Welcome!

Earl Burns, Flotilla Commander

 
Flotilla members are encouraged to use this site as a portal to access useful information about local and national Auxiliary activities, events and policies.

If you are a visitor, you will find a wealth of information about the multi-faceted roles of both the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Coast Guard, along with useful links to sites dedicated to recreational boating in general. You are also encouraged to consider joining the ranks of the approximately 30,000 Auxiliary members throughout the United States. Volunteering for service in the Auxiliary will surely be a fulfilling experience, as well as an interesting and exciting avocation.

Since its creation by Congress in 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has served as the civilian volunteer component of the Coast Guard. Today, over 28,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are active on the waterways and in the classrooms in over 2,000 cities and towns across the nation, all to promote boating safety.

Membership in the Auxiliary is open to men and women, 17 years of age or older, who are U.S. citizens, and are interested in promoting Recreational Boating Safety. The local Lake Allatoona Flotilla, with a membership of about sixty volunteers, is a part of Division 2 of the Seventh Coast Guard District, and is active on Lake Allatoona in Northwest Georgia. The flotilla members also provide classroom instruction in Boating Skills and Seamanship, Personal Watercraft Safety, and other programs to introduce young people to Water and Boating Safety.

Local flotilla members perform Vessel Safety Checks. These examinations are provided to boat owners wishing to have a free, courtesy check of their boat's safety equipment. While performing the VSC, Auxiliary Vessel Examiners conduct a "one-on-one" educational session with the boat owner, providing the owner with an opportunity to ask questions and obtain the latest information on safety equipment and regulations which affect the recreational boater. Vessel Safety Checks are free examinations of your boat and safety equipment by a qualified Vessel Examiner.

Boating safety classes are conducted several times a year. The schedules will be listed on this web site. Boating safety classes cover such topics as safety equipment, which boat for you, basic boat handling, weather, trailering your boat, knots and lines, marine engines, and many other topics related to enhancing skills and safety in recreational boating. These courses include a 1-day Boat Georgia course, a 1-day course on Personal Watercraft (PWC), and a 3-day Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) class.

The members of the Allatoona flotilla are active in conducting safety patrols on our lakes. Using their own boats, which have been equipped and inspected to Coast Guard standards, they can be found on most weekends and holidays, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, assisting the recreational boater and helping to keep our waterways safe.

I am sure you will find that Flotilla 22 is one of the most active and well trained Flotillas in the District. I look forward to meeting and welcoming you to the Coast Guard family.