Auxiliary Station Seward (or AUXSTA) consists of members from all around the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Eagle River. All play a vital role in the operation of the station. We work very closely with USCGC MUSTANG's command and crew. Every weekend and all major holidays from memorial day weekend through Labor day weekend you will find AUXSTA members conducting safety patrols, standing radio watch, giving Vessel Safety Checks, training new members, augmenting the crew on MUSTANG, teaching classes, and most importantly, being around good friends doing what we all love to do, which is helping out the average recreational boater have a safe and rewarding trip, and to help those in need.

In 2002 we were assigned SAFEBOAT 255610 (affectionately known as 610 by AUXSTA members) by the Coast guard. 610 was the second SAFEBOAT assigned to an Auxiliary station in the country. It gave the opportunity for members who do not own a boat of their own to get out on the water and participate in the on the water operations program. Since 2002 several members without a vessel of their own have risen to the status of Coxswain. This is one of the highest qualifications you can achieve with the Auxiliary. 610 has been involved with several Search and Rescue cases in the Resurrection bay area. Since late 2002, 610 has been involved with over 30 cases, with a grand total of 250 people assisted, 2 million dollars in property saved, and 11 lives saved! This from a tight knit bunch of un-paid volunteers.

During the weekends we rotate radio watch standers on a four hour schedule from 0800 until 2000. They have the responsibility of monitoring the VHF frequencies in our Area of Operations (AOR). They also keep in contact with all auxiliary vessels out on safety patrol getting an update of activities at designated intervals. In the event of a Search and Rescue (SAR) case they might be the person you talk to and ask for assistance.

A typical weekend day for members going out on patrol is mustering at the boat in the morning. We completely check all the systems and equipment on board the boat. We discuss all of the elements of that days activities, the weather, the boat, the crew, who is keeping our radio watch and the frequency it is on, crew assignments, the area of our patrol, and any other issue that ANY crew member thinks may be important (if anybody thinks something should be discussed then everybody discusses it). Safety is always the PRIORITY!!!! After the brief, we throw off the lines and conduct a harbor patrol, keeping an eye out for not only hazards to navigation, but anything that looks suspicious and if we notice something we report it immediately to the proper authorities. After the harbor patrol we head out to sea and everybody gets a turn at each station while underway. Trainee's will get there fair share of time behind the wheel. For most this is their first time ever driving a boat and it is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. We navigate by both electronics and paper. All crew members and Coxswains are very proficient in navigation. We listen to the radio and get a feel for where the majority of the pleasure boats are at and sweep through these areas at least once a day. We enter every cove and have a look at every beach during our patrol. We drill on different scenarios each time we go on patrol. For lunch we either come back into port or we find a cove with some good scenery and drop anchor. At the end of our patrol we fuel up the boat and do one last harbor patrol. Once the boat is secure we de-brief the days activities and head home for the night.

We have members that augment the crew on USCGC MUSTANG. They assist the active duty members in many ways including keeping watch, line handling, small boat crew, training (both by us and for us), crew on the cutter, and in many other areas. With our activities it frees up some time for the active duty side to spend some time with family or friend, get some other duties taken care of on the boat, or maybe even just a nap before going on duty. I imagine morale would be really low if the Auxiliary was not as active as we are.

There are times throughout the year that AUXSTA is open more then just the weekend. In August Seward has the Annual Seward Silver Salmon Derby. This has proven to be one of our busiest times during the season. Small boat traffic doubles and triples in the hopes of catching a fish worth some money. We have small boat patrols throughout the derby and at times have had 2 shifts of crews go out on 610 doubling our patrol time. The Auxiliary donates a prize for this event for the largest fish caught on a boat with a current Vessel Safety Check.

On the 4th of July Seward has a fantastic fireworks display put on by the city. We have patrols out on the water for this event for prevention, plus we get a front row seat for the show. In a rather small area hundreds of boats go out and watch the display from here. Since we received 610 and had it out for the show, we have had not one incident.

95% of people do not know the difference between the active duty side and the Auxiliary. This can work to our advantage in the sense that someone will see us patrolling and the next thing you know we see them in a life jacket when just a few seconds ago they did not have one on. When we see kids in PFD's, weather conditions permitting, we give away certificates for free ice cream cones.

SEWARD, Alaska -- Secure Around Flotation Equipped (SAFE) Boat 256610 will be officially dedicated to use by United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Seward on May 17. The 10 a.m. ceremony at the Seward Boat Harbor south boat ramp includes music by the Air Force Band of the Pacific brass quintet and will be followed by orientation rides on the vessel and tours of the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Mustang.

The 25-foot vessel, formerly assigned to Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, was delivered in August 2002 to AUXSTA Seward. The SAFE boat, like its sister vessel SAFE Boat 256611 assigned to the Auxiliary in Whittier, will primarily serve in a 40-mile radius from Seward, supporting the Coast Guard in search and rescue. Both boats are owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated by trained and qualified Coast Guard Auxiliary members.

The addition of “Auxiliary Vessel 610," as it is known to the Auxiliary, will greatly enhance the capabilities of AUXSTA Seward. This fast boat is equipped with state of the art electronics and is well designed for small boat towing. Initially it will be operating a weekend safety patrol schedule during the boating season.

AUXSTA Seward was officially established in 1999, the same year that the Seward Flotilla was chartered. The AUXSTA serves as a multi-flotilla center for Coast Guard Auxiliary operations on the southeast side of the Kenai Peninsula, from Cloudy Cape to the east, Cape Pudget to the west, and south to Seal Rocks.

Auxiliary coxswains and crew are trained to the same small boat standards as active duty Coast Guard members. In the past, AUXSTA Seward has relied on privately owned boats to undertake safety patrols and SAR missions. Like all members of the USCG Auxiliary, the boat owners and operators are civilian volunteers who work regular jobs during the week. These volunteer lifesavers and their boats come to Seward from five flotillas - Seward, Anchorage, Whittier, Mat-Su and Kenai. The volunteers dedicated in excess of 4,000 hours during the summers of 1999-2001 to meet the demanding challenges of safety patrols and SAR operations in Resurrection Bay and the surrounding waters. During this same timeframe, the Auxiliarists performed 46 SAR cases involving 161 boaters and property valued at more than $2.9 million.

As the Seward Flotilla grows and is capable of providing a greater portion of the trained personnel, it is expected to assume a larger responsibility for the AUXSTA and SAFE Boat operations. This will facilitate the addition of weekday emergency response and the extension of operations into the spring and fall seasons.

The proposal to man SAFE boats with Alaska Auxiliarists was based on observations of the success of Canadian Coast Guard (Pacific) search and rescue vessels used in British Columbia. Among the guests expected at the ceremony is Malcolm Dunderdale, vice president, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary - Pacific. Other attendees are Capt. Michael Neussl, chief, search and rescue branch, District 17, U. S. Coast Guard; Lt. Cmdr. Chris Honse, director of Auxiliary for District 17, Lt. Brian Anderson, commanding officer of the Mustang; Commodore Gary Taylor, leader of the state’s 400 Auxiliarists; and Stu Clark, mayor of Seward.