Sept. 4, 2001 – For the first time in more than a decade, a seaplane will take off from Charlotte Amalie Harbor on Wednesday morning headed for the harbor in Old San Juan, as Seaborne Aviation inaugurates its new Virgin Islands – Puerto Rico service.
The last seaplane flight to San Juan was in 1989 with a Seaplane Shuttle Mallard aircraft, which landed at Isla Verde at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.
The Seaborne 17-passenger de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft will take a scenic route around the old city, landing in San Juan Harbor between Piers 6 and 7 on Calle de Marina, within sight of the Capitol Building.
With Customs and Immigration right there, passengers will avoid the long delays at the International Airport and the taxi ride to town, said Omer ErSelcuk, Seaborne chief marketing officer. "The service will take everything that is good about our frequent downtown-to-downtown service between St. Thomas and St. Croix, and make it better," he said.
"It's going to be more convenient for our business travelers," ErSelcuk said, "and we have another market as well — cruise ship connecting passengers. All they have to do is roll their suitcases down the pier, and they're there." He said flights at the end of September are already booked with cruise ship passengers.
There will be a special $69 each way introductory fare from Sept. 5 to 19, ErSelcuk said, with an additional $10 each way for connecting St. Croix passengers who must come through St. Thomas. Standard fares after the special will be from $80 to $99 each way, with special rates for residents. The 45-minute St. Thomas-San Juan flights will operate Monday to Friday, departing St.Thomas at 8:15 a.m. and noon, and departing San Juan at 9:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays there will be one flight, departing St. Thomas at 3:34 p.m. and departing San Juan at 5 p.m.
Seaborne will initiate a new, innovative Frequent Flyer program Oct. 1, ErSelcuk said, which the company will detail then.
The airline plans direct St. Croix-San Juan daily two-flight service in mid-October after a fifth aircraft is added to its fleet, ErSelcuk said.
And that's not all the news. Seaborne will inaugurate Frederiksted-St.Thomas service in November, a route never flown before, which ErSelcuk said will accommodate business passengers from that end of the island and avoid the long taxi ride to Christiansted. In December service to Tortola from both St. Thomas and St. Croix will be added. The planes will land at West End at the old seaplane ramp.
The Seaborne aircraft have become a familiar sight in the Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted harbors since 1992. The company recently moved its Christiansted operation from the King's Alley boardwalk to the newly revamped Seaplane Shuttle ramp on Watergut, where an elaborate new maintenance hanger is almost completed.
Seaborne is the largest scheduled seaplane operator in the U.S., and carries more than 125,000 passengers a year. It is a V.I. company, employing about 100 employees in the V.I. and Puerto Rico.
To make reservations, call 773-6442. Additional information is available at www.seaborneairlines.com.
Seaborne's de Havillands are float planes that land on the water and taxi up to the ramp. Antilles Airboats, which christened seaplane service in the V.I. in 1964, used 10-passenger Gruman Gooses and later Gruman Mallards, which landed on the water and then waddled up the ramp. At one point, in addition to the St. Thomas-St. Croix route, the company had service to St. Martin, San Juan, Ponce and Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Tortola and St. John. In 1981 the company went out of business.
Later that year, V.I. Seaplane Shuttle started service between St. Thomas and St. Croix, eventually serving Tortola, St. John and San Juan. It went out of service in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo destroyed most of the aircraft.
Since then, a seaplane service using the Mallard aircraft briefly operated out of Cyril E. King and the San Juan International Airport. However it was short-lived as it was unable to reach an agreement with the V.I. Port Authority for leasing the St. Thomas and St. Croix ramps.

Anyone who is interested in learning about the Baha'i Faith is welcome to attend an introductory meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Baha'i National Center in Contant.
For more information and directions call Cathy Von Gonten at 774-3712.

The public is invited to an informal Discussion of the principles of the Baha'i Faith to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Baha'i Center in Contant.
For additional information call Cathy Von Gonten at 774-3712.

Sept. 3, 2001 – The St. Croix public is invited to hear a presentation on the Port Authority’s draft of a new Economic Development Action Agenda for the island at a meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Legislature Building conference room in Frederiksted.
VIPA's executive director, Gordon Finch, said the meeting will take place "in an informal setting."
