From the Helm Kevin Buckley, Division 7 Vice Commander

From the Helm

They also serve who only stand and wait.

-John Milton, English Poet, 1608-1674

And wait. And wait. And wait. Then wait some more…

Out of an abundance of caution, the United States Coast Guard- aff ectionately known as “the “Gold Side” by the Auxiliary- ordered a total stand down in March of 2020. We shortly thereafter learned just how many of us were 60 years of age or over. Most of us! So, we found ourselves in one of the most vulnerable age categories. What a challenge to our patience!

COVID-19 was a shame- how about that for an understatement? - but it hit Division 7 right at the time when we were off to a fabulous start for the year. Vessel Examinations, Public Education classes, Partner Visitations and Food Service were all on a track to set record highs for the year. But then it all came crashing down. With each passing month we hoped to resume our mission to improve recreational boating safety and, eventually, we were allowed to do so, but under new restrictions. After years of downplaying the eff ectiveness of online Public Education instruction versus the Auxiliary’s in-person classes, we needed to adapt and Flotilla 79 Tampa led the way for the Division, becoming the “Go To” source for those boaters desiring to improve their boating skills.

The Memorial Day Weekend fi nally found us back on the water with several Maritime Observation Missions, but that was it for on the water missions for months afterward. Nevertheless, water still played a major role for us in 2020. Auxiliarist Dorothy Riley suff ered water damage in her home, as did Tony Novellino, Division Commander in which a broken water pipe caused tens of thousands of dollars in damages to his condo. Flotilla 72 St. Petersburg also suff ered a broken water pipe which forced the closure of their building for several months and counting. Good news there in that the Gold Side, which owns the building, is going all-out on repairs with the promise of a much improved facility in the future.

Because of face-to-face restrictions the Auxiliary has turned to “virtual meetings” with ZOOM and other platforms. It has been a truly positive experience to feel the joy of Auxiliarists as they were able to reconnect. Electronic fellowship! Moreover, our Information Technology professionals have really stood up. Kudos to Tony Hooper and John Robbins. Individually, our members have greatly expanded their United States Coast Guard Auxiliary knowledge, taking advantage of the lull in all other Auxiliary activities.

Thanks to the direction of Tom Bamford, District Captain-West, we have maintained a high level of close communication with Sector St. Petersburg. Among other things we have learned that positive tests of Coronavirus were taking place on the active duty side. Fortunately, there have been no deaths. The Division 7 Auxiliary had three positive tests as well and all members have fully recovered.

One can only marvel at the fact that new member recruitment continues apace! This bodes very well for the future of the Auxiliary, an Auxiliary that will have the highest numbers of certifi ed and trained members we have ever seen. Semper Paratus! Ω

News and information from the Division 7 Vice Commander

Kevin Buckley VCDR