Local volunteers work with Coast Guard to patrol waters, promote boat safety
Hilton Head’s Coast Guard volunteer auxiliary is often unseen, but its members are out there, helping protect our waters. The local chapter of the world’s largest volunteer marine safety organization has been keeping a vigilant eye on Hilton Head Island’s waters since 1968.
The local volunteers perform safety patrols around the island; inspect bridges and their “dolphins,” the wooden pilings that protect the bridge concrete pilings from collisions; and conduct routine pollution investigations and watch for environmental problems.
They also help out with practice rescue operations. One of those took place on Calibogue Sound a few months ago. During that operation, a helicopter hovered over Calibogue Sound and then found its target: a small pleasure craft.
The helicopter, one of the Coast Guard’s H-65 Dolphins, descended to just above the waves and fired up its spotlight. A basket was swiftly lowered, carrying a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The rescue swimmer slipped free from the basket and fought the waters in a swim to the awaiting pleasure craft, which was manned by a crew of the Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.
“The HELO ops, those are my favorite part of the whole thing,” said flotilla commander, Warren Wilson. In addition to rescue missions, volunteers also assist with national security issues.
The 10-11 flotilla, so-called because it is the 11th flotilla in the CGA’s Division 10, regularly checks on cargo ships on the Savannah River to assist the Marine Safety Unit in registering foreign ships and their cargo. Aside from keeping landlubbers safe, the auxiliary also promotes boating safety through regular boating safety classes.
Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers
To learn more about flotilla 11, sign up for boating education classes or volunteer to help keep our waters safe, visit http://a0701011.uscgaux.info
