For a historic fishing village like Sebastian, boating safety is obviously an important topic and one of the main organizations dedicated to it is the Sebastian Inlet Sail and Power Squadron.
The local nonprofit group is a unit of the United States Power Squadrons, District 8, which stretches from the Sebastian Inlet to Key West. All Power Squadron units are non-profit and all-volunteer.
The Sebastian Inlet unit was chartered in 2003. At that time, several members of the Vero Beach Power Squadron were Sebastian area residents, and wanted a unit closer to home, one which could serve the large North County boating community. With support and guidance from the Vero Beach group, the Sebastian Inlet Squadron was chartered that November, with Peter Mitchelson as its first Commander.
Today the Sebastian Inlet unit has a membership of about 85 to 90 during the high season and provides a variety of programs, courses, classes and social activities for skilled boaters, novices, and those who have an interest in boating, but no boat of their own.
Mary and Ed Price (she’s a retired music teacher, he’s a retired chemical engineering consultant) moved to Sebastian in 2005 from Ohio. They soon bought a boat, and Mary became active in the Sebastian Squadron. She is a past lieutenant commander, current program chairman and teaches boating safety classes.
She explained what the members do, as part of “America’s Boating Club.” The boating safety courses are, she emphasizes, the most important programs offered, and are available for the public as well as the membership. For the public, the courses are part of the United States Power Squadrons (USPS) Seminar Series: How to Use A Chart, Using GPS, Boat Handling and more. Members can learn Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Navigation and others, at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. The Sebastian Unit, says Mary, received “a lot of awards for education at the last District 8 conference.”
Reiterating the importance of safety in all the courses, she says, “We focus on the ABCs of boating: the “Rules of the road,” the basics of docking and such topics as life jacket use (“they float, you don’t!”), fire extinguishers, flares, navigation using marker lights when boating at night, state and federal regulations. With the certification teens cannot operate a boat alone.
An additional benefit of successfully completing the basic course, Mary noted, is that many insurance companies provide a discount for those who have completed the course.
Beyond the all-important boating classes, members are also involved in community service. The Sebastian Inlet Squadron has adopted two Indian River Lagoon recreational spoil islands, which they clean up and maintain for boater recreation, and they support and donate to the area Sea Scout chapter and other youth boating groups.
Members distribute boating safety and other informational materials during local festivals and events; as a public service, members provide courtesy vessel exams, checking whether the boater has the required safety equipment in the proper condition, according to state and federal regulations.
The Squadron also assists the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with correcting and updating nautical charts, often with assistance from boat owners, who can help by performing channel surveys.
Education and community service are by no means the only areas in which Power Squadron members are involved. The Squadron organizes a variety of boating activities throughout the year: a monthly social get-together at a member’s home or another location; flotillas and rendezvous to local restaurants along the Treasure Coast; raft-ups with other Squadrons at District meetings and events; island picnics in the lagoon; manatee, dolphin and other wildlife watching along local waterways and, of course, fishing trips.
Meetings are held monthly (except December) on the fourth Monday, at the Sebastian Yacht Club, 820 Indian River Drive, at 7 p.m. The only requirements for membership “are a keen interest in boating-related activities and an eagerness to meet like-minded people. “
As Commander Marnie Sullivan says, “Come for the boating education and stay for the friends.”