a Jacksonville Beach community event designed to create new ways to interact and inspire young minds. It is in its tenth annual season at the Jacksonville Beach City Pavilion and adjacent grounds. Organizations and other entities donate $800-$900 to decorate the Jacksonville Beaches’ eight-foot-high lifeguard chairs.

Each organization decorates a chair based on a theme of its choosing. The chairs are lit with festive lights and other materials and are on public display from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Funds raised support various charities within the community.

Elizabeth Filippelli, Flotilla Vice Commander, 144, Jacksonville Beach, proposed that the flotilla participates in the 2022 Deck the Chairs (DTC) at the flotilla’s April 4, 2022 meeting.

They had to follow strict rules set by the organiz- ers, including no screws, holes, or any modifications made to the chair. The organizers made 120 VAC power available to participants if they wanted to use it.

COMO Jacobs happened to travel to Connecticut, where a relative presented him a scale model of a Sikorsky helicopter used by the U. S. Coast Guard (CG) nicknamed the Jayhawk. The flotilla ‘build’ team agreed to use a 1:10 scale Jayhawk helicopter for their display resulting in an approximately 5-foot-long Jayhawk to promote the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and boating safety.

COMO Jacobs modeled the helicopter’s fuselage from wood and extruded polystyrene to an exact scale. After building the shell, COMO Jacobs turned the model over to Frank Samperisi, who, after research, used epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth, avoiding polyester resin that would have

(Continued on page 21)

(Continued from page 20) melted the extruded polystyrene. like a wind vane The display was now starting to take shape.

In keeping with a claim of using >95% repurposed building materials, an aluminum frying pan was used to form the hub for the main rotor and an old ceiling fan assembly for the blades. Using photos of an actual Jayhawk, running lights were embedded into the aircraft fuselage, using LEDs with Fresnel lenses, rechargeable batteries, and small solar power panels. Salvaged LED lights were rigged to solar panels to provide dusk-to-dawn lighting for our U.S. flag and CG ensign.

The installation phase began on November 17, 2022. Frank Samperisi and Mark Vitry (Flotilla Commander) went to our site, 22, and placed the two-inch diameter, 9-foot-tall pipe behind the chair and secured it vertically with rope tied to the chair and a small stake in the ground to stabilize the bottom of the pipe. Using rope instead of the conventional plastic cable ties was in keeping with our eco-friendly theme.

Solar-powered lights were now attached, and some solar-powered spots were also placed to point at the fuselage –attempts to add a photocell switch to the separate chair 12-volt electric circuit with solar charger were unsuccessful.

The five salvaged LED flashlights that successfully underwent 24-hour bench testing could not be tested with the solar charger prior to installation; the 12-volt battery was not being charged, so the flashlights were removed from the display.

Previous page: Elizabeth Filippelli, COMO Kenneth Jacobs, Heath Brockwell, and Judy Davis (behind Filippelli), members of Flotilla 14-4, Jacksonville Beach, create a scale model of the Jayhawk on graph paper. USCG Auxiliary photograph by Frank Sampersi

Previous page below: Rear view of he completed display lit up with predominantly solar lights, Auxiliary signage, and boating safety literature. USCG Auxiliary photo

Frank obtained a loaned 12 Volt deep cycle battery, and the next day, Dan Tardona, Bill Hurlburt, Frank and Mark secured the battery on the chair seat. They elevated the helicopter with a short transition pipe into the larger support pipe. The main rotor was attached to the fuselage, and the rear rotor was installed. The rotors had attack angles and were free to rotate with the wind. The shafts were lubricated with silicon grease to reduce friction. The helicopter rotated on the pipe

Breeze

Additional solar flood lights were installed to illuminate a scaled U. S. Flag as well-as the Auxiliary ensign that were attached to swivels on PVC pipe that was used as a flagpole tied to the chair. No plastic cable ties were used for any of the installations.

A specially made outdoor banner identifying the display as created by the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 14-4, Jacksonville Beach, with an image of an Auxiliarist in operational dress uniform (ODU) wearing a life jacket along with safe boating signage was added.

The limited solar lights were not enough to properly light the display; thus, they reluctantly abandoned the concept of 100% off-grid display lighting and added some 120 VAC spot and string lights. The helicopter solar running and flag lights functioned flawlessly throughout the display

(Continued on page 22) period. Recreational Boating Safety literature and brochures were placed in pockets and made available to the public as they viewed the exhibit.

Bill Hulbert, Elizabeth, Dan, Heath, Mike Christnacht, and Mark regularly visited the exhibit to ensure that the lights were still working, the model was secure, and that the brochures were adequate. They answered questions from spectators, including many children. Rain, cold, and fog were frequent visitors to their display so it needed constant attention.

Dan, Mark, Frank, and Bill started the disassembly process of our DTC display. They took special efforts to leave the chair and grounds as pristine as they had found them and to ensure that all those flotilla members who had donated items to the display received them back. The flotilla will keep the Jayhawk model in a secure place for use at other events throughout the year.

• COMO Kenneth Jacobs

• COMO Rick Saunders

• Judy Davis

• Frank Samperisi

• Elizabeth Filippelli

• Marina Quinn

• Bill Hurlburt

• Kevin Holbrooks

• Andy Koenig

• Gary Moore

• Ted Alesch

• Marion Banquer

• Heath Brockwell

• Dan Tardona

• Robert Biscardi

• Mark Vitry

• Michael Christnacht