Panel on women’s issues meeting in Kona Panel on women’s issues meeting in Kona ADVERTISING The Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women invites the public to its meeting at 10 a.m. Friday in the mayor’s office conference room
Panel on women’s issues meeting in Kona
The Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women invites the public to its meeting at 10 a.m. Friday in the mayor’s office conference room at the West Hawaii Civic Center.
Free vessel safety checks set for Saturday
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers will provide free vessel safety checks to recreational boaters to kick off National Safe Boating Week on Saturday in Kona.
The checks will ensure a recreational boater’s vessel is in compliance with all federal and state laws, said Roger Johnson, a civilian member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 14 Chief of Staff. The free checks do not apply to commercial boaters.
National Safe Boating Week, a partnership between the National Weather Service and National Safe Boating Council, runs Saturday to May 25.
The checks in Kona will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor’s wash down area. There, trained civilian volunteers will run through a checklist to determine whether a recreational boat is in compliance with federal and state laws.
The exam takes about 20 minutes depending on the size of the boat, he said. If boaters can’t make the event, Johnson said the program runs year-round with volunteers able to perform the free check just about anywhere.
The exam includes a check of life jackets on board, registration and numbering, navigation lights, ventilation, fire extinguishers, distress signals and the boat’s battery, Johnson said.
The vessel exams in Hawaii are not required by law, Johnson said. However, a boat that passes the safety check receives a U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check decal that indicates to law enforcement the boat was in compliance with federal and state laws.
A boat that fails will not be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard, Johnson said. Instead, volunteers will provide the boater with information on how to become compliant with federal and state laws.
For more information, call Johnson at 938-1209 or email him at roger.johnson@me.com. Information on the vessel safety exams and boat requirements can also be found at the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s website at cgaux.org/vsc/.
Camp Tarawa Marines meet Saturday
The Camp Tarawa Detachment 1255 of the Marine Corps League meets Saturday at Banjy’s Paradise Bar and Grill at the Waikoloa Village Golf Course. The no-host lunch at 11:30 a.m. is followed by a business meeting at 1 p.m. All serving, retired or reserve Marines and Navy Corpsmen and their spouses are invited to attend. Dress is resort casual.
For more information, call Jim Browne at 883-0069.
