The National Board Meting continued on Friday afternoon, and began with remarks from our new Chief Director of the Auxiliary (CHDIRAUX), Captain Barry Smith. Captain Smith has been in office just a few weeks, but has been familiar with Auxiliary for a long time. “I know what the Auxiliary is capable of, and I know that the Coast Guard’s job is made easier as a result of your efforts.”

Capt. Smith began by quoting from Andrew Jackson, who said, “The first duty of a good soldier/citizen is to attend to the safety of their country.” Captain Smith went on to say that using this definition; he knows that “Auxiliary members are all good citizens.” As an example, Captain Smith cited the efforts of D7 Auxiliarists who were working feverishly to assist FEMA in the wake of Hurricane Charley, after I paid a devastating visit to Florida.

Smith then discussed what Auxiliarists could expect of the Chief Director’s Officer during his tenure. “We will be working to make the Standard Auxiliary Maintenance Allowance a reality. The same goes for catastrophic loss claims.” Moreover, Smith stated, “We will also be working to do what we can to hasten the Personnel Security Information (PSI) process, which is a difficult and painful task, albeit necessary.”

Then Capt. Smith discussed what he would be asking from us. Again, he began with a quote, this time from John Adams, who said, “The prosperity of a nation is in proportion to its discipline.”

“Today I am asking you to re-invigorate a sense of discipline, right down to the Flotilla level,” said Captain Smith. “Discipline begins with top management, and I look forward to working with Commodore Seibert over the next two years.”

Smith further stated that we should continue our Operations training to remain Semper Paratus, and that risk management should be considered in everything we do.

Furthermore, Captain Smith asked Auxiliary members to “encourage an atmosphere of cooperation with other individuals and other agencies. Moreover, I ask you to do whatever you can as the Coast Guard moves to the Sector structure.”

Captain Smith continued by saying that although RBS may not be as glitzy or glamorous as operations and MDA work, it is still as necessary as ever. He also encouraged frugality in expenditures, echoing Vice Admiral Allen’s remarks regarding “our missions grow faster than our budget does.”

Captain Smith concluded by urging us to remember to have fun in what we do in the Auxiliary, and congratulated us on our recent 65th anniversary.

Next Captain Scott Evans, Chief Director of the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, who stated, “The Auxiliary is our primary partner in promoting recreational boating safety. Over my tenure, which began in 1999, you have conducted over 100,000 public education classes, and over 500,000 Vessels Safety Checks.”

Captain Evans went on to discuss the “hot issues” for the Office of Boating Safety. “Number one is operator proficiency. Proficiency is prevention.” Evans urged members to get the word out about state boating laws, and to urges boaters to teach their children about boating safety.

“Secondly, we need your help to make sure vessels are safe,” stated Captain Evans. He challenged Auxiliarists to step up their VSC efforts, stating that although the total number of VSC’s increased each year, we are still reaching a small percentage of the total number of vessels.

Fatalities on smaller boats were the third of Captain Evan’s “Hot Issues,” he stated, “We need to reach those who use smaller boats, less than 21 feet, and increase the life jacket wear rate amongst all boaters.” He noted that the majority of boating fatalities continue to occur to those who were not wearing a life jacket.

Captain Evans concluded by complimenting the Auxiliary on our legislative work with the various states, as well as on the Lewis & Clark Project. “My compliments to Commodore Reams and his team, in that no major accidents have occurred on the Lewis & Clark route thus far.” He also praised the continued efforts of the Auxiliary to help secure funding for Boating Safety projects.

National Commodore Edgerton announced the establishment of two new Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). The first MOU, between the National Weather Service, NOAA, the Department of Commerce, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, will allow Auxilairists to expand the weather reporting capabilities of the NWS. The second MOU, between West Marine and the Auxiliary, formalizes their partnership to promote recreational boating safety. Among other things, West Marine will promote the Auxiliary in its stores and catalogs, as well as offering up space in its stores to conduct classes, hold VSC stations, etc. (Details of these MOUs will be available shortly on the Boating Department’s web site).