SAN DIEGO —The Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell is scheduled to return home after a two-month deployment to the Eastern Pacific Wednesday morning and are inviting a media pool to ride aboard the cutter from the sea buoy into homeport.

Who: A media pool of three members

What: Ride aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell from the sea buoy into port

Where: U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego, 2710 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

When: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, 7:30 a.m.

Why: Transit the harbor to port with the Coast Guard members of Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell after a two-month deployment.

Note: The media pool will ride aboard the Boutwell’s small boat from Coast Guard Sector San Diego to the cutter, which will be located at the San Diego sea buoy, embark the cutter for the ride into port.

The media pool will be established on a first come first serve basis and will be expected to share their footage with the rest of the media. For interested media please call the Coast Guard public affairs office at 619.278.7025 by 4 p.m., Tuesday.

SAN DIEGO – A U.S. Coast Guard safety zone will be in effect in San Diego Bay during the holiday parades of lights to be held on Sunday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 18.

The San Diego Bay parade of lights safety zone will encompass all navigable waters within 150 yards of the parade route and participating vessels. The parade route begins near the west side of Shelter Island, north of the shipping channel, and continues south along the Embarcadero, then turns west toward the Coronado Bridge near the Convention Center, and ends near the Coronado ferry terminal. The safety zone will be in effect from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. both days.

People and vessels, including personal watercraft and small paddled craft, are prohibited from entering into, transiting through, or anchoring within the safety zone unless authorized by the Coast Guard patrol commander who will be reachable on marine-band radio channel 21A or 23A.

In addition to the safety zone and to facilitate the safe passage of parade participants and spectator boats, vessel traffic will be limited into or out of marinas adjacent to the parade route beginning at 5:00 p.m. both days. Marinas affected are:

• The marinas within America’s Cup Harbor

• 10th Street Pier

• north and south Embarcadero marinas

• east and west Harbor Island yacht basins

"In order to see the parade from the water, spectator boats should leave their respective marina in time to be clear of the marina entry and exit points by 5 p.m.," said Cmdr. Mike LeonGuerrerro of Coast Guard Sector San Diego. "Spectator boats must view the parade from the spectator boat viewing area. Event organizers will provide committee boats marked with a large 'committee' banner and yellow flashing lights to mark the parade route and perimeter," he said.

The spectator boat viewing area will be south (channel side) of the line of committee boats. Spectator boats must remain 150 yards from the parade vessels while the parade is ongoing.

Also, before the parade begins, the participating boats will be staged at the beginning of the parade route, in the vicinity of the west end of Shelter Island. The same 150-yard safety zone will be in effect around participant vessels during this time. Vessels in the parade of lights will be outfitted with holiday lights and decorations and may cause visual confusion with normal navigational lights. Due to the large number of vessels expected to participate in and observe the parade, boaters are urged to exercise safe boating practices in the congested waters.

The Parade of Lights will also include a fireworks demonstration launched from a barge that will be positioned south of Harbor Island. An additional safety zone will be in effect 500 feet surrounding the fireworks tug and barge for the same dates and times as the parade route safety zones.

Coast Guard and San Diego Harbor Police vessels with official markings and blue law enforcement lights will be on patrol to enforce the safety zone, as well as to provide law enforcement and emergency response. Coast Guard Auxiliary vessels with yellow and red flashing lights will assist in maintaining the safety zone. All perimeter and patrol vessels will have informational flyers indicating the area of the safety zone and event status.

While on the water, boaters are encouraged to make contact with the vessels enforcing the safety zone if they need any information, and in the event of an emergency contact the Coast Guard on marine band radio channel 16 or dial 911.

EDITORS: Please note charts below, request wide use of these to educate boaters about the safety zones.

For more information about the Parade of Lights and the route, please see their website at www.sdparadeoflights.org.

For information on Coast Guard San Diego check the releases at www.uscgsandiego.com.

For Local Notice to Mariners please visit http://navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict&region=11.

For questions regarding Coast Guard operations, please call 619.278.7025.

The above image shows the parade route for the 2011 Parade of Lights.

Safety zone for the San Diego Parade of Lights fireworks.

Spectator viewing area flyer for San Diego Parade of Lights.

