Crew Finds Stranded Boaters During Night Search

SYLVAN BEACH -- It was after sunset and getting darker on a moonless mid-August night when 911 got a cell phone call from two boaters stranded on Oneida Lake. They had run out of gas, and weren't sure where they were. Then the cell phone died.

The 911 dispatcher contacted Coast Guard Station Oswego watchstanders, who dispatched a search-and-rescue crew from Flotilla 26 in Sylvan Beach.

Flotilla Members Receive Commendations

D. Troutman accepted team award

Flotilla 26 members were awarded Coast Guard Meritorious Commendations at the 9th District Eastern Region Fall Conference, held Sept. 13-16 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Syracuse. 

The conference also saw Commodore Robert Laurer elected to lead the 9ER District for the next two years, succeeding Commodore Nancy Rudiger.

New National Leaders for CG Auxiliary

Commodore Mallison

SAN ANTONIO -- Coast Guard Auxiliary senior leaders elected Commodore Thomas C. Mallison of Bear Lake, Mich. as the organization’s national commodore for a two-year term beginning November 1, 2012. 

The election was held Aug. 24 at the Coast Guard Auxiliary National Conference (NACON) at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk hotel.

Boaters Use a Checklist Before Getting Underway

By Diane Riggan

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary public affairs

Aug. 14, 2012 -- Keeping track of appointments or events has become more complex in a very over scheduled world. A list of reminders added to the calendar on the refrigerator or in the smartphone can help make sure nothing is forgotten. When it comes to leisure time, a checklist is still valuable especially when heading out onto the water.

Flotillas Support Station Oswego During Harborfest

AuxChefs Helen and Bill Cummings

Coast Guard Auxiliary members provided support for Coast Guard Station Oswego during the annual Oswego Harborfest July 27-29 -- from providing meals to patrolling the waterways.

Division 2 Commander Helen Lou Cummings and Flotilla 26 Commander Bill Cummings together provided nearly 80 hours of AuxChef support for Station Oswego, treating active duty personnel to breakfast, lunch and dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and wrapping up with Sunday breakfast. 

Hypothermia a Summertime Danger?

Hypothermia is not just a winter danger...it's a summertime danger, too.

Crew Joined Search for Ejected Boaters

Dave Troutman

Bob Newton

Coxswain Dave Troutman got a call from the Coast Guard around 10:55 p.m. Thursday, July 5, about a boating accident on Oneida Lake less than a half-hour earlier. By 11:55 Troutman and his Flotilla 26 crew, Bob Newton and Ralph Moore, launched from the Coast Guard Auxiliary Base at Sylvan Beach and joined the search for three men ejected into the water when their boat apparently struck a concrete buoy (Buoy 113) some three miles west of Sylvan Beach.

Civil War re-enactors, Civil Air Patrol cadets help commission base in Sylvan Beach

SYLVAN BEACH -- Three volleys of musket fire by Civil War re-enactors and a flag raising by Civil Air Patrol cadets highlighted the base commissioning of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 26 in Sylvan Beach on Sunday, June 3.

Flotilla Commander Bill Cummings

During the annual commissioning ceremonies that officially opened the Cove Road base for the 2012 boating season, Flotilla Commander Bill Cummings of Utica noted: "For over 50 years Flotilla 26 has answered the call" to serve the boating community of Oneida Lake, offering boating classes, conducting vessel safety checks, patrolling the lake, assisting boaters in distress, and providing search-and-rescue.

Over 50 Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel and special guests attended the ceremonies and a picnic reception.

Awards Galore at District Spring Conference

Conference Session

A number of awards and recognitions highlighted both the luncheon and banquet at the 9th District Eastern Region Spring Conference, held March 24 in Akron, Ohio. 

Six Flotilla 26 members were among those being recognized.

Flotilla Honors Members for 2011 Performance

John Steinbarge

SYLVAN BEACH -- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 26 based in Sylvan Beach held its Change of Watch banquet in January, swearing in staff officers for 2012 and honoring 2011's top performers.

Division 2 Vice Commander John Steinbarge of Baldwinsville administered the oath of office to newly elected Flotilla Commander William Cummings of Utica and Flotilla Vice Commander Karen Beehm of Hubbardsville, along with a number of appointed staff officers.

Steinbarge, Cummings and Beehm then presented several awards.