As a founding member of the Oyster Bay Coast Guard Auxiliary I have much admiration for the organization. The average person does not understand what it is. Actually, I first learned about the Auxiliary at the Oyster Festival about five years ago. I had been a festival volunteer and was stationed near the Coast Guard information booth. Throughout the day several Coasties were trying to recruit me and they convinced me to come to an Auxiliary meeting. A few weeks later at the meeting I learned about all the free training they offered to members and the social aspect of meeting other boaters.

The Auxiliary helps support the important missions of the United States Coast Guard. This interview with the Oyster Bay flotilla's Vice Commodore, Richard Werner, should clarify what the Auxiliary does. Over the next year the Auxiliary will become more visible in the community and I hope that you will take the time to learn more about it. The following are excerpts of an interview I had with Rich about how he got into boating and the Auxiliary.

As a teenager a good friend took me out on his parent's boat (without their permission) and I've loved it ever since!

My first boat closely resembles a boat donated recently to the Oyster Bay Coast Guard Auxiliary in that it was finely aged and in need of a little TLC. Please look for it in Oyster Bay next spring. It will be painted International Orange and serve exclusively as a training platform for Auxiliarists and as a patrol vessel in our community. It's the first boat the Oyster Bay Auxiliary has owned. We are asking the community to rally support behind the Oyster Bay Auxiliary to facilitate better equipped vessels and assist the local community in its safety and environmental protection efforts.

Boating and being on the water is a passion and anyone who tells you that there's no bond between a boat owner and their boat isn't being truthful. I've enjoyed boat ownership for many years and during that time have owned small vessels such as skiffs and PWC's (personal watercraft) up to 38-foot sport cruisers.

Sure. I also enjoy the protected waters we have on the North Shore in Long Island Sound. But, I'm not sure which I enjoy better-a nice calm day at a raft-up with fellow boaters in the Oyster Bay area or cruising the ocean navigating and tackling the most challenging seas.

Nothing in boating would please me more than bare-boating many more times in the British Virgin Islands with some good friends and family and to be able to scuba dive whenever I wanted.

Technology has brought the cost of boating and boat ownership to a point where just about anyone can own a boat or PWC. Even though more boaters are on the water, the Coast Guard and its Auxiliary counterpart are educating boaters in safety, navigation, and other things. We have helped the recreational boating related fatality rate drop 35 percent since 1991. That is an amazing statistic and we have the finest group of instructors in Oyster Bay who are contributing to this effort. Anyone who wants to take a class should call 624-USCGA.

I truly love being on the water. It's an escape from the monotony of everyday life and gives my family the opportunity to spend quality time together. As a father, it's the absolute perfect activity for my son and his friends to get away from the television, video games, etc. and go tubing, swimming or jet skiing.

I joined the Auxiliary shortly after I took a Coast Guard Auxiliary boating class to get a discount on boating insurance. I was so impressed by the knowledge the instructors imparted to the class that I decided to join. After all, who better to learn boating skills from than Team Coast Guard?

The Auxiliary website at www.cgaux.org states "The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in 1939 to assist the Coast Guard in promoting boating safety. It includes more than 30,000 members...from all walks of life who receive special training so that they may be a functional part of Coast Guard Forces. Auxiliarists assist the Coast Guard in non-law enforcement programs such as public education, vessel safety checks, safety patrols, search and rescue, maritime security and environmental protection and Coast Guard Academy introduction programs for youth. Auxiliarists volunteer more than two million hours annually to benefit other boaters and their families." Our local website can be found at www.cgauxoysterbay.org.

As a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, service to the nation is rewarded with a myriad of gratifying experiences, opportunities and benefits. Among them are training, fellowship, access to Coast Guard and boating publications. Members also get discounts through Government and Armed Forces Travel Cooperative, Armed Forces Vacation Club, Coast Guard Federal Credit Union, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and Coast Guard Work-Life Programs.

Team Coast Guard is responsible for the navigable waters which surround us and report directly to the Department of Homeland Security. The Auxiliary has been tasked with missions involving the safety of our community, performing patrols by water and land, and educating boaters. Additionally, auxiliarists from our area have been dispatched to Louisiana and Texas to assist in the Katrina relief effort. Looking at what happened with Hurricane Katrina it is of significant benefit to our community and the nation as a whole to have qualified, trained, and prepared responders who are part of Team Coast Guard. Tune in to the Discovery Channel on Tuesday at 8 p.m. for "S.O.S. Coast Guard" to learn aspects of who we are, how we train, and how we assist the community and our nation.

The most important mission to me has always been boater education. The Oyster Bay Auxiliary has a proud group of knowledgeable instructors and I especially enjoy teaching kids and adults about boating safety. Of course, hovering at 500 feet in a Jayhawk helicopter while on a Search & Rescue mission is nothing to be discounted and definitely gets my adrenaline going.

I have taken on various roles in the Auxiliary and I now lead the Oyster Bay group alongside Joe Orlich and a great group of staff officers, all of whom are dedicated auxiliarists who serve as unpaid volunteers to the community and our country. I take great pride in wearing the uniform and serving my community and country. As a resident of Syosset I have a vested interest in knowing that our local waterways are safe, secure and filled with well-educated boaters.

If you have any questions about boating in the Oyster Bay area then contact me at 922-0555 or JaimeVanDyke@gmail.com. Please also visit www.sagamoreyc.com or look up SagamoreRacing on Yahoo!Groups on the web.