SAN DIEGO – Members of the Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team, San Diego are scheduled to hold a media availability aboard a small boat during the San Diego America’s Cup World Series to discuss the importance of safe boating, Friday at 11 a.m.

“There is a certain element of risk when you go boating,” said Lt. Marie Sevin. “As more people take to the water to witness the America’s Cup events, they should also consider how to be safe on it.”

Being educated about safe boating could save a life. Most boating fatalities occur when the boat operator has not completed a boating safety education course. Courses cover many aspects of boating safety, from boat handling to reading the weather.

The Coast Guard also urges boaters to obtain a free vessel safety check, which is conducted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary before heading out on the water. Vessel safety checks are courtesy examinations of your vessel, verifying the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by state and federal regulations.

“Just as you practice defensive driving on the road, you need to be aware of your surroundings just as much on the water, if not more,” Sevin said. “Be aware of those around you and react accordingly, especially in bad weather or when there are many boaters on the water during large maritime events like this. It’s critical to be mindful of navigation.”

WHO: Members of the Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team.

WHAT: In an effort to reduce the number of incidents on the water the Coast Guard is offering four members of media the opportunity to get underway during America’s Cup World Series races to inform their audiences about the importance of boating and water safety. This will be a media pool and the media will have to coordinate the sharing of information.

WHERE: Coast Guard Sector San Diego, 2710 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

WHEN: 11 a.m., Friday, November 18.

CONTACT: Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment San Diego at 619.278.7025 by 4 p.m. Thursday.

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

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: http://www.cgaux.org/

Vessel Safety Checks: http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/

Coast Guard Boating Safety page: http://www.uscgboating.org/

National Safe Boating Council: http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/

SAN DIEGO—The U.S. Coast Guard will be enforcing a safety zone in San Diego Bay for portions of November 11 – 20 for the America’s Cup races scheduled to take place.

The safety zone will be established to protect the public and the race participants during the America’s cup races. It incorporates most of the waters from the Marriott marina to the northern end of Harbor Island. Spectators are highly encouraged to view the races from the shore surrounding the bay. However, those planning on viewing the races by boat can still do so as long as they understand the safety zone. The safety zone will be in affect from noon to 5 p.m., on November 11 – 13 and November 16 – 20, and inactive November 14 and 15 when there will not be any races.

When the safety zone is active, boaters will be able to view the festivities from the perimeter of the safety zone, with the best locations on the north and south sides. The safety zone will be enforced by Coast Guard, Harbor Police and Coast Guard Auxiliary boats on the water. These boats will mark the perimeter of the zone and serve as a visual marker for how close boaters may come to the America’s Cup races. Mariners are expected to obey the directions of all boats enforcing the safety zone. Boats will be allowed to transit the safety zone, with the permission of the Coast Guard Patrol Commander, between races. For questions, or to request to transit the zone, contact Coast Guard Patrol Commander via marine channel 13

Boaters are asked to be clear of the safety zone by 11:55 a.m., and are asked to plan accordingly to avoid potential delays.

The Coast Guard would like all mariners to be safe on the water and practice extra vigilance. If you see anything out of the norm or that may seem suspect, please say something.

For more information about America’s Cup, please visit their website http://www.americascup.com.

For information on Coast Guard San Diego check the releases at www.uscgsandiego.com.

For Local Notice to Mariners please visit http://navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict&region=11.

All relevant information regarding the races and the safety zone, can be found on our unit face book page U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego.

For questions regarding Coast Guard operations, please call 619.278.7025.

SAN DIEGO ⎯ U.S. Coast Guard has scheduled law enforcement training in the southern end of San Diego Bay this evening. 

The training involves one or more aircraft transferring personnel from the aircraft to a Coast Guard vessel. Because of the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks we are advising the news media of tonight’s drill so it won’t be mistaken for an actual security operation.

The training is a fairly routine operation and has already been held in the area several times this week. It involves members of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST). These teams provide anti-terrorism force protection for strategic shipping, high interest vessels and critical infrastructure. These units are a quick-response force capable of rapid, nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation in response to Maritime Homeland Security mission requirements.

