Summer on Patrol

Alert 11, Summer 2026

Our Boat Crew logged a busy season, keeping a safety presence across Bellingham Bay and the San Juans and supporting two marquee community events. Crews also used time on the water to drill man-overboard recovery with a training dummy.

Ski to Sea

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the flotilla again supported the Ski to Sea race, standing by as a safety and rescue presence on the water near the Bellingham Bay finish.

FIFA World Cup Fan Zone

With the FIFA World Cup drawing crowds to Vancouver and Seattle, Bellingham — sitting between the two — was designated an official fan zone. Sector tasked Flotilla 11 with covering the fan zones along the city's waterways. Our Boat Crew provided a boat and crew for several events to promote safe boating and keep a presence on the water. Happily, no one needed assistance — but the crew was ready.

• Patrols & Operations
• Training & Qualifications

Also in this issue

• Member Training

  Training completed by members since the Spring edition, including Kat (Mary) Scanlon becoming Basically Qualified and a Vessel Examiner.

• Navigation Systems

  Flotilla Aid Verifiers completed a dozen PATON assignments in north Whatcom County and reported several discrepant aids to navigation.

• Rescue at Sucia Island

  All eleven people aboard a Kenmore Air floatplane survived its July 23 crash in Shallow Bay at Sucia Island, with Station Bellingham and Air Station Port Angeles among the responders.

• Changes of Command

  Flotilla 11 members attended the changes of command at Coast Guard Station Bellingham on May 21 and aboard USCGC Sea Lion on July 9.

• Into the Water: The PPE Swim

  Five Flotilla 11 Boat Crew members completed the annual in-water PPE swim this spring to test their gear and practice self-rescue.

• Fair Winds: Steve Bell and Hoyt Hatfield

  The flotilla said farewell to Steve Bell (24 years) and Hoyt Hatfield (25 years) with a BBQ on July 16 celebrating their service.

• Personal Minimums: An Idea Worth Borrowing from Aviation

  A proposal that boat crews borrow aviation's practice of personal minimums, writing an objective abort checklist in advance to back up GAR and the coxswain's judgment.

• The Coast Guard Steps Forward in the Western Pacific

  The Coast Guard has moved its six-cutter expeditionary squadron from Bahrain to Singapore and Subic Bay, taking on a larger presence and partner-building role in the Western Pacific.

• The Coast Guard in the News

  Adm. Kevin E. Lunday sworn in as 28th Commandant, the Force Design 2028 modernization push, and an Air Station Cold Bay rescue of nine crab boat crew in the Bering Sea.

• Parting Shot

  The national ensign flying from a Flotilla 11 patrol boat on Bellingham Bay.