www.thewakullanews.com THE WAKULLA NEWS, Thursday, October 29, 2015 – Page 5B
OA
RD
Local writers share their experiences
Underwater Wakulla
By Carolyn Brown Treadon
Y
A
UX
a peek into life on and under the water
Coast Guard Auxiliary Reports
ST G UA
U.S. C
Water Ways ILIAR
Thank you to Dave Rabon for the following story and images. Several of our members, got an early start Saturday morning, preparing to staff a Public Affairs booth at the St. Marks Stone Crab Festival. Mike Harrison and David Rabon loaded up the tent, tables, safe boating materials and all the other items needed for the event. Before the busy day, we were joined by Chuck Hickman and Rick Pizzala for a quick breakfast. An important aspect of the Auxiliary is fellowship – we work hard, but we also take time to relax. After breakfast we continued on to St. Marks where we were joined by the Vice Flotilla Commander, Raye Crews. As soon as the tent was set up and arranged, we began to have visitors stop by. We provided candy and stickers to the younger visitors while talking to them about the importance of wearing a life jacket. For the adults, we provided safe boating material, conversation and answered many boating questions. We were approached by some attendees who
By Travis Kersting
Boating Emergencies Coast Guard Station Panama City ................................................................... (850) 234-4228 Coast Guard Station Yankeetown .................................................................... (352) 447-6900 Coast Guard Auxiliary Apalachee Bay (Flotilla 12) .......................................... (850) 942-7500 or .......................................................................................(850) 284-1166
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Ron Eudy receiving the RBS Device from Flotilla Commander Fran Keating.
were going to buy boats and wanted to talk
about required equipment they would need
and to just talk generally about boat ownership. Several others requested safety inspections and we will be looking at those boats very soon. We are always encouraged when people drop by the tent and express an interest in joining the Auxiliary. Working in the Coast Guard Auxiliary is a great way to give back to the boating community. We are always interested in presenting safe boating classes and we will contact those who asked for a class soon! The weather was perfect, we had a fun crowd and we provided a lot of safe boating materials. We are all looking forward to next year’s festival. If you are interested in becoming involved in the Auxiliary, check out our website at www. uscgaux.net then contact our Flotilla Staff Officer for Human Resources, Ron Eudy, at Ron.eudy@uscgaux. net or Flotilla Commander Fran Keating at Fran.k@uscgaux.net. As Sherrie says, safe boating is no accident – a safety course can help make the difference!
FWC Law Enforcement Report From FWC News
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week, Oct. 16-23. WAKULLA COUNTY: While working Apalachicola Wildlife Management Area close to midnight, Officers Marlow and Raker observed a utility task vehicle (UTV) cross the road in front of them carrying multiple people. The UTV was operating on an unauthorized road as well as in an unauthorized area. The officers observed multiple other UTVs and ATVs coming from the same direction. Through the use of an unmarked ve-
hicle and special tactics, the officers were able to stop nine of the next ten vehicles. The officers observed and addressed violations for damage to state managed lands, open container of alcohol, operating a motor vehicle on an unnumbered road, and operating an ATV in an unauthorized area. The officers issued citations and verbal warnings for the violations. SANTA ROSA COUNTY:Officer Hutchinson was patrolling an area when he observed a truck parked against a tree line with only its tail lights on. He pulled behind the vehicle and observed a male sub-
ject sitting in the vehicle. He observed the subject look back at him and then turn and lean over towards the passenger floorboard area. Officer Hutchinson walked to the driver side door of the vehicle and observed the subject place an object inside the waist band in the front of his shorts. The subject then tried to exit the vehicle after Officer Hutchinson gave him commands to stay in the vehicle. The subject ignored the officer’s commands and exited the vehicle and then threw a small pouch into the bed of the truck. Officer Hutchinson handcuffed the subject and located a small nylon case that
contained methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Officer Lewis arrived on scene and assisted Officer Hutchinson in searching the vehicle. During the search, the officers discovered more paraphernalia and equipment used to manufacture meth The officers contacted the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office which impounded the truck. The suspect was booked into the county jail for possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. EDITOR’S NOTE: We have been having technical difficulties with the Almanac. We hope to resolve the problems soon.
