National Aids to Navigation Program SCF REPORTING

NOAA - AUXILIARY PARTNERSHIP

SCF Training Program Presented by members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Aid to Navigation Team

Presentation Objectives To acquire a general knowledge of the responsibilities of the Auxiliary for reporting Small Craft Facilities. To become familiar with the items in a SCF-Small Craft Facility that must be reported. To become familiar with the procedures for preparing accurate, complete, credible and professional reports to NOAA.

The available Small Craft Facility training tools are: Information from a new on-line “USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Study Guide.” Visual self-instruction from this SCF PowerPoint presentation on-line. On-line forms that you can use to prepare professional looking reports on your home PC. Personal assistance to help you become a proficient SCF reporter in a short period of time.

Documents needed for SCF Reporting. Most documents are now available on line.

… needed as reference. Current nautical chart of your AOR. Coast Pilot for your AOR. Also available ON-LINE. Print only the area where you are working.

Your Operational Role All Auxiliary vessels while underway should be checking all Aids to Navigation and charts for every type of discrepancy on ATONs (Federal Aids), PATONs (Private Aids), Bridges, Nautical Charts and Small Craft Facilities. Report discrepancies by the most expeditious means. Follow up with a hard copy report within 24 hours, if required.

PLANNING IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS Take the time to pre-plan your Small Craft Reporting events.

… for SCF planning. Reference the latest edition Nautical Chart. Provided free from NOAA when a valid SCF report is accepted by NOAA with an attached chartlet. Correct your chart to the latest LNM-Local Notice to Mariners Writing instrument. (0.7 automatic with HB lead) USCGAUX 77-5 Small Craft Facility Worksheets. (Available on the First Northern AN Web Site)

… for SCF Planning. Without a plan, you are doomed to failure! Review a practical area of your chart at a time. Make it easy on yourself. Prepare a list of the facilities that you plan to check in the order that you plan to check them. Use the SCF Worksheet for recording the information while conducting the interview.

… for SCF Reporting. Check comparative data about the site in the Coast Pilot. All definitions, specifications and narratives about an area must correspond. Recheck your GPS on site against a charted object to insure it is reading accurately. Note this action in your CU report. You must visit the site to validate that the data received corresponds to your observations. Use your camera to further prove your point.

… for SCF reporting. ANY QUESTION ABOUT PLANNING FOR A SMALL CRAFT FACILITY UPDATING MISSION?

Preparing ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet How to prepare and use this SCF tool. Reference the ANSC 7037-B copy that was handed out during this section.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Heading Info Enter your District, Division, and Flotilla Numbers. Enter your report number. Year / Numerical Sequence [ ]

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Enter your member information. Member ID Number (8 digits) Last Name First name and Initial Street Address, City, Town and Zip. address Phone number (Home and Business Phone) Date of Investigation [mm-dd-yy] Time of Investigation. [24 hr clock – hhmm ]

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Chart Reference ( Enter) Chart Number Chart Name Chart Edition Hours Expended Enter the total hours expended preparing and observing the data submitted on this report. This total is used by NOAA in awarding points for your report.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Location of facility Latitude [ dd-mm-ss.sss N ] Longitude [ ddd-mm-ss.sss W ] Locating Method Used – DGPS, GPS, WAAS. EPE or HDOP. QC Reading

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Report Submitted to: NOAA USACE USCG. Access to the Facility by land. Enter the directions to the facility from a major land route.

ANSC 7037-BSCF Worksheet Facility Availability Annual Seasonal – indicate opening and closing dates [mmdd] Hours of operation. Weekdays of operation.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Comments – enter any required or needed information about the facility. Attachments Business Card (evidence you visited the site) Brochure of facility (enhances the credibility of your report ) Chartlet (places the marina in a specific area for the cartographer, especially when the marina is not charted) Photographs (further evidence to build confidence in your report)

SCF Program NOAA Credit is awarded upon receipt of: ANSC 7035 USCGAUX SCF Worksheet. Copy of chart section showing the item or object being reported. The other pertinent documentation. Submit the info to NOAA via your DSO-AN. Acknowledgement provided via DSO-AN.

First Northern AN Web Site Download a copy of the USCGAUX 77-5 Small Craft Facility Worksheet from the First Northern AN Web Site. All of the instructions that you will need in order to update a facility are included on the USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Updating Study Guide. “SCF Updating Training” A copy of this “SCF Updating Training” PowerPoint presentation is included on the First Northern AN Web Site for your continuous review and self training.

SCF Update Reporting Conduct your interview on-scene and record the data on a USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Worksheet.

Small Craft Facility Updating Enhance your Chart Update Reports with data on every Marine Facility within your AOR.

SCF Visit Frequency Can be conducted on an annual basis. You can use: OPFAC while underway on a Safety or ATON Patrol. By private vehicle or on foot. Conduct as part of a PV visit.

SCF reporting criteria... To be reportable, the Small Craft Facility must: Charted on a Small Craft Chart. Have an approach depth. Have an alongside depth. Have a pump out facility (or have access to a municipality or community facility). Sell fuel (Diesel or Gas) Provide transient berths and/or moorings. (in addition to its regular facilities.) Must be a public use facility, not private.

SCF reporting criteria... When the Small Craft Facility does not meet the SCF criteria, submit your facility report as a Coast Pilot Update. Pre-check whether the Facility is referenced in the Coast Pilot. Review your nautical chart. If not charted, you may submit a chart update for the facility. Check that the dock size is chartable.

SCF reporting criteria... When the Small Craft Facility is listed but has been discontinued,or does not meet the criteria for a SCF, report it as a Small Craft Facility “Discontinue.” Explain the reason for the report. The Coast Pilot will be sent a copy of this report and, if it is listed in the Coast Pilot, will remove it. You don’t have to submit a separate Coast Pilot Update report.

Uniforms As a representative of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, you should be in the proper uniform while conducting a Small Craft Facility reporting mission. If not operating under orders, notify your FC or VFC prior to the start of this mission.

Requirement As a representative of the USCGAUX, you must always act in a professional manner and be knowledgeable about the procedure for verifying a Small Craft Facility. You are the Coast Guard to the facility owner.

Visit Procedure 1. Focus the visit on the owner/manager. 2. Introduce yourself and provide a clear explanation of the purpose of the visit. Explain that you are participating in an Auxiliary program to update Small Craft Charts with marine facility information in support of NOS/NOAA charts and other publications. 3. Demonstrate how the information is used: Show a Small Craft Chart. Show Coast Pilot references. Indicate that other almanacs and ENCs pick up information from NOAA.

Visit Procedure 4. Be prudent when answering questions. Avoid technical questions outside your expertise. Never perform measurements or any other technical activity regarding the data that you receive. 5. Simply record the data as it is presented. 6. Be discreet when you don’t have an answer to a question. Refer the owner/operator to the nearest Coast Guard unit. Follow up and the get the owner an answer.

Visit Procedure 7. Close out your visit with a summary Review the information that you received and recorded on the USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Workshop. Express appreciation for the level of cooperation that was provided.

How to Get Credit for your Chart Updating and Small Craft Facility reporting activities: Use a ANSC-7030 Activity Report – Mission form. Submit your report to your IS Staff Officer for entry in AUXDATA within 15 days.

Type of Resource Individual Mission41 Remarks Give reason for the mission

Join the UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY Aid to Navigation Team Assist us checking all of the Small Craft Facilities in your District, Division or Flotilla.