The "agenda" is the result of a five-month study by TRIAD Associates, an economic consulting firm retained by the Port Authority. The document includes an analysis of St. Croix’s economy, identification of market opportunities, evaluation of existing business marketing, and recommended actions. Port Authority and TRIAD representatives will be at the meeting.
Copies of the draft agenda are available in the VIPA administrative office at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.

Sept. 3, 2001 – Charcoal clouds, blustery winds and rain pelting down so hard that it was difficult to tell where the sky stopped and sea began spelled the conditions for the first day of racing in the 2nd annual Island Marine Outfitters KATS (Kids and the Sea) Cup International Multi-Class Regatta held Saturday and Sunday out of Coral Bay.
If those conditions fazed Ian Barrows, it didn't show. The St. Thomas 6-year-old valiantly crewed with Sunfish Doubles partner Addison Caproni, 13, sometimes even taking the tiller between races.
"He's never sailed before, but he's watched his older brother and really wanted to do it," Ian's dad, Shep Barrows, said. Ultimately, Ian and Addison won their class — and with their fellow St. Thomas sailors took home the top team trophy.
But more important, Ian signified the spirit of the regatta — first-time sailors testing their skills, more experienced juniors tackling progressively more difficult boats, and adult sailors demonstrating their love of competition in the sport.
The six-class event attracted 58 sailors from St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Sint. Maarten and Trinidad and Tobago. They competed in Laser singles and doubles, Sunfish singles and doubles, and Optimist advanced and Green fleet. The short, sprint-style courses were triangular or straight-line windward/leeward.
"Through this event, we wanted to generate interest for the Caribbean Dinghy Championships, which we'll host next year, and to acquaint sailors with team racing," regatta organizer Robin Clair Pitts said.
Competition was keen in the Laser singles class, with winner Beech Higby from St. Croix being one of only two sailors to finish the first race when a squall blew through the course. Higby went on to rack up six more wins to take the class — with final second- and third-place finishers Tom Kozyn of St. Thomas and Robbie Ferron of Sint Maarten, respectively, riding his tail in more than one race.
Thomas Barrows from St. Thomas, who has long excelled at Optimist sailing, proved with teammate Nathan Rosenberg that he's equally adept at handing a Laser. "He sailed Laser Radials up in the states this summer, as well as Optimist," Thomas's dad, Shep, explained. The pair won this class just four points ahead of the St. Croix duo of Scott Stanton and Andrew Loe.
Two veteran St. John Opti sailors, Callie Burks and Valerie Trahan, graduated to Lasers for this event and handily placed third. "It's a more difficult boat than an Optimist, but doubles are fun," Burks said afterward.
The colorful sails on the Sunfish cut dashing figures across the course as St. Croix's Peter Stanton sailed to a nearly flawless first-place finish. Peter has sailed Sunfish since 1999 and competed in two Sunfish Worlds. "Lasers are physically demanding, and weight is all important," he said. "But with Sunfish, there's less emphasis on weight and more on tactics." Peter, his brother Scott, fellow St. Croix sailor Tim Pitts and St. John's Angelo Raimondi will compete in the Sunfish Worlds in Antigua Oct. 5-15. In this weekend's sailing, St. John's Ian Beam and Dane Tarr placed second and third, respectively, in this class.
Caproni and Barrows captured the Sunfish doubles, but close in pursuit were two St. John duos, Zach Trahan and Lonnie Tarr, and Chutney Mohler and Nicole Barbier. In the end, Zach and Lonnie won the tie-breaker for second place by having garnered more first-place finishes than Chutney and Nicole.
Three fleets raced in the advanced Optimist class. St. Thomas's Cy Thompson won in the Red Fleet (for ages 13-15); St. Thomas's Taylor Canfield took the Blue Fleet (ages 11-12), and Puerto Rico's David Alphonso finished first in the White Fleet (10 and under). Alphonso was one of four competitors who traveled from Puerto Rico for the event. "We're working to promote more small boat sailing," David Kerr, president of Puerto Rico's Federacion de Vela, said.
Experience at the Optimist National Championships in Barrington, Rhode Island, paid off for Optimist sailors earning medals in the Green Fleet. "I gained a lot of experience and confidence," Tyler Rice of St. Thomas, who won the class, said. St. John sailors Sarah Burks and Hugo Roller, who also sailed at the Nationals, ended second and third, respectively.
