Evening star., 1942-09-18
Auxiliarists Man Own
Boats for Potomec.
River Patrols
Scheduled to Protect
Course of PRSA Soil
Series This Fall
BY MALCOM LAMBORNE, Jr.

By MALCOM LAMBORNE, Jr.
With little or no fanfare, select
group Of local yachtsmen in -four
Coast Guard Auxiliary flotillas here
has been lending hand to regular
Coast Guard Reserve vessels in va
rious duties this summer, and the
prospect is the group will continue
work with the service through the
fall.
Approximately dozen yachts
from Flotillas 2, 13. II and 81 have
participated in local patrols and
have been doing bangup job
according to Ensign William Smith,
who's in charge of auxiliary activi-
ties in the captain of the port office.
Yachts from Flotilla 2 aiding in
Coast Guard patrols include Com
modore Jacob Jacobson's Splca II
of Corinthian Yacht Club and Harry
E. Smiths Toby II. This group is
headed by Robert w. Billups as
commander.
Flotilla 13 in command of Judge
Walter E. Blount has furnished WAL
ter Smiths Jouet II, A. j. Shafhirt's
Marguerite, Charles A. Stocks Vaga-
bunda, H. H. Leffert's Biddy and
Jim TESTERS Nova II.
Crews Mostly Auxiliarists.
Flotillas II and 81 have been COM
bined under the leadership of
Comdr. Bradford E. Buckley, and
between them, they have volun-
teered Paul Hamm's 28-footer,
Theodore Namey's Chalomar and
DR.. M. A. Leese's Ginger II. On
all work with the Coast Guard, the
owners volunteered their craft, and
in the majority of cases went along
with their boats.
When an auxiliary yacht went
into this temporary service, Ensign
Smith explained, petty officer was
placed on board and the boat flew
the Coast Guard ensign and the
commission pennant. Crews were
made up mostly of auxiliarists.
One of the most important jobs
performed by this group during the
summer was patrolling of the Wa
ter Gate concerts above Memorial
Bridge. Two auxiliary craft went
on patrol each night of a concert
and remained on duty until the
last struggling canoe returned to
1ts Georgetown dock.
On one occasion Harry Smith,
who is fleet captain at Corinthian,
while on patrol with his Toby res
cued two canoeists who were thrown
into the river by the wake of a
speedboat. They we're taken aboard
Toby, where they dried out. At
the end Of the concert, the couple
was taken to Georgetown.
Will Patrol Sailing Course.
On another occasion Walter Smith,
who is vice commodore of Capital
Yacht Club, served with his Jouet on
an all-night patrol of the river.
=, Latest activity OF the. group will
be a patrol of the race course and
the furnishing of committee boat
for the Potomac River Sailing Asso-
citation series which begins Sunday.
Comdr. Blount announced yester-
day that all Flotilla 13 members
who have boats-many an auxiliar-
lists boat has gone into the Reserve
here and elsewhere-will meet at
Capital Yacht Club Sunday morning
at 10 o'clock for practice mobiliza-
tion Of boats. The owners will have
selected crews from among other
f1otilla members and are planning
to train them in the operation of
their particular boat. In this way
Blount explained. should boat
owner be absent when call comes
in he can depend on one of his crew
to operate his boat,
Yachts while on duty operate as
vessels of the United States, and
they also are furnished gasoline
Plans also are being made by
auxiliary officials here for a fall
training program.