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A unit of United States Power Squadrons ® Sail and Power Boating |
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About District 13 |
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WHERE & WHEN District 13 was chartered in May 1941 with the flagship squadron being Los Angeles Power Squadron. The District is composed of eighteen squadrons covering an area that reaches from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the Inland Sea of Japan. This area includes the largest body of navigable water in the world, the Pacific Ocean. The district has a membership of approximately 1600 members.
PURPOSE The district organization is an intermediate level between the national organization and the squadrons. It is the nucleus for group action of the squadrons: it oversees administration of programs to educate and train members and the public; and it provides opportunities for social intercourse among members and families of assigned squadrons. The only members of a district are the assigned squadrons themselves. Each has voting power in district affairs. The district organization is in close contact with all national departments and committees. It is a channel for communications between national departments and squadrons,insuring uniformity of action by squadrons.
CONFERENCES Each district is required by USPS bylaws to hold a conference between 1 March and 1 May each year and between 1 October and 1 December each year. The conferences are the primary meeting of the district to conduct district business and to pass on information to the squadrons. The Spring Conference places emphasis on instructing new squadron officers in the requirements of their jobs, while the Fall conference emphasizes educational efforts. The conference also provides activities in which the members can participate. These include Friday night social activities in which squadrons have host rooms that provide food and drink. On Saturday morning seminars are held on power squadron and boating topics. Saturday afternoon a luncheon and business meeting are held. The evening is finished off by a gala dinner dance.
AWARDS The national organization and the district presents various awards to the squadrons at the different conferences. These include the National Safe Boating Award, presented by the national representative, goes to the squadron that teaches the most public boating class students. The Excellence in Education Award is presented by the district for the Squadron with the best educational program. The Prince Henry Award is for the best performance by a squadron in teaching Junior Navigation. The Shipping Over Award is for the squadron with the best member renewals. The Duncan Gleason Award is for the best squadron newsletter.
MEETINGS In addition to the conferences, the district holds a monthly council meetings that squadron commanders as well as any member may attend. The council meeting is a dinner meeting as well as a business meeting. The District Council generally meets at 1900 on the fourth Thursday of each month except as announced (Thanksgiving, Conference Months, and Christmas) at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, 211 W. 22nd Street (off Harbor Blvd.) in San Pedro, California. The voting members of the D/13 Council consist of the District Commander, District Lieutenant Commanders, the immediate Past District Commander and the Squadron Commanders. Make dinner reservations through your Squadron Commander.
ACTIVITIES The district also offers an excellent cruising program to many destinations for members of all squadrons. These include Lake Powell, the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, San Francisco Bay and the California Delta region. These are 10 day cruises. The district has two longer cruises, both of two week duration. The first is to the islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington State, followed by the Desolation Sound Cruise which travels up the inside passage along the Canadian coast to the glaciers in Desolation Sound. These cruises are held in July and August of each year. Other cruises are held throughout the year including a district cruise to Catalina Island where a tri-tip steak barbecue is prepared by the district staff and served to the members. While many members of the squadrons serve at the district and national levels, District 13 has provided two Chief Commanders for the National Organization, Lester C. Lowe, JN; and Walter R. Cosden, JN.
History of D/13 Flag In 2000 following an unsuccessful earlier attempt to design a D/ 13 flag, D/ C Al Ezcurra suggested that we use the burgee of the former Los Angeles Power Squadron as the basis for a D/ 13 flag. His reason for this suggestion was that Los Angeles Power Squadron had been one of the first west- coast squadrons and helped or encouraged the formation of many of the present squadrons, including some no longer a part of D/ 13. Since Los Angeles Squadron no longer was in existence the use of their former burgee design within a district flag was acceptable. P/ C/ C Walter Cosdon loaned us his personal Los Angeles Squadron burgee to use in the design process. Kenneth Griffing, a member of the District Bridge at that time, had had former discussions with Flag & Etiquette regarding their desires in flag and burgee design and volunteered to draw or make a sample of the proposed design. Because of the age of the district (over 50 years) the flag was eligible to have a gold colored edge. Suggestions were made to use Roman numerals to designate the 13 as it would read the same from both sides. The design proposed used Old Glory Blue from the burgee to surround the burgee configuration both above and below and to represent the blue of the sky under which and of the blue Pacific Ocean upon which we often sail. The XIII was to be arranged vertically near the fly end of the flag to designate District 13. A gold edge on the flag designated that the District was over 50 years old, having been Chartered on 12 May, 1941. The proposed design was informally shown to members of the Flag & Etiquette Committee for comment, which was very favorable. The design was displayed for the Fall 2000 District 13 Conference and was approved by that meeting. Upon submission for approval to Flag & Etiquette, they pointed out that Council approval was required, and although the Conference was a higher authority, the design was again approved at the 30 November, 2000 District 13 Council. The January 2001 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida subsequently also approved the design and made the flag official. KLG 11-Mar-03 from Ken Griffings files |
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[Home] [Commander's Message] [About District 13] [Calendar] [Officers] [D13 Squadrons] [USPS History] [Education] [Newsletters] [Special Events] [Education Schedule] [Sail Race Info] |
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[Home] [Commander's Message] [About District 13] [Calendar] [Officers] [D13 Squadrons] [USPS History] [Education] [Newsletters] [Special Events] [Education Schedule] [Sail Race Info] |