Power Squadron Begins 7th Year on Grand

The Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron has celebrated its Change of Watch ceremony and begins its seventh year on Grand Lake promoting safe boating through education.

The Squadron is in the fourth year of offering the BoatSmart course to the public absolutely free of charge. It is one of the few Squadrons in the entire nation to present this course free to the public. This course, along with making boaters better educated in boating and safety, entitles students to a permanent 10-20% discount on their boat insurance.

During the Change of Watch there was a silent auction to raise money for the educational department of the squadron. Proceeds from the auction will go to fund class materials for prospective students who take the BoatSmart class.

Another civic service the Squadron provides to boaters free of charge is Vessel Safety Checks (VSC). Some of the Squadron members are certified vessel examiners and will examine your boat for safety equipment. Boats passing this examination will be entitled to a GRDA sticker and/or a U.S. Coast Guard sticker.

You can schedule to have your boat examined by calling the Vessel Safety Check Chairman, Lt. Jay Spicer, S at 918-791-0223. This service gives the boater a peace of mind that their vessel has the required equipment to be operated on Grand Lake under GRDA guidelines.

After a wonderful Prime Rib buffet dinner provided by Cherokee Yacht Club, new members David and Mary Mandeville and Coleman and Trudy Darby were installed by Commander Larry Stout. There are now more than 140 members in the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron.

There were a number of awards presented to various members at the Squadron Change of Watch. The National Distinction in Journalism Award was presented to Denise Winn for the squadron’s newsletter “The Pelican”. Bill Miller was presented with the National Information Technology Committee Web Site Award for 2005, and the squadron as a whole was presented with the National Bowsprit Award and the National Membership Growth Award. The Squadron Excellence In Teaching Award was presented to Terry Chastain for her willingness to teach whenever and whatever she’s asked. Paul Roberts was recognized with the Vessel Safety Check Award for the most vessel safety inspections, and the Commander’s Cup Award was presented to Bob and Sandy Stone for their enthusiastic support of many squadron activities.

District 31 Commander, Mary Lou Charlton, AP, from the Beaver Lake Squadron swore in Commander, Larry Stout, AP, for a second term and then swore in the rest of the 2005 Bridge Officers: Executive Officer, Lt/C Don Chalupnik, AP; Squadron Educational Officer, Lt/C Jane Montgomery, AP; Administrative Officer Lt/C Mary Jo Bopp, P; Secretary, Lt/C Mary Ann Stout, S; and Treasurer Lt/C Marcia Pett, S.

The results of the silent auction were announced and the evening ended with a champagne toast to celebrate the Squadron and a yew year of safe and happy boating.

In Photo:

The new Bridge Officers for the Grand Lake Sail and Power Squadron for 2006. From left to right: Asst. Admin. Ofcr. Bob Goodwin, Exec. Ofcr. Don Chalupnik, Admin. Ofcr. Mary Jo Bopp, D-31Commander Mary Lou Charlton, Squadron Commander Larry Stout, Secy. Mary Ann Stout, Asst. Secy. Pegy Miller, and Educational Ofcr. Jane Montgomery.