The City of Manhattan Beach declares the week of May 18-24, 2024 as National Safe Boating Week. On behalf of the City Council and residents, Mayor Joe Franklin, assisted by City Clerk Liza Tamura, presented the proclamations on May 14, 2024, during a ceremony at City Hall. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-05 Commander Steven Csik and Division 12 Commander Grant Graves accepted the proclamations. Manhattan Beach is a residential coastal community and part of the home region of Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 12 which borders Santa Monica Bay. The proclamations were requested by Flotilla 12-05 from neighboring King Harbor.
The proclamations act as reminders to all members of the boating public to use safe boating practices, operate safely, become better educated, care for their passengers, and to always wear an approved and properly fitting Personal Flotation Device (PFD). Memorial Day marks the beginning of the heaviest use of boats and activities on the water in the boating season.
The proclamations mirror the dates of National Safe Boating Week. “The best boating experience is safe boating,” said Yvonne Pentz, communications director of the National Safe Boating Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping create a safe boating experience for all boaters and the lead organization of the Safe Boating Campaign. “Have fun on the water, make memories with your family and friends – all while boating responsibly.” The USCG and Auxiliary are one of the lead organizations working year-round to promote safe boating practices, vessel safety checks, the use of PFDs, and the safety and protection of our waterways.
Mayor Franklin commented, “Being a beach community, recreational water activities like boating are integral to our community and residents. We are honored to collaborate with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary in issuing these proclamations to help raise awareness and promote safety measures for everyone’s enjoyment on the water.”
Flotilla Commander Steven Csik stated, “We are privileged to be acknowledged and proud to have strong community support led by cities like Manhattan Beach. The city is a greatly valued partner in our efforts to keep people safe while enjoying water and boating-related activities. Mayor Franklin and the City Leaders recognized the importance of these requests. The proclamations provide an opportunity to help bring awareness about boating safety and education to Manhattan Beach residents and visitors.”
The State of California will be requiring all boaters – with limited exceptions – to have a California Boater Card by January 1, 2025. The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers Boat America courses which qualifies graduates for the California Boater Card. For information about this course and many other boating public education offerings that are available, please navigate to https://www.cgaux.org/boatinged/class_finder/index.php.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org