PACIFIC OCEAN - Members of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu (91107) conduct a vertical insertion exercise aboard USS Freedom (LCS 1), homeported in San Diego, with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO TWO (HSC-22), based in Norfolk, Va, during the 22nd biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, July 6, 2010. RIMPAC is the world's largest multinational maritime exercise, with 14 nations, 32 ships and more than 20,000 personnel taking part this year. This photo won First Place in the 2010 Photo Contest - General Category. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Carl Shipley.

SAN DIEGO –A change of command ceremony is scheduled for Coast Guard Sector San Diego, Thursday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m., at the Coast Guard base in San Diego

During the ceremony, which will be presided over by Capt. Gwyn Johnson the acting District 11 Commander, Capt. Sean M. Mahoney will assume command responsibilities from Capt. Thomas H. Farris as commanding officer Sector San Diego and San Diego Captain of the Port.

Farris will be retiring following the change of command after 30 years of active duty service in the Coast Guard.

Mahoney is reporting to San Diego from Portsmouth, Va., where he was assigned as the Chief of the Fifth District Incident Management branch. There he led search and rescue and crisis management in the mid-Atlantic region.

A retirement ceremony for Farris will take place immediately following the change of command ceremony.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition, which formally restates that the continuity of command will be maintained. It is a formal ritual, conducted before the assembled company of the command. It conveys to the officers, enlisted personnel, civilian employees, and auxiliary members of the Coast Guard that although the authority of command is relinquished by one person and is assumed by another, it is still maintained without interruption.

EDITOR’S NOTE:Previous release said Friday, June 30. The change of command is scheduled to take place Thursday, June 30.

For media interested in attending the change of command ceremony, please contact Petty Officer Allyson Conroy at Allyson.e.conroy@uscg.mil or 619.278.7022 no later than 4 p.m., June 29, 2011.

SAN DIEGO - State and federal marine law enforcement officers will be working together during Operation Dry Water, June 24-26, looking for boaters whose Blood Alcohol Content exceeds the legal limit of .08%.

Operation Dry Water will include increased patrols, breathalyzer tests, and boater education. Boaters found to be impaired can expect penalties to be severe.

During the nationwide operation last year, 322 boating under the influence arrests were made and 4,171 citations handed out.

Studies conducted by the Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety reflect the dangers of the overuse of alcohol over the past nine years. In the reported number of boating fatalities, nearly 80% of victims were not wearing a lifejacket. In those same fatal cases, 59% percent of victims were found to have a Blood Alcohol Content over .04. During non-fatal accidents, 22% were found to have a BAC higher than .04.

Alcohol is even more hazardous on the water than on land. The marine environment – motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray – accelerates a drinker's impairment. These stressors cause fatigue that makes a boat operator's coordination, judgment and reaction time decline even faster when using alcohol.

Operation Dry Water is a multi-agency, education and enforcement initiative launched by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators in partnership with the Coast Guard, putting thousands of local, state and federal marine law enforcement officers on the water nationwide the last weekend in June to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

For more information, visit http://www.operationdrywater.org/.

WHO: Coast Guard Capt. Tom Farris, Chevron representative Mr. Bill Andrews, Navy Capt. Jerome Hamel, State representative Alexia Retallack, and Ms. Patricia Davis with Volunteer San Diego

WHAT: Media availability to talk about the Sector San Diego’s triennial Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Exercise May 10-12, 2011 in Oceanside.

WHERE: NRG Cabrillo Power Plant, 4600 Carlsbad Boulevard, Carlsbad, CA 92008

WHEN: Tuesday, May 10, 1330

WHY:  This is an opportunity for partner agencies to come together and walk through the steps of a major oil spill so that if one ever does happen in the Southern California area we are prepared and we know who we will be working with.

For media interested in attending, please contact Petty Officer 2^nd Class Henry Dunphy at (619) 278-7025, or via e-mail at henry.g.dunphy@uscg.mil by Tuesday at 10 a.m.

“The event not only satisfies federal exercise requirements mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 but more importantly serves as a forum to educate the community and improve our ability to effectively respond to a pollution scenario off our coveted shoreline,” said Coast Guard Lt. Marie Sevin, the exercise’s planner.  “This exercise provides an opportunity for all responders to work together to consult on local issues and improve communications and coordination for potential responses to pollution incidents along the coast.”