The theme of sportsmanship played out many times throughout the two-day regatta: Class competitors rigging their boats side by side on the beach, "good job" called out to fellow sailors, and assistance given to "turtled" boats between races. "Sportsmanship is almost even more important in this regatta than how you place out on the course," Pitts said at the start of the event. "It's what sailing is all about."
One sportsmanship trophy was awarded to Elsa Meyers of the B.V.I., who got a conk on the head from her Optimist boom during wild weather the first day but didn't give up sailing. Another went to St. Croix's Curtis Diaz, who volunteered to tow a boat in to shore where it could be repaired. And a third went to Puerto Rico's David Kerr Jr., who volunteered to sail in Sunfish singles — in a boat that was new to him — since he was too big for an Optimist and too young to sail Laser singles.
At the awards presentation, Ian Barrows happily accepted the shiny golden team trophy for the St. Thomas delegation. Tom Petrone, director of retail operations for the regatta sponsor, presented the Island Marine Outfitters KATS Cup trophy. "I'm impressed with the dedication shown by these sailors," Petrone said. "We're proud to be involved and hope to contribute again in the future."

GALLERIES
If you are looking for art, or even food and art, here is the list that will help you chose where to look first. The listings here are compiled from a brochure currently in production to introduce and chronicle the art scene on St. Croix.
Christiansted Gallery
#1 Company Street, Upstairs C'sted 773-4443 mrobbins@viaccess.net
Contemporary Caribbean realism, all media. Majorie P. Robbin's studio. Revolving exhibits of artists including Lisa Etre, Nancy Pistilli, Dan Gibbons, Gabrielle di Lorenzo, and others.
Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Danica Art Gallery
54 King Street C'sted 719-6000 danicaart@yahoo.com danicaartvi.com
Owned by St. Croix-born artist Danica David; here you'll find original paintings, sculptures, art tiles, prints and cards by David and several other local artists.
Mon-Fri 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sat 10 a.m.– 4 p.m.
Maria Henle Studio
55 Company Street 773-7376 mhenle@viaccess.net mariahenlestudio.com
Paintings and etchings by Maria Henle grace this historic loft Studio/ Gallery. Representing the estate of photographer Fritz Henle; featuring exhibitions of noted local and off-island artists in season.
Mon-Fri 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Mark Austin's Fine Art Gallery
The Caravelle Arcade C'sted 692-2301 www.visitstcroix.com/austin
Mark has moved his Gallery into the beautiful Caravelle Arcade in Christiansted. Here you will find a large variety of hand painted buckets, furniture, sculpture, original paintings, prints and much more. Come meet the artist at work in his new location.
Mon-Sat 9 a.m.– 4 p.m.
Taller Larjas
20 A Queen Street C'sted 779-3039 gevarch@viaccess.net.
Taller Larjas features emerging and avant garde artists! Work which captures emotive, explorative and expressionistic themes. Gallery owner/artist Gerville Larsen, a mixed media abstract figurist painter, is regularly featured.
Mon-Fri 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. and by appointment
ALTERNATIVE EXHIBIT VENUES
Christine's Cafe Des Artistes
#6 Company Street C'sted 713-1500
French Bistro / Gallery, exhibiting the works of fine local artists including Marcia Jameson, Kathleen Pierie, and Maude Pierre Charles.
Mon-Fri 10 a.m. -3:30 p.m.
Indies
55 – 56 Company Street C'sted 692-9440 visitstcroix.com gotostcroix.com
Caribbean island inspired food with emphasis on local seafood & produce. Featuring various local artists including Jeri Hillis & Dino di Natale.
Dinner nightly from 6 pm, Lunch Mon – Fri 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in season
(inquire re: summer hours)
Sushi at the bar every Wed & Fri evening 5 – 8 p.m.
Walsh Metal Works Studio/Gallery
14 AB Peters Rest 773-8169 stxwalsh@yahoo.com
Contemporary sculpture, paintings & drawing; decorative metalworks and furniture.
Independent gallery available for rent.
Mon-Fri 7 a.m.– 4 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-12 noon & by appointment.

The Fourth Great Awakening & the Future of Egalitarianism
by Robert William Fogel
University of Chicago Press, 394 pp, $29
Rating: 4 stars *
Robert William Fogel became famous for demonstrating that, contrary to Marxist theory, slavery was indeed still profitable when it was (almost) eliminated in the 19th century. The book that brought him to such prominence was "Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery," published in 1974.
