HOUSTON - Personnel from Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 10 will conduct voluntary commercial passenger vessel safety examinations throughout the Lake Texoma region on an individual request basis.

Examinations will be conducted upon specific requests received from owners of commercial passenger vessels operated on Lake Texoma. The Coast Guard encourages vessel owners to specify a marina or other publicly accessible location where Coast Guard personnel can conduct examinations.

These examinations are designed to assist commercial passenger vessel owners in meeting established safety and licensing requirements. The voluntary examination is a “no blame, no penalty and no fault” examination that will assist vessel owners in better understanding federal regulations governing the operation of passenger vessels for hire. Successful completion of the examination will earn the vessel owner a Coast Guard issued decal, documenting the boat’s compliance with all applicable regulations.

The Coast Guard is working with state and congressional delegations from Texas and Oklahoma to improve safety on Lake Texoma.  The Coast Guard’s primary goal is to ensure that sightseeing cruises, fishing charters, and party boats operate safely within the standards established by the Code of Federal Regulations.

All mariners who carry passengers for hire on navigable waters of the United States are required to hold an appropriate merchant mariner credential (license).  This requirement has existed in one form or another since the passage of The Motorboat Act of 1910.  The Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels credential was created when the licensing regulations were amended in 1989.  The OUPV credential is commonly used by commercial vessels carrying six or fewer passengers and has lower qualification requirements, including age, than the previously required Master license. 

Commercial vessel owners are encouraged to contact Chief Warrant Officer Steve Kilgore to schedule a voluntary uninspected passenger vessel examination. Kilgore can be reached at (713)671-5192/5143 or at HoustonDOM@uscg.mil.

HOUSTON - Personnel from Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 10 will conduct voluntary commercial passenger vessel safety examinations throughout the Lake Texoma region on an individual request basis.

Examinations will be conducted upon specific requests received from owners of commercial passenger vessels operated on Lake Texoma. The Coast Guard encourages vessel owners to specify a marina or other publicly accessible location where Coast Guard personnel can conduct examinations.

These examinations are designed to assist commercial passenger vessel owners in meeting established safety and licensing requirements. The voluntary examination is a “no blame, no penalty and no fault” examination that will assist vessel owners in better understanding federal regulations governing the operation of passenger vessels for hire. Successful completion of the examination will earn the vessel owner a Coast Guard issued decal, documenting the boat’s compliance with all applicable regulations.

The Coast Guard is working with state and congressional delegations from Texas and Oklahoma to improve safety on Lake Texoma.  The Coast Guard’s primary goal is to ensure that sightseeing cruises, fishing charters, and party boats operate safely within the standards established by the Code of Federal Regulations.

All mariners who carry passengers for hire on navigable waters of the United States are required to hold an appropriate merchant mariner credential (license).  This requirement has existed in one form or another since the passage of The Motorboat Act of 1910.  The Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels credential was created when the licensing regulations were amended in 1989.  The OUPV credential is commonly used by commercial vessels carrying six or fewer passengers and has lower qualification requirements, including age, than the previously required Master license. 

Commercial vessel owners are encouraged to contact Chief Warrant Officer Steve Kilgore to schedule a voluntary uninspected passenger vessel examination. Kilgore can be reached at (713)671-5192/5143 or at HoustonDOM@uscg.mil.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews responded and assisted two men aboard the 50-foot sailing vessel Oshun that was taking on water and in danger of sinking Monday, approximately 11 nautical miles northeast of Cabo Engaño, Dominican Republic.

The Oshun crew consisted of a 60 and a 56 year-old from the Netherlands Antilles, traveling aboard the Spanish-flagged sailing vessel from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a Mayday call on channel 16 VHF marine radio from one of the Oshun crewmembers, who reported the distress.

“The crew of the Oshun properly notified their distress through the use of channel 16 on their VHF marine radio,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rodrigo Rojas, Sector San Juan chief of law enforcement.  “As a result, the crews of the Kodiak Island, Air Station Borinquen and the Dominican Navy coordinated an outstanding response that ensured the safety of the vessel and that of the passengers onboard.”

The crew of an Air station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter responded to the scene and located the distressed sailing vessel Monday evening.  The helicopter crew deployed their rescue swimmer and a P-1 pump onboard the Oshun to dewater the vessel, that was taking on water at approximately 200 gallons an hour.  The crewmembers aboard the Oshun and the Coast Guard rescue swimmer were able to operate the dewatering pump and stabilize the sailing vessel.

The crew of the Kodiak Island also arrived on scene with the Oshun Monday night and began escorting the sailing vessel to La Romana, Dominican Republic.   The Kodiak Island deployed a Coast Guard Rescue and Assistance Team aboard the Oshun Tuesday morning, that assessed the vessel’s stability and determined it could continue sailing under escort to La Romana.

A Dominican Republic Navy patrol boat arrived on scene Tuesday morning, relieved the Kodiak Island and safely completed the escort of the Oshun and the crewmembers onboard to La Romana Monday afternoon.

VHF Channel-16 is the international distress marine band frequency for maritime search and rescue. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Kodiak Island is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Key West, Fla.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews responded and assisted two men aboard the 50-foot sailing vessel Oshun that was taking on water and in danger of sinking Monday, approximately 11 nautical miles northeast of Cabo Engaño, Dominican Republic.

The Oshun crew consisted of a 60 and a 56 year-old from the Netherlands Antilles, traveling aboard the Spanish-flagged sailing vessel from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a Mayday call on channel 16 VHF marine radio from one of the Oshun crewmembers, who reported the distress.

“The crew of the Oshun properly notified their distress through the use of channel 16 on their VHF marine radio,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rodrigo Rojas, Sector San Juan chief of law enforcement.  “As a result, the crews of the Kodiak Island, Air Station Borinquen and the Dominican Navy coordinated an outstanding response that ensured the safety of the vessel and that of the passengers onboard.”

The crew of an Air station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter responded to the scene and located the distressed sailing vessel Monday evening.  The helicopter crew deployed their rescue swimmer and a P-1 pump onboard the Oshun to dewater the vessel, that was taking on water at approximately 200 gallons an hour.  The crewmembers aboard the Oshun and the Coast Guard rescue swimmer were able to operate the dewatering pump and stabilize the sailing vessel.

The crew of the Kodiak Island also arrived on scene with the Oshun Monday night and began escorting the sailing vessel to La Romana, Dominican Republic.   The Kodiak Island deployed a Coast Guard Rescue and Assistance Team aboard the Oshun Tuesday morning, that assessed the vessel’s stability and determined it could continue sailing under escort to La Romana.

A Dominican Republic Navy patrol boat arrived on scene Tuesday morning, relieved the Kodiak Island and safely completed the escort of the Oshun and the crewmembers onboard to La Romana Monday afternoon.

VHF Channel-16 is the international distress marine band frequency for maritime search and rescue. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Kodiak Island is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Key West, Fla.

MANTOLOKING, N.J. — The Coast Guard rescued a 59-year-old male after he fell off a 45-foot charter boat he was fishing from one-half miles east of Mantoloking Tuesday.

Rescued was Jim Sager, 59, from Point Pleasant, N.J.

The Coast Guard received a call from a crewmember aboard the Islander reporting Sager went into the water after he was hit by a loose bait box.

A 25-foot Response Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet, N.J., arrived on scene and rescued Sager from the water who was suffering from hypothermia.

Sager was transported to the station and transferred to awaiting emergency medical personnel and taken to Ocean Medical Center in Brick, N.J., in stable condition.

MANTOLOKING, N.J. — The Coast Guard rescued a 59-year-old male after he fell off a 45-foot charter boat he was fishing from one-half miles east of Mantoloking Tuesday.

Rescued was Jim Sager, 59, from Point Pleasant, N.J.

The Coast Guard received a call from a crewmember aboard the Islander reporting Sager went into the water after he was hit by a loose bait box.

A 25-foot Response Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet, N.J., arrived on scene and rescued Sager from the water who was suffering from hypothermia.

Sager was transported to the station and transferred to awaiting emergency medical personnel and taken to Ocean Medical Center in Brick, N.J., in stable condition.

Editors note: Click on image for high resolution photo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew located and rescued two missing hunters on the west side of Douglas Island at 12:30 p.m. Monday, and were safely flown to Juneau and awaiting emergency medical personnel.

Saffron Hayes, 25, and Lee Ferguson, 55, both Juneau residents were reported to the Alaska State Troopers as overdue from their hunting trip near Hilda Creek Sunday. Hayes and Ferguson were cold and wet when rescued but no injuries were reported.

Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center received a request for assistance at 9:16 a.m. and immediately launched a Coast Guard Station Juneau 25-foot response boat to conduct a shoreline search of the island. The Sitka-based rescue helicopter was diverted from an on-going flight at 10:55 a.m. to assist as well.

“The rescue was overall a success despite the inclement weather buffering the aircraft with 30 mph winds, snow and 1/4 mile visibility,” said Cmdr. Dan Youngberg, rescue pilot and operations boss for Air Station Sitka.  ”Our everyday training contributed to the overall success of the rescue, helping us locate and safely hoist the individuals prior to them possibly succumbing to hypothermia as they were extremely wet and cold.”

Juneau Mountain Search and Rescue, Douglas Mountain Search and Rescue, Southeast Alaska Search Dogs, Eagle Crest Ski Patrol and the Juneau Snowmobile Club in coordination with Alaska State Troopers conducted searches Sunday but due to weather and reduced visibility, active searches were suspended until Monday morning.

Hunters and all outdoorsmen should keep in mind the following basic principles while enjoying the outdoors:

     • Tell a trusted individual where you will be going and never go alone.

     • Carry a VHF-FM marine radio and/or an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Cell phones are limited in their range especially in the Alaska wilderness or out at sea.

     • Dress properly and be prepared for the worst possible conditions. Protect yourself from getting wet and the possibility of hypothermia.

     • Check weather forecasts before leaving home.

Editors note: Media interested in attending the award ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Miami, 14750 N.W. 44th Ct., Opa Locka, Fla., 33054, are requested to contact Air Station Miami external affairs at 305-953-2145 or 786-412-1512 to RSVP no later than 6 p.m. today.

WHO:*Rear Adm. Bill Baumgartner, Seventh District Commander
           *Rear Adm. John Korn, Coast Guard Director of Acquisition Programs and Program Executive officer          
           *Capt. Ekundayo Faux, Deputy Director, Civil Rights Directorate
           *Dr. Sandra T. Thompson, Interim President, Florida Memorial University
           *Dr. Denise Callwood-Brathwaite, Interim Provost, Florida Memorial University
           *Captain A. J. Tolbert, Florida Memorial University’s Director and Assistant Professor of Aviation
           *Barrington Irving, Experience Aviation

WHAT: A Partnership in Education Award ceremony will be held at Coast Guard Air Station Miami where crewmembers will be awarded the Coast Guard 2010 Partnership in Education (PIE) Award for thier collaborative education and mentorship program with Florida Memorial University.

The Partnership in Education Program is aimed at helping local schools and community groups, particularly in under served communities, promote academic excellence and raise awareness for the Coast Guard’s missions and people.

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010; 9 a.m.

WHERE: Coast Guard Air Station Miami, 14750 N.W. 44th Ct., Opa Locka, Fla., 33054