Editor's note:  For media interested in attending the event, please RSVP with Coast Guard Public Affairs at 305-415-6683.   

WHO:  Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other local partner agencies are scheduled to be in attendance at the annual boating safety news conference.

WHAT:  The “Ready, Set, Wear It” media event will kick-off National Safe Boating Week as Memorial Day weekend approaches.   The campaign is designed to encourage boaters to use life jackets and proper safety equipment aboard their recreational vessels. 

WHEN/WHERE:     

10 a.m., Friday, May 18

USCG Sector Miami Beach

100 McArthur Causeway

Miami, Fla. 33139

 BACKGROUND:

National Safe Boating Week marks the informal beginning of summer and Coast Guard crews throughout Florida will be on patrol, paying particular attention to recreational boating safety.

Life jackets save lives. Seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 84 percent were reported as not wearing a life jacket.  Accidents can leave even a strong swimmer injured, unconscious and exhausted in the water.

The Coast Guard can narrow down a search for a missing or distressed boater when a boater files a float plan with a friend, family member, local marina personnel or the Coast Guard. A float plan states where you are going and how many people are aboard your vessel. It also gives a vessel description, details your destination and what time you expect to arrive there. If you are delayed for some reason, make sure you let someone know.

In addition, a VHF-FM radio is the best method of communication while on the water. Although cell phones are a good backup, they can be unreliable due to gaps in coverage area and the inevitable dead battery. 

Here are some other tips to help boaters have a safe and prepared summer on the water:

• Check the local weather prior to departing the dock. Weather can change very rapidly, and a watchful eye on the forecast conditions is key to safety.
• Have nautical charts of the area you are boating in, a global positioning device and a reliable means of communication on board your vessel.
• Obtain a free, no-fault vessel safety check, which can be conducted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, before heading out on the water. The safety checks are courtesy examinations of your vessel, verifying the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by state and federal regulations.
• Boating under the influence or boating while intoxicated is just as deadly as drinking and driving. It is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in every state. Penalties for violating BUI and BWI laws can include large fines, suspension or revocation of boat operator privileges and jail terms. Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents.

Scan the quick response code below to view the Coast Guard approved float plan on your mobile device.

 For further boating safety information, check online at one of the following:

• Vessel Safety Checks: http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/
• Coast Guard Boating Safety page: http://www.uscgboating.org/
• National Safe Boating Council: http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard will transfer a decommissioned 378-foot High Endurance Cutter to the Philippines at 1 p.m. May 22 at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Pier Papa in North Charleston, S.C.

 Former Coast Guard Cutter Dallas will be transferred in a ceremony presided over by Rear Adm. John Korn, assistant commandant for Acquisition.

 "Since 1967, Coast Guard Cutter Dallas has served the American people well, from Vietnam and the Pacific to its final Coast Guard patrol in the Mediterranean, where the crew interdicted 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 940 pounds of marijuana," said Korn. "As Dallas returns to the Southeast Asian waters that it plied at the beginning of its Coast Guard career, I know it will serve the Philippines as faithfully and capably as it served America.”

 Dallas was decommissioned March 30 after 45-years of service.

 Media are invited to the transfer ceremony.

 Who:      U.S. Coast Guard and Philippine navy officials

 What:     Transfer Ceremony

 When:     May 22 at 1 p.m.

 Where:  Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Pier Papa in North Charleston, S.C.

Media interested in attending are required to RSVP by calling Coast Guard Ensign Jami-Lyn Butto (843) 740-7063 by 4 p.m. May 21.

MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island repatriated 24 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Thursday.

“U.S. Coast Guard policy is to deter and respond to dangerous, and illegal maritime migration by intercepting vessels pursuing perilous and illegal voyages," said, Capt. Brendan McPherson, 7th Coast Guard District chief of enforcement."We continue to maintain a robust presence of cutters and aircraft throughout the Caribbean to prevent illegal migration and migrant smuggling activities.”

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants are provided with food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.

The Pea Island is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Key West, Fla.

For more information on how to legally immigrate to the United States, call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283 or visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.

MIAMI — Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, Fla., is scheduled to host an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in support of National Safe Boating Week 2012, which runs from Saturday till Friday.

Admission and parking for the event are free, and food and refreshments will be available.

Station Fort Pierce is located at 900 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, Fla., 34949.

Activities scheduled for the event include:

• A Coast Guard rescue swimmer demonstration using an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a Station Fort Pierce 45-foot Response Boat-Medium. 
• Two Smithsonian Museum water tanks: A touch tank with sea urchins, sea cucumbers, etc.; and a second tank with regulated species, such as snook and grouper.
• Three flare demonstrations from Chapman's school of seamanship throughout the day.
• A dunk tank featuring Coast Guardsmen wearing an inflatable life jacket.
• Multiple law enforcement agencies along with the Coast Guard Auxiliary teaching safe boating practices.
• Florida Blood Center's "Big Red Bus" will be on site collecting blood donations.
• The "Ready, Set, Wear It" life jacket event, a worldwide event where all participants activate an inflatable life jacket or wear a non-inflatable life jacket simultaneously. Station Fort Pierce has registered for the event, and will attempt to break last year's record.

Click HERE for the event flyer.

National Safe Boating Week, first observed in 1952, is a nationwide boating safety campaign during the week leading up to Memorial Day Weekend.  It is designed to promote awareness of safe boating techniques and rules knowledge by urging boaters to take approved boating education courses, to wear life jackets, and to undergo vessel inspections.  Throughout Florida and the nation, the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and partner agencies deliver the National Safe Boating Week message through a variety of safe boating promotional events.

Photos from the 2011 Station Fort Pierce Open House.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Coast Guard assisted disabled vessel 170-miles offshore Charleston, Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Charleston operational watchstanders received a call from a commercial assistance company Tuesday morning reporting that the 36-foot sailing vessel with one person on board was disabled in 8-foot seas, offshore and requesting assistance.