Fogel and Douglass C. North won the 1993 Nobel Prize for Economics for their invention of "cliometrics," which purports to demonstrate statistically the rightness or wrongness of pat or pet theories of history. Fogel's original thesis, that American slavery was still profitable in 1861 as the South seceded from the Union, has survived innumerable unscientific attacks intact.
His new book — positing his theory that a resurgence of religious fervor in America is focused on bridging the inequality of spiritual, rather than material, resources — is less convincing, if not less interesting. In "The Fourth Great Awakening & the Future of Egalitarianism," Fogel claims that:
– The "Evangelistic Revival" of the 1730s, led by the Rev. George Whitefield, prepared America for 1776 and all that.
– The more elite "Reawakening" of the early 19th century prepared the way for the abolition of slavery.
– The "Billy Sunday Awakening" of the early 20th century led to workers' rights legislation.
In the first instance, unfortunately, Fogel completely omits the Levelers, the Yankee Town Meeting, and Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Franklin (Episcopalian, Unitarian, Deist and Pragmatist, respectively). All of them were influential, to say the least, but none of them were the least bit evangelical.
In the second instance, Fogel ignores abolitionist activism in the North from before the American Revolution. Even if Washington didn't free his own slaves, he was freeing others'. And this evangelistic movement certainly didn't free any slaves in the South!
In the third instance, workers' rights and protection were part and parcel of Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism and of the Social Democracy of his son-in-law John Stuart Mill, author of "On Liberty," well before Marx and Engels gave these principles marching orders; they were hardly the result of grin-and-bear-it Evangelism.
The author's theory now is that, in an era where it has been the tendency of technological advances to outpace the development of ethical norms, the "fourth reawakening" will bring about egalitarian reforms based on shared values of liberals and conservatives.
Fogel is a major social scientist with a winning track record, and this reviewer hesitates to dismiss a major theory that the author has thought about for a lifetime. I leave Fogel's "Fourth Great Awakening" — which pervades Caribbean religious life today — to the reader. His argument may convince, even if the reader is put to sleep by the three previous "awakenings."
* Richard Dey rates the books he reviews for the Source on a scale of 1 to 5 stars:
5 stars – Beyond serious criticism
4 stars – A fine read
3 stars – Good, fascinating, with caveats
2 stars – Interesting or shows promise
1 star – Cautionary tale

Sept. 3, 2001 – Sunday's first-ever St. Thomas nighttime carnival parade was a relatively short and sweet affair — but, judging by the crowds, an unqualified success. Part of the Labor Day weekend lineup of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of V.I. Carnival, it attracted 21 entries, some specially lighted for the night, and their enthusiastic followers.
"This is just for fun," parade committee member Benny Gagliani said. The entrants paid no fees and there was no judging or awards, he added.
Applauding spectators lined the parade route from Rothschild Francis "Market" Square along Main Street to the Fort Christian parking lot. A motorized police contingent cleared the parade route in front of 2001 Carnival Queen Cherrisse Woods. Besides the normal street lamps, extra lighting was in place in front of the Alvaro de Lugo Sr. (Emancipation Garden) Post Office. Watchful police on foot patrol mingled with the crowds.
Mocko Jumbie Jamboree founder Gerry Cockrell said she was "pleased with everything" about the event, especially the "cool night air." Recuperating from a twisted ankle, she paraded in costume on foot instead of on stilts with the rest of her troupe.
Lesmore Howard, who chaired the parade committee and was responsible for starting the parade on time, thanked the all who took part. "We really owe it to them for coming out to participate in the spirit of carnival," he said.
Plans for the weekend had included a fun day and jam Monday on the beach at Brewers Bay. However, the V.I. Carnival Committee canceled the event on Saturday after untreated sewage from the nearby treatment plant polluted the water and the beach. The weekend's events kicked off the "Golden Jubilee" year for V.I. Carnival. The committee will be presenting additional activities that will culminate in the 2002 Carnival celebration next April.

Aug. 30, 2001 – The resident Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment's new supervisor has literally worked his way up to his present assignment at the world's No. 1 cruise ship destination — St. Thomas and St. John.
Lt. John V. Reinert began his three-year assignment on July 15, succeeding Lt. Kevin Smith. He says the unit's focus will continue to be "marine safety, including the inspection of commercial vessels and the investigation of marine casualties and environmental pollution."
