In February the Coast Guard boat stations along the Eastern Shore was publicized and a 60-day comment period was opened in the Federal Register to hear from concerned citizens. Over the last week, we have seen an increase in comments regarding this plan to consolidate resources in Oxford to Annapolis and St. Inigoes. Given our enduring ties to the Eastern Shore, I wanted to address some of the comments we have heard from the community thus far.
The Coast Guard is committed to protecting the Eastern Shore and serving its residents and visitors. We are committed to taking a methodical, fact-based approach before making any decisions that also considers the needs and opinions of the community. We have completed several studies, engaged the local community, and will continue to do so.
I would like to immediately dispel any belief that this resource decision means the Coast Guard is leaving the Eastern Shore. We will be there. Our Coast Guardsmen at Station Annapolis will be present in the waters surrounding Oxford, up the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers. We will continue educating mariners on the water about boating safety. We will be standing by during the major marine events that draw in participants from around the country. We are listening for those in distress, and we stand ready to launch alongside our many nearby port partners.
As a waterside community you all know that even the closest resource is not as reliable as maintaining personal safety equipment like lifejackets, distress signals, fire extinguishers, and marine radios when recreating on the water. Please make sure you, your family and friends have the right equipment before heading out to enjoy the Bay.
Sincerely,
Joseph B. Loring, CAPT, USCG
Commander, Sector Maryland-NCR
Raymond Case says
Dear CAPT Loring,
“We will be there. Our Coast Guardsmen at Station Annapolis will be present in the waters surrounding Oxford, up the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers.” Please do not give us platitudes! Tell us – actively/actually – what your plan is for patrolling our Eastern Shore waterways. And, not just Choptank/Tred Avon. What about the Miles, Little Choptank and others? Will Station Annapolis be staffed with increased personnel and vessels capable of maintaining a presence on the Choptank and elsewhere while still covering the Annapolis sector? My opinion is that USCG’s RBS vessels will not easily cross the Bay in foul weather and the USCG does not have enough RBM vessels to fill the “gap”. And, if your crews cannot transit the bay and get stuck here on our Eastern Shore, what then? Admiral Sibly wants to cut. I get that. Has he ever been to our Eastern Shore to see our conditions first hand? I think not.
Please, give us your real plan for maintaining a real presence here on the Eastern Shore and let us then hold you accountable for your actions.
Very truly yours,
Raymond Case
A Lifelong and Avid Boater
Rod Coleman says
Captain Loring –
Thank you for your polite response to the concerns of residents, boaters and professional mariners here on the Eastern Shore. Many (maybe most?) understand that the Coast Guard has seen its mission expand and its budget contract for 20 years, so we also understand that what this is *really* about is money. What a surprise! I suspect that if you and your peers had your way, Station Oxford would continue to serve the Shore. Unfortunately, that’s not your decision and you are left to implement a less-than-satisfactory plan.
Having been a pleasure boater on the Bay for 35+ years, I know that there will be weather where it is simply not possible to get from Annapolis to Oxford in a timely fashion. I’m also fairly confident in supposing that many serious distress calls are made (you guessed it!) during foul weather. How will those call be answered? I think the boating public would be most interested in understanding USCG’s detailed plan for making that happen.
Hugh (Jock) Beebe says
As previously suggested, it would be useful for the Coast Guard responsible for the Eastern Shore to make available documented data showing types and frequency of assistance missions performed by USCG in Eastern Shore waters. So far the public discussion being conducted