Auxiliarists Mike and Karen Chapman review knot tying skills prior to a flotilla meeting aboard their houseboat, Summer Daze. The Chapman’s plan to have Summer Daze certified as an Auxiliary facility to serve as a floating base during patrol operations at Lake Powell. They currently run a 24-foot Sea Ray as a facility and can patrol a vast area of the sprawling lake in this speedy, rough water boat.

Whether patrolling on water or in the air, Mike and Karen Chapman remain active and enthusiastic as they embark on their 15th year in the Auxiliary. The Chapman’s reside in Flagstaff, Arizona, and are the senior members of Page, Arizona’s Flotilla 10-2.

A drowning accident on their very first Lake Powell patrol nearly halted their Auxiliary commitment.  The tragedy happened in the buoy field near a local marina.  The Chapman’s were called to secure the scene and Karen remembers asking, “Why do we want to do this? I don’t know if I can handle this.”  Fortunately, this unhappy experience strengthened their resolve to help fellow boaters.

Since then they have saved lives and been first to arrive at several mishaps.  Just last year Mike and Karen rescued an individual who fell off the roof of a houseboat.  “We were moving towards the houseboat to tell them he wasn’t safe, when he fell.  The houseboat just kept going,” says Karen.  “It’s real rough in the narrows,” added Mike.  “The boat was moving up and down several feet and he couldn’t hold on.”

They have also been first on scene at a carbon monoxide incident involving several people, and at a personal watercraft accident near Glen Canyon Dam.  In both cases, the Chapman’s administered first aid and stabilized the victims before National Park Service rangers arrived.

Naturally, Mike, 58, and Karen, 54, find operations to be their favorite part of Auxiliary work. They contribute approximately 200–300 hours per year on Powell patrol and have assisted other Arizona flotillas at Lake Pleasant and at Saguaro and Canyon Lakes

Their love of the water motivated them to join the Auxiliary.  As Mike recalls, “We were walking into (Page, AZ) Wal-Mart and Karen noticed these guys in uniform.  Back then they wore knee-high socks, with blue shorts and light blue shirts.  Karen was joking with them and asked if they were going to a mailman convention.”

“They laughed,” Karen continues, “and said they were in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. ‘How do you get that job’, I asked. ‘I’ve always wanted that job.’ So they signed us up.”

The Chapman’s are both Coxswains and have served as Vice Flotilla Commanders.  They are also in the air program and have completed several specialty courses and air observer training.  Mike is a licensed pilot and is just one hour from earning a Pilot in Command rating.  Karen is a student pilot.

“We patrol the Colorado River by air, look at the dams and take photographs,” says Mike. “We send these to San Diego and they are analyzed to see if anything has changed from the week before.”

In summarizing their Auxiliary experience, Mike is quick to note that it is “a lot of fun. We’re glad to be out there. We’ve seen a lot of good and bad, but we’re just trying to educate people and keep them safe.”