Gulf Coast Weekly Almanac Oct. 29 - Nov. 4 DATE
ft
LOW PM
ft
Full Nov. 25
Last Nov. 3
Carrabelle Apalachicola Lower Cat Point Anchorage West Pass
New Nov. 11
City of St. Marks
HIGH AM
AM
PM
ft
ft
RISE
SET
DATE MOON
3:13 4.0 4:43 3.7
10:12 -0.6 10:03 1.4
7:47 6:53
29 Thu
30 Fri
3:47 4.0 5:30 3.4
10:58 -0.4 10:40 1.5
7:48 6:52
30 Fri
31 Sat
4:23 3.8 6:18 3.1
11:45 -0.1 11:20 1.7
7:49 6:51
31 Sat
4:59 3.5 6:54 2.9
12:49 -0.1
7:49 6:51
1
Sun
4:01 3.5 6:13 2.9
11:36 0.3 11:09 1.8
6:49 5:50
1
Sun
4:37 3.3 6:49 2.7
12:24 1.5 12:40 0.3
6:50 5:50
2 Mon
4:46 3.2 7:19 2.7
12:37 0.7
6:50 5:49
2 Mon
5:22 3.0 7:55 2.5
12:13 1.6
1:41 0.6
6:50 5:49
3
Tue
5:50 2.9 8:33 2.7
12:15 1.8
1:49 1.0
6:51 5:49
3
Tue
6:26 2.7 9:09 2.5
1:19
1.7
2:53 0.9
6:51 5:49
4
Wed
7:45 2.6 9:38 2.8
1:48
3:05 1.1
6:52 5:48
4
Wed
8:21 2.4 10:14 2.6
2:52
1.6
4:09 1.0
6:52 5:48
Panacea DATE
Carrabelle HIGH AM
ft
LOW PM
ft
AM
ft
PM
ft
RISE
SET
29 Thu
3:29 4.1 4:59 3.7
10:32 -0.5 10:23 1.1
7:48 6:54
30 Fri
4:03 4.0 5:46 3.4
11:18 -0.3 11:00 1.2
31 Sat
4:39 3.8 6:34 3.1
DATE MOON
HIGH AM
ft
LOW PM
ft
AM
ft
PM
ft
Sunday Moon Rises: 10:51 pm Moon Sets: 11:49 am RISE SET MOON Over: 4:54 am 7:49 6:55 Under: 5:20 pm 68% 7:50 6:54 Waning Gibbous
Monday Moon Rises: 11:47 pm Moon Sets: 12:35 pm Over: 5:46 am Under: 6:10 pm 58% Waning Gibbous
29 Thu
2:58 2.9 5:57 2.6
10:03 -0.1 9:43 2.0
7:49 6:53
30 Fri
3:33 2.9 6:53 2.5
10:51 -0.1 10:23 2.0
7:49 6:52
31 Sat
4:13 2.8 7:49 2.4
11:42 0.0 11:13 2.0
6:50 5:51
1
Sun
3:58 2.7 7:44 2.3
11:38 0.2 11:20 2.0
6:51 5:52
12:38 0.4
6:52 5:52
4:17 3.5 6:29 2.9
2 Mon
5:02 3.2 7:35 2.7
12:57 0.5
6:51 5:50
2 Mon
4:52 2.5 8:35 2.3
3
Tue
6:06 2.9 8:49 2.7
12:35 1.5
2:09 0.8
6:52 5:49
3
Tue
6:00 2.3 9:21 2.3
12:46 1.8
1:41 0.6
6:53 5:51
4
Wed
8:01 2.6 9:54 2.8
2:08
3:25 0.9
6:53 5:49
4
Wed
7:28 2.1 10:01 2.3
2:14
2:41 0.8
6:53 5:50
1.6
Thursday Moon Rises: 9:05 pm Moon Sets: 9:59 am Over: 3:05 am Under: 3:34 pm 93% Waning Gibbous Saturday Moon Rises: 10:55 pm Moon Sets: 11:57 am Over: 4:59 am Under: 5:27 pm 78% Waning Gibbous
Sun
1.5
Low Tide 25 Min. 2 Hrs., 38 Min. 2 Hrs., 31 Min. 2 Hrs., 3 Min. 2 Hrs., 39 Min.
Friday Moon Rises: 9:59 pm Moon Sets: 11:01 am Over: 4:03 am Under: 4:31 pm 86% Waning Gibbous
12:05 -0.1 11:44 1.4 11:56 0.2 11:29 1.5
1
High Tide 28 Min. 1 Hr., 53 Min. 1 Hr., 13 Min. 1 Hr., 36 Min. 1 Hr., 26 Min.
