From the Northern Fortress:Flotilla 54, Yaquina Bay _ August 2008
Members of Flotilla 54 and Newport Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay are doing an outstanding job together communicating safety to the recreational boating public. Every activity provides more information to the boating public, and helps reduce safety-related accidents and incidents. As a team our efforts have directly resulted in statistically fewer SARs for Station Yaquina Bay, and no recreational boating fatalities in our AOR this past year.
Here are just a few of our numbers by the end of July 2008.
Program Visits: We have six qualified Program Visitors who made 598 visits to our 75 business partners throughout Lincoln County.
Grant Awarded: Construction of the Life Jacket Loaner Board by Flotilla members at the South Beach Marina Boat Ramp began 26 August. It was funded by Oregon State Marine Board through a grant request submitted by the Flotilla Commander.
Vessel Examinations: We made 167 Vessel Safety Checks, and staffed our Safety Station at the South Beach Marina Boat Ramp every weekend during the fishing season. The interior of the booth is now insulated and paneled, and the dehumidifier is installed. We have 10 qualified Vessel Examiners, and three more members working on VE qualification.
Safety Booths: We staffed safety booths and the safety station at the South Beach Marina Boat Ramp on 47 occasions, and gave out 783 orange bag safety packets to boaters, and potential boaters. We had contact with 4,633 boaters (6,822 if you count the 2,189 Tom Murphy contacted at the Idaho Lake Coeur d’Alene triathlon). A number of safety booths at community events such as boat shows, Lincoln County Fair, Sea Fest, etc. were staffed by teams of flotilla and Station Yaquina Bay members.
Oregon Marine Deputy Academy at Camp Rilea: We sent three boats and five members that participated in both parking lot and on-the-water Marine Deputy training at Cullaby Lake.
Two parades: 1. We participated in The Loyalty Days parade in Newport with two boats, a communication van, and five members. We also joined in most of the activities during the three-day event, and assisted with the coaching of the Station Yaquina Bay Survival Suit Race team. They thanked us by winning first and third place, for the first time in many years defeating the crew of the Fishing Vessel, “Excalibur!”
2. We also participated in The Gleneden Beach 4th of July Parade with members from the flotilla and both Stations Depoe and Yaquina Bay. Four Auxiliary boats and the 25-ft. RBS boat from Station Depoe Bay lined up. One carried Station YB’s black Lab mascot, Gunner. We also had several vehicles including the Station Yaquina Bay beach rig driven by the Station CO. Seaman Chris Cote from Station YB wore the Sea Partners “Officer Snook” costume, and was a great hit with all participants and spectators. Auxiliarist Bernie Coler was the Grand Marshal, and the color guard from Station Yaquina Bay led the parade. There were over 100 entries to delight the approximately 5,000 spectators. Our Team Coast Guard theme won the trophy for the “Most Patriotic” entry. The CG helo double-flyover was a crowd pleaser even though it made the horses jumpy. ‘Way to go Team CG!
Public Education: We taught four BOAT OREGON classes and graduated 81 students. We will teach a GPS for Mariners class in September, and our 14-week BS&S class begins in September.
Public Affairs: Two Auxiliarists and one Active Duty member were guests on the Kiera Morgan hour-long talk radio show on radio KBCH 1400 AM heard throughout Lincoln County. They spoke of the local history of Team Coast Guard and present activities and goals.
Operations: We’ve had a number of underway missions including a safety patrol for the Yaquina Bay Yacht Club Spring Sailboat Regatta. We also supported Station Yaquina Bay with their boat crew and coxswain qualifications, and conducted two patrols on the Alsea River/Bay with both Station and Auxiliary crewmembers. We provided safety patrol support for the Toledo Wooden Boat Show Race and are booked for the Columbus Day Regatta on Yaquina Bay.
One of our members recently purchased a Personal Watercraft (PWC) that we inspected as an operational facility. He will soon be conducting patrols on both the Yaquina and Alsea Bays.
We are happy to be blessed with seven new members in 2008: Kent Kroneman,Michael Manley, Gail South, Micah Steinbach, Karmen Vanderbeck, John Vanderbeck, and Judd Vile. Prospective members are always welcome at our meetings.
Thank you again, to all members of Team Coast Guard here at the Northern Fortress, for your effective enthusiasm, effort, and dedication to the principles of Recreational Boating Safety.
BRAVO ZULU
Larry Cox, FC 54