Coast Guard Aux.

Here's a little bit of an update of my adventures with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

I am in the Crew Academy which runs through mid June. This academy (once I pass the oral boards and the hands-on) trains us to be able to go out on the boats to do certain missions and patrols for the Coast Guard. We have to know all and do all that is to be done with boating (including plotting a course the old fashion way, operating any boat, first aid, search and rescue, and much more). It's a little nerve racking and a lot of info. to have but it's pretty darn exciting.

I have also been doing work at the Coast Guard Station Bellingham. It's been phone work, but still, it's pretty cool to be there.

And to top things off I have passed my written exam to be a certified Vessel Examiner. Now all I need is four more supervised Vessel Safety Checks to do and I will be official (I will also be the only female in our flotilla that does them). What does a VE do, you ask? We do free vessel safety checks for boaters who want them. We have a checklist of state and federal guidelines that the Coast Guard requires every boat to pass in order to be a Coast Guard approved safe vessel. Basic items include CG approved life jackets, registration, numbers displayed correctly (a boat can fail if the spacing isn't right on the letters/numbers on the side of the boat), ventilation, nav lights, sanitation devices, and much more. I have to check out the "y" valve on the toilet system, and check the engines and batteries.

We also got to try out out dry suits and life vests at the YMCA while doing Man over Board drills and what to do if the boat sinks and we are stuck in the water for a while. We will get to try out our gear in Bellingham Bay at some point, which will be quite exciting!