Other agencies to be involved in the exercise include: U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Protection Agency, Cal Emergency Management Agency, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Chevron Shipping Company, Volunteer San Diego Disaster Cadre, Marine Spill Response Corporation, National Response Corporation, San Diego Audubon Society, National Park Service, California State Lands Commission, California Coastal Commission, State of California / Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Clean Islands Council, Titan Salvage, Gulf Agency Co., Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS), San Diego Humane Society, City Of Oceanside, City of Carlsbad, City of Encinitas.

SAN DIEGO – Elements of a local Coast Guard maritime homeland security unit are scheduled to return to San Diego Saturday evening, March 5, 2011, after a four-month deployment in support of counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego’s maritime law enforcement/force protection (MLE/FP) team conducted several counter piracy-boardings while deployed aboard U.S. Navy vessels assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) and Combined Task Force 151.

MLE/FP teams are a highly trained, specialized law enforcement teams trained to conduct high-risk boardings and augment rear area or shipboard security personnel.

The MLE/FP members also conducted law enforcement training while onboard the Navy ships. Coast Guardsmen are experts in maritime vessel boardings and routinely conduct training with Navy Visit, Board, Search and Seize (VBSS) teams as well as international coast guards and navies.

MSSTs were created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 in response to the attacks of 9/11, and are a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security's layered strategy directed at protecting seaports and waterways.

These units are a component of the Deployable Operations Group (DOG). The DOG provides properly equipped, trained and organized Deployable Specialized Forces (DSFs) to Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and interagency operational and tactical commanders.

***EDITOR’S NOTE***

For media interested in welcoming the team home, please contact Petty Officer 2nd Class Henry Dunphy at 619.278.7025 or henry.g.dunphy@uscg.mil.

GULF OF ADEN – Coast Guard and U.S. Navy Visit, Board, Search and Seize members (VBSS) members are shown enroute to a counter-piracy boarding, Feb. 5, 2011. The Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team San Diego (91109) detachment deployed for four months in support of Combined Task Force 151’s counter-piracy operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo.	GULF OF ADEN – Coast Guard and U.S. Navy Visit, Board, Search and Seize members (VBSS) members conduct training with U.S. Navy aerial assets, Feb. 4, 2011. The Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team San Diego (91109) detachment deployed for four months in support of Combined Task Force 151’s counter-piracy operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

SAN DIEGO – The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone on San Diego Bay the afternoon of Feb. 12th, during the Centennial of Naval Aviation Parade of Flight.

Everyone is highly encouraged to view the Parade of Flight from the land, however for those planning on getting underway, the safety zone will be in affect from noon to 4:00 p.m., and boaters will be able to view the festivities from the perimeter of the safety zone that will be in affect at western end of Harbor Island, south to the North Island Naval Base; near downtown boaters will be able to view from the eastern end of Harbor Island to the G Street Pier. The southern boundary line will cross the bay from North Embarcadero Park across the channel at buoy #23 to the Coronado ferry landing. The safety zone will be enforced by law enforcement personnel on the water and mariners are encouraged to contact Coast Guard or harbor patrol boats they see if they have any questions.

Boaters are asked to be clear of the safety zone by 11:30 a.m., and are asked to plan accordingly to avoid potential delays.

The safety zone is needed to protect the public from the aircraft that will be performing demonstrations during the event. The Navy will also be operating large air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) within the safety zone.

Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and Harbor Police patrol boats will be in position along the edges of the safety zone, and will make adjustments to the viewing lines as necessary. Boat operators must follow the directions of the patrol boats.

The Coast Guard may permit the passage of commercial and recreational vessels along the edges of the safety zone under the escort of a law enforcement vessel. These escorts may occur periodically based on the schedule of the air show and the weather conditions at the time. Boaters may ask to be escorted through the safety zone by hailing the Coast Guard Patrol Commander on VHF-FM marine radio channel 16. Boaters are reminded they may not move through the safety zone unless escorted by the Coast Guard.

The safety zone is the result of the coordinated joint efforts between the Navy, Federal Aviation Administration and the Coast Guard.

***EDITOR'S NOTE*** The graphic below shows the safety zone, the red shows the perimeter of the safety zone. Please click on the image for a high resolution graphic.