Moon Rise/Set HIGH LOW Moon Over/Under AM ft PM ft AM ft PM ft RISE SET MOON Moon Brightneess 3:49 3.8 5:19 3.4 11:16 -0.5 11:07 1.2 7:47 6:53 Moon Phase 4:23 3.7 6:06 3.2 12:02 -0.3 7:48 6:52 following 11:44 1.4
29 Thu
1.8
Today an individual walked in with a shiny new scuba cylinder that immediately looked odd to me. The markings looked original and legal but the cylinder manufacture number didn’t match anything in my reference documents and the manufacturer’s name rang a bell but I couldn’t figure out why. I’ve seen a wider variety of cylinders than most divers and we have examples of all kinds of manufacturing irregularities here at the store. This cylinder which looked shiny and proper to the layman actually had all the characteristics of being built in a garage using billet instead of forging. He claimed to have paid about $150 for it on Amazon. After a couple of phone calls, a browse through my references, and using good ol’ Google, I learned the cylinder is legit. The M0814 (Manufacturer’s number assigned by the DOT) belongs to foreign manufacture Cyl-Tec in Shanghai, China. The cylinders are heavier than anything from American manufactures Luxfer, Catalina, or former American manufacture Hymark. When I say heavier I mean about 15 percent heavier but with no additional gas capacity. This is one of the red flags. Normally cylinders are not made heavier, engineers try to make them lighter – or when it is heavier it’s because of an increased pressure rating. For the same weight the owner could have had over 20 percent more gas in an American or Italian made cylinder. The next red flag was the thread fit on the valve. The valve almost felt loose, a dangerous and scary feature but after comparing to European valves/cylinders with an M25 thread and using a caliper and thread gauge the cylinder also fell within standards but just barely. Any degradation to the threads will require the cylinder be removed from service. Another ding against making this Amazon purchase. A saving grace in the threads was the shear volume of complete threads. The crown was so thick that nearly 35 to 40 threads could be cut into it. For a comparison a Thermo valve has about 12 threads to even engage in a cylinder and Luxfer specifies 10 threads in a cylinder for a 3000 psi service pressure. Over-engineering is a common feature of garage built equipment or a use of an unapproved material, something to raise one’s eyebrows yet again, and a large contributor to the increase in weight. The company Cyl-Tec has set off alarms in the U.S. at the level of users, inspectors, retesting facilities, manufactures, and even the DOT. Their products have been rejected at the dock by importers, at the stores, and certainly by uninformed inspectors. There are cases open against them from U.S. manufacturers which you can read online. When picking a product it is best to buy things from companies that will still be around a while, I suspect this company may not last long with quality control issues and increased weight. The final nail in this cylinder’s coffin is the price. The cylinder is actually selling on Amazon for $147 plus $20 in shipping. It ships out of state so the customer saved on tax. Our American-made aluminum cylinders with a better quality Thermo valve are $175 but there is tax so the total is $187.25 including the visual inspection and your first fill of air or nitrox. That cylinder from the internet still clearly required inspection, in fact I spent a considerable amount of time on it and the fill is included with the inspection. After the tax, on the inspection and fill, the customer paid $184.12 for something that seemed like a really good deal – $3.13 in savings to have a cylinder that will likely raise attention at every shop it visits, supports the Chinese economy, and supports Amazon instead of a local small business. I can’t fault the customer, in fact I thank them for the learning experience it has provided for myself and the staff here. These unique challenges are what keep the job interesting for me. However, for you, the user, it will pay off to do some real math, compare apples to apples, and if the price doesn’t seem right ask if there is a deal or price matching.
For tides at the following points add to Dog Island Listings: First Nov. 19
St. Marks River Entrance
Chinese scuba cylinders.
7:50 6:53
Tuesday Moon Rises: --:-Moon Sets: 1:17 pm Over: 6:34 am Under: 6:58 pm 50% Last Quarter
Wednesday Moon Rises: 12:40 am Moon Sets: 1:55 pm Over: 7:21 am Under: 7:43 pm 38% Waning Crescent
Thursday Major Times
MinorTimes
3:05 am-5:05 am 3:34 pm-5:34 pm
9:59 am-10:59 am 9:05 pm-10:05 pm
Good
Friday Major Times 4:03 am-6:03 am 4:31 pm-6:31 pm
MinorTimes 11:01 am-12:01 pm 9:59 pm-10:59 pm
Average
Saturday Major Times 4:59 am-6:59 am 5:27 pm-7:27 pm
MinorTimes 11:57 am-12:57 pm 10:55 pm-11:55 pm
Average
Sunday Major Times
MinorTimes
4:54 am-6:54 am 5:20 pm-7:20 pm
11:49 am-12:49 pm 10:51 pm-11:51 pm
Average
Monday Major Times 5:46 am-7:46 am 6:10 pm-8:10 pm
MinorTimes 12:35 pm-1:35 pm 11:47 pm-12:47 am
Average
Tuesday Major Times
MinorTimes
6:34 am-8:34 am 6:58 pm-8:58 pm
--:-----:-1:17 pm-2:17 pm
Average
Wednesday Major Times 7:21 am-9:21 am 7:43 pm-9:43 pm
MinorTimes 12:40 am-1:40 am 1:55 pm-2:55 pm
Average