USCG Auxiliary Lorain Flotilla

10/22/2026

Volunteer for the 2026 National Recreational Boating Safety Survey!

The National Recreational Boating Safety Survey (NRBSS) is a nationwide survey sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard. The survey helps the Coast Guard understand boating participation rates, vessel types in use, and water safety trends. We invite boaters to take a short initial survey about their boating habits and to share their contact information with the Coast Guard so a wide range of boaters can be invited to participate in the larger NRBSS later in the year.

To volunteer, please visit:

Thank you for completing the survey.

10/17/2026

Bill Ferry visited the Annapolis Sailboat Show and met these Auxiliarists from Flotilla 23-01 Annapolis!

10/15/2026

The Lorain Flotilla, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, stands with heads bowed for the loss of a fellow mariner.

In Memoriam
The Ohio Naval Militia lost one of its finest. Lieutenant Commander Sean Griewahn passed away today. He was the benchmark by which our sailors are measured.
May his memory be a blessing to his family, friends, coworkers and shipmates.
It was an honor to serve with you, Sir. Fair winds and following seas.

10/13/2026

PADDLERS! The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is looking for a FEW GOOD PADDLERS.

The Auxiliary Paddlecraft Program (aka AuxPad) consists of AuxPad Ashore (presentations, classes, and booths at festivals, etc); and AuxPad Afloat (Auxiliarists in Kayaks, on patrol).

Our purpose is not law enforcement, nor is it warfare - the Auxiliary does everything the Coast Guard does EXCEPT those two things. Our purpose is boater education. Education is the number one way to move the needle on boater safety. And notice I say "boater". Many people in kayaks, canoes, and SUPs do not think of themselves as boaters.

The paddlecraft community is the most at-risk group of boaters. While boating casualties are down among power and sail boats, boating deaths and injuries are up among our growing paddling family. And we need to slow that down.

If you are interested in Preparedness, Public Service, Patriotism, and Paddling, consider joining the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and participating in our AuxPad program. You'll be joining 20,000 other Auxiliarists nationwide, working with the US Coast Guard, and serving your country as a volunteer.

This post is by Bill Ferry, a Flotilla Commander and Qualified AuxPad Operator, who lives in Bay Village, and works out of USCG Station Lorain. (440) 570-2112 [email protected]

10/13/2026

Today, we salute the United States Navy on its 251st birthday!

https://www.facebook.com/USNavy

The United States is a maritime nation, and the U.S. Navy protects America at sea. We defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free. Learn more at https://www.navy.mil/About/Mission/

10/05/2026

AuxPad, the Auxiliary Paddlecraft program, consists of Ashore and Afloat components. Ashore is mainly a mission of education and public affairs, to raise awareness of safe kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up-paddleboarding. These activities ARE "boating" activities, and need to be taught as such.

The Afloat component is putting butts in kayaks, on the water, both for the education and public awareness, but also service to the public via event patrols, maritime observation missions, and every once in a while, a life-saving moment.

If you're a kayaker, consider joining us and rocking your Four Ps: Preparedness, Public Service, Patriotism, and Paddling.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GRFAPYv3F/

The Coast Guard Auxiliary's Paddlecraft (AUXPAD) program has become one of the most important modern additions to recreational boating safety - especially kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddle-boarding. Paddlecraft make up a large share of boating activity and have surged in popularity across the United States. The AUXPAD program extends the Coast Guard's reach into areas where small craft incidents occur most frequently: rivers, creeks, bays, and near -shore waters with trained Auxiliarist that educate paddlers before they launch. Auxiliarists are the eyes and ears where Coast Guard boats may not easily operate, helping to reduce the number of search and rescue cases that the U.S. Coast Guard responds to. Pictured are Auxiliarists conducting training during a Heartland District Coastal Region training event held on Fowle River in Mobile AL. This was one of many different trainings that took place.

📷: William Skidmore AUXPA3

10/02/2026

Auxiliarists from New York, Michigan, and four different Flotillas in Ohio are engaged in AuxPad training, by Instructors from the American Canoe Association, which will qualify the Auxiliarists to become AuxPad Operators, able to patrol under US Coast Guard orders, to help keep paddlers of all types safer on the water.

09/20/2026

Russ Cromwell, Immediate Past Division Commander, has been elected a District Captain for the coming year for the Great Lakes District, Eastern Region. Russ has held leadership positions at the Flotilla and Division levels, and has served in many Flotilla Staff Officer and Division Staff Officer positions. He is a Vessel Examiner, a Program Visitor, an Auxiliary Instructor, and is an Ohio Boater Education Course certified instructor. He is often the welcome-wagon for new Auxiliarists, and is almost always the glue that holds our various missions together. BRAVO ZULU to Russ Cromwell!!!

09/20/2026

Our very own Division Commander, Ken Jacobs, has been named the Chief of Staff for District 092, which is Great Lakes East. Here, the Chief of Staff Aiguillette is placed on Ken's shoulder by District Commodore-elect Carm Laurer.

09/20/2026

Michelle Stoddard, from the Syracuse NY area, is the leader of our District’s AuxPad program. At District Training, Michelle rightly received an award for her hard work, some of which was accomplished last summer on the Black River where we held an AuxPad Academy, to qualify paddlers to go on patrol under Coast Guard orders. BRAVO ZULU to Michelle!