Reinert points out that the local detachment is not directly tasked with the Coast Guard's "operational duties including drug interdiction, search and rescue and the boarding of vessels" at sea. "San Juan directs all those operations," he explains.
With one exception, the Coast Guard vessels occasionally seen operating in territorial waters or docked at King's Wharf are not St. Thomas-based, he says. The exception is the 32-foot Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel owned by local Auxiliary Operations Officer Klaus Willems. The auxiliary consists of individuals who volunteer their time to educate the public on safe boating practices and to perform free safety inspections of privately owned vessels. They also conduct local harbor patrols and assist with Coast Guard search and rescue operations when needed.
Five Coast Guard members are assigned to the St. Thomas and St. John detachment. Working with Reinert are Chief Warrant Officers Darel McCormick and Kevin Austin and Petty Officers 1st Class Scott Howell and Torin Zielenski. The detachment is housed in the small, single-story building located on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront between King's Wharf and the Legislature Building.
"My responsibility is St. Thomas and St. John and the territorial waters that surround them," Reinert says. "It's a challenging assignment with the limited number of people assigned here and the limited amount of resources. San Juan sends over additional inspectors as necessary to help us keep up with the operational tempo."
At the heart of his jurisdiction is the Charlotte Amalie harbor. "It's a very busy port," he says. "The biggest risks are the high-capacity vessels, the cruise ships and the ferries that can carry large numbers of passengers. We really have to watch those."
A native of Beatrice, Neb., Reinert enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1982. After graduating from boot camp, he was assigned to the Coast Guard cutter Point Herron at Fire Island, New York, N.Y., where he performed a variety of search-and-rescue and law-enforcement duties. He subsequently held staff positions at Commander/Atlantic Area, Commander Support Center/New York, and Commander/Maintenance and Logistics Command/Atlantic Area, all located on Governors Island in New York, N.Y.
He left the Coast Guard for about three years in 1986 and nearly finished college before returning to active duty. He then worked for two years at the Marine Safety Office in Morgan City, La., qualifying as a marine pollution investigator, marine facility inspector and federal on-scene coordinator representative. Meantime, he finished his bachelor of science degree in business finance at the State University of New York.
In 1994, after attending officer candidate school in Yorktown, Va., he received his commission as a Coast Guard officer. He spent the next four years as the assistant chief of port operations at the San Diego marine safety office. His projects there included coordinating waterside safety for the 1994 World Cup sailing races and security for the 1996 Republican National Convention. His response operations included a 97,000-gallon jet fuel spill into the San Diego River from a ruptured pipeline.
In 1998, he became the assistant chief of port operations at the Galveston, Tex., marine safety office. His duties included port safety and security and environmental response for the three major ports which make up the largest petrochemical complex in the world, 100 miles of intracoastal waterway and more than 160 oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reinert visited St. Thomas for the first time in May, to attend a four-day Caribbean Regional Response conference. "It's a very vertical island," was one of his first impressions. "Every other place I've ever been stationed has been relatively flat."
As the St. Thomas detachment supervisor, Reinert reports to the captain of the Port of San Juan, Cmdr. Joseph Servidio. "I worked with him before in San Diego," Reinert notes. "He's a great man to work for. I requested to leave Galveston a year early to take this position. I wouldn't have taken the job if it wasn't for him."
At his last two duty stations, Reinert volunteered to make educational presentations in the schools. The Sea Partners Program involves going into schools and appearing before civic groups to talk about "the effects of pollution on the ocean and sea life," he says. "It's one of those things that I truly love to do. We will do a program for anyone who will listen to us."
He has an open mind about his future with the Coast Guard but plans to go "for at least 20" years of active duty. "After that I don't know," he muses. "I'm having a great time. I enjoy my work. I enjoy the job I do. I enjoy the Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard appreciates him, too. He has received two Commandant Letters of Commendation and has been awarded two Coast Guard Achievement Medals and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
Reinert notes that while the Coast Guard is the smallest of the nation's armed services, with about 32,000 members, it often is the most visible. He says he wants to form a working partnership between his unit and the St. Thomas/St. John community. "Keeping the public informed on what we are doing here helps us out as much as it helps out the public," he says.

Aug. 30, 2001 – The resident Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment's new supervisor has literally worked his way up to his present assignment at the world's No. 1 cruise ship destination — St. Thomas and St. John.
Lt. John V. Reinert began his three-year assignment on July 15, succeeding Lt. Kevin Smith. He says the unit's focus will continue to be "marine safety, including the inspection of commercial vessels and the investigation of marine casualties and environmental pollution."
Reinert points out that the local detachment is not directly tasked with the Coast Guard's "operational duties including drug interdiction, search and rescue and the boarding of vessels" at sea. "San Juan directs all those operations," he explains.
With one exception, the Coast Guard vessels occasionally seen operating in territorial waters or docked at King's Wharf are not St. Thomas-based, he says. The exception is the 32-foot Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel owned by local Auxiliary Operations Officer Klaus Willems. The auxiliary consists of individuals who volunteer their time to educate the public on safe boating practices and to perform free safety inspections of privately owned vessels. They also conduct local harbor patrols and assist with Coast Guard search and rescue operations when needed.
Five Coast Guard members are assigned to the St. Thomas-St. John detachment. Working with Reinert are Chief Warrant Officers Darel McCormick and Kevin Austin and Petty Officers 1st Class Scott Howell and Torin Zielenski. The detachment is housed in the small, single-story building located on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront between King's Wharf and the Legislature Building.
"My responsibility is St. Thomas and St. John and the territorial waters that surround them," Reinert says. "It's a challenging assignment with the limited number of people assigned here and the limited amount of resources. San Juan sends over additional inspectors as necessary to help us keep up with the operational tempo."
At the heart of his jurisdiction is the Charlotte Amalie harbor. "It's a very busy port," he says. "The biggest risks are the high-capacity vessels, the cruise ships and the ferries that can carry large numbers of passengers. We really have to watch those."
A native of Beatrice, Neb., Reinert enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1982. After graduating from boot camp, he was assigned to the Coast Guard cutter Point Herron at Fire Island, New York, N.Y., where he performed a variety of search-and-rescue and law-enforcement duties. He subsequently held staff positions at Commander/Atlantic Area, Commander Support Center/New York, and Commander/Maintenance and Logistics Command/Atlantic Area, all located on Governors Island in New York, N.Y.
He left the Coast Guard for about three year in 1986 and nearly finished college before returning to active duty. He then worked for two years at the Marine Safety Office in Morgan City, La., qualifying as a marine pollution investigator, marine facility inspector and federal on-scene coordinator representative. Meantime, he finished his bachelor of science degree in business finance at the State University of New York.
In 1994, after attending officer candidate school in Yorktown, Va., he received his commission as a Coast Guard officer. He spent the next four years as the assistant chief of port operations at the San Diego marine safety office. His projects there included coordinating waterside safety for the 1994 World Cup sailing races and security for the 1996 Republican National Convention. His response operations included a 97,000-gallon jet fuel spill into the San Diego River from a ruptured pipeline.
In 1998, he became the assistant chief of port operations at the Galveston, Tex., marine safety office. His duties included port safety and security and environmental response for the three major ports which make up the largest petrochemical complex in the world, 100 miles of intracoastal waterway and more than 160 oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reinert visited St. Thomas for the first time in May, to attend a four-day Caribbean Regional Response conference. "It's a very vertical island," was one of his first impressions. "Every other place I've ever been stationed has been relatively flat."
As the St. Thomas detachment supervisor, Reinert reports to the captain of the Port of San Juan, Cmdr. Joseph Servidio. "I worked with him before in San Diego," Reinert notes. "He's a great man to work for. I requested to leave Galveston a year early to take this position. I wouldn't have taken the job if it wasn't for him."
At his last two duty stations, Reinert volunteered to make educational presentations in the schools. The Sea Partners Program involves going into schools and appearing before civic groups to talk about "the effects of pollution on the ocean and sea life," he says. "It's one of those things that I truly love to do. We will do a program for anyone who will listen to us."
He has an open mind about his future with the Coast Guard but plans to go "for at least 20" years of active duty. "After that I don't know," he muses. "I'm having a great time. I enjoy my work. I enjoy the job I do. I enjoy the Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard appreciates him, too. He has received two Commandant Letters of Commendation and has been awarded two Coast Guard Achievement Medals and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
Reinert notes that while the Coast Guard is the smallest of the nation's armed services, with about 32,000 members, it often is the most visible. He says he wants to form a working partnership between his unit and the St. Thomas/St. John community. "Keeping the public informed on what we are doing here helps us out as much as it helps out the public," he says.