Local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is back in action

After considering current pandemic conditions, the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla Lake Pend Oreille, has been given the clearance to resume interaction with the public with prior authorization from the U.S. Coast Guard.

We are now able to conduct free vessel safety checks at boat launches or, in some cases, at owner’s homes where a boat may be located. In addition, local on-water patrols have resumed and are expected to continue through August or early September.

Flotilla Lake Pend Oreille is a public service organization supporting the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington. As a unit, we serve Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend Oreille River, and Priest Lake. In addition to supporting the Coast Guard, the flotilla also provides on-water support to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Marine Division, through marine patrols. On occasion, Flotilla Lake Pend Oreille provides safety patrol support for swim events on Lake Coeur d’Alene and various boating events on certain sections of the Columbia River.

In addition to conducting vessel safety checks of personally-owned boats, inspections of passenger-paying vessels such as charter boats, are occasionally conducted by certified personnel on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard.

In the past, our flotilla has supported the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) in cooperation with the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Marine Division, in locating, tagging and providing precise GPS locations of loose trees and logs that have entered Lake Pend Oreille via the Clark Fork Delta. This is done to allow increased boater safety by hopefully being able to remove these hazards from the lake by the USACOE.

If you desire a VSC to ensure that your boat meets all of the U.S. Coast Guard and Idaho boating requirements, please call either Tom Barnes at 208-290-1286 or Mark Hannibal at 509-951-9626. When your boat passes inspection, a decal will be applied to your port side window providing proof to all that you have passed a boating safety inspection for the current year.

Despite all of the challenges that COVID-19 has presented, our membership has increased by 50 percent over the past year! We, in Flotilla Lake Pend Oreille, invite and encourage all men and women, 17 years and older, to consider joining the Auxiliary as a way to help provide a public service to your community and promote boating safety. If you are interested in joining the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, please call Beverly Hannibal at 509-951-9626 for more information.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939.

Information: www.cgaux.org

Tom Barnes is the Operations and Public Affairs Officer for U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 87 in Sandpoint, Idaho. For comments or questions, contact Tom at tombarnes.tb@gmail.com.