Welcome to the Flotilla 6-7, District 11SR Web Site

MESSAGE FROM THE FLOTILLA COMMANDER                                             

Welcome to the official web site of Flotilla 6-7 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Division 11 SR, in beautiful Balboa Bay We are situated near the cities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach in Southern California. Balboa Bay is an excellent location for fine boating and recreation, as it provides a unique blend of recreational facilities. 

Flotilla members are encouraged to use this site as a portal to access important information on 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 30,000 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. Flotilla 6-7, with a membership of about sixteen volunteers, is a part of Division 11 Southern Region , and is active on the Pacific Coast in California. The flotilla members provide classroom instruction in Boating Skills and Seamanship, Personal Watercraft Safety, and other programs to introduce young people to Water and Boating Safety. 

As force multipliers to the U.S. Coast Guard, we share the core values of Honor, Courage, and Devotion to Duty.  Those duties are prevention by Public Education in maritime safety and know how, and presenting ourselves and our purpose in Public Affairs.  Response is surface operations for safety, training, protection of the nation's waterways and ports, support in Search and Rescue, and of course assistance to boaters in distress. 

Local flotilla members also 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 will include a 1-day Boating California course, a 1-day course on Personal Watercraft (PWC), and a 3-day Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) class. 

The members of Balboa Bay Flotilla 6-7 are also active in conducting safety patrols on our waterways. 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. 

But that is not all.  We are entrusted to examine commercial and private vessels to meet Federal and State Regulations for compliance in safety and seaworthiness.  This ultimately helps save lives. 

In the Coast Guard Auxiliary, individual achievement and teamwork involve the all-important binding factor of fellowship.  As shipmates working together in our goal of promoting maritime safety, we provide support for the Coast Guard in their tasks, shared mutually, as Guardians of the nation's coastal seas. 

What is it that makes one stand above with respect and sense of purpose?  It is the act of "giving."   All of us in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the members of Flotilla 6-7 are dedicated to the primary purpose of saving lives.  We give time and talent and ask nothing in return. 

If you are interested in who we are and what we do, please come attend one of our monthly Flotilla meetings! Our Flotilla meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Newport Beach Yacht Club, 1099 Bayside Dr., Newport Beach.  Flotilla 6-7 welcomes you and your endeavor in giving in the service of the nation and the Auxiliary. 

Semper Paratus (Always Ready) 

U.S Coast Guard Auxiliary