The sailing vessel Aletheia was transiting from Marathon, Fla. to Bermuda.

Communications were established via satellite phone, and rescue crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin were dispatched to assist at approximately 9:26 p.m., Tuesday.

Yellowfin crewmembers located the Aletheia at approximately 6:18 a.m., Wednesday and successfully completed the tow back to Charleston at 10:12 a.m., Thursday.

No medical concerns were reported.

With National Safe Boating Week commencing nationwide this Saturday a local kickoff is to take place in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Boaters are reminded the importance of safety equipment aboard vessels such as life jackets, proper communication equipment, and the benefits of owning an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.

*Editor's note: Media is welcome to attend this event. Please contact Jennifer Heisler at 843-606-0232*

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Coast Guard Station Charleston, Coast Guard Auxiliary and partner agencies are hosting a free safe boating week event to be held on Saturday from approximately 10 a.m., till 2 p.m., at the Mt. Pleasant Waterfront Park.

This event is held for the community to learn about having fun while being safe on the water.

Members from Coast Guard Station Charleston, Coast Guard Auxiliary, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston County Rescue Squad, police and fire departments from Isle of Palms, Mt. Pleasant, Charleston and North Charleston will be present.

Representatives will be available to answer questions about boating safety and regulations.

This event is part of National Safe Boating Week, an annual Coast Guard supported weeklong public awareness campaign with the goal of encouraging safe boating practices by mariners throughout the country.

The week highlights the importance of safety equipment aboard vessels such as life jackets, proper communication equipment, and the benefits of owning an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The hope is to encourage people to carry appropriate safety equipment which could save their life.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard rescued two missing divers Friday afternoon approximately 10 miles east of Sebastian Inlet, Fla.

The divers became separated from thier boat and were drifting for more than five hours before being located by a Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater, Fla.

The Coast Guard received notification at 12:30 p.m. Friday from the dive vessel Bangstick that two divers who went down at 9:40 a.m. were overdue in their resurfacing by about an hour. The Coast Guard immediately launched multiple assets to search by sea and air.

The divers were spearfishing when they became separated from their vessel, and drifted approximately four miles south of the dive boat's location.

A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew spotted the two missing divers, deployed their rescue swimmer, and vectored in a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, Fla., to retrieve the divers from the water.

Once medically cleared, the divers were transported back to the dive vessel Bangstick.

Also assisting in the case were:

• A Coast Guard Air Station Miami airplane crew
• A Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral, Fla., boatcrew
• Two boatcrews from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
• A boatcrew from Indian River County
• A Brevard County helicopter crew 

"The Coast Guard cannot stress enough the importance of safety at sea," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Stefan Overton, search and rescue controller, Coast Guard Sector Miami. "The precautions taken by these divers to equip themselves with an inflatable device, as well as a signaling device, significantly increased their chances for survival and for being spotted by rescue crews. We worked closely with our state and local partner agencies during this search and rescue case, andwe are extremely pleased to have found these individuals alive and well."

Click here for more information on boating safety.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard repatriated 55 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, and 37 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti, Thursday.

The 55 Cuban migrants were interdicted at sea during five separate cases since Saturday; the 37 Haitian migrants were interdicted at sea Monday.

The crew of the 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island, homeported in Key West, Fla., repatriated the 55 Cuban migrants. The crew of the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter Dependable, homeported in Cape May, N.J., repatriated the 37 Haitian migrants.

"The Coast Guard strongly advises against taking to sea in an attempt to illegally enter the United States," said Capt. Brendan McPherson, 7th Coast Guard District chief of enforcement. "Taking to sea in an unseaworthy vessel with little or no safety gear needlessly places human lives at risk. The Coast Guard will continue to rescue migrants from their peril at sea and will always do so in a professional manner that preserves the dignity of all people."

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, migrants are provided with food, water, shelter, and basic medical care.

For information about how to legally immigrate to the United States, call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283 or visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.

The 160-foot motor vessel Fortuna at sea. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous interdicted more than 245 pounds of cocaine and 145 pounds of marijuana during their recent patrol of the Caribbean Sea.

While underway April 1, the crew of the Vigorous took part in an at-sea interdiction of a 160-foot motor vessel Fortuna with eight suspected drug smugglers carrying more than 145 pounds of marijuana and 245 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated value of $7 million.

The detainees and contraband were transferred to federal law enforcement officials in Miami.

The Vigorous crew primarily conducts counter-drug and undocumented migrant interdiction patrols.

The cutter Vigorous is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Cape May, N.J.

MIAMI — Approximately 600 pounds of marijuana and hash, along with the 15-foot boat used as transport, pictured at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Fla., May 6, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photos.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard interdicted approximately 600 pounds of marijuana and hash, with an estimated street value of $544,200, off the coast of Miami Sunday.

A Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter crew spotted a 15-foot center console boat with two people aboard heading westbound.

Boatcrews from Station Miami Beach, Fla., and Station Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were launched to interdict the vessel. Once on scene, the Coast Guard boatcrew safely stopped the 15-foot vessel without incident. The boatcrew transferred the two persons, 76 bricks of marijuana, and 26 bricks of hash to awaiting law enforcement authorities at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach.  

"This interdiction was a direct result of the highly trained and professional officers from Air Station Miami, Station Miami Beach, and Station Fort Lauderdale," said Lt. Paul Turner, commanding officer, Station Fort Lauderdale. "In conjunction, all units identified a possible illegal act of smuggling and responded, resulting in approximately 600 pounds of illegal contraband seized and two suspected smugglers detained. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Branch, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Homeland Security Investigations personnel will play a key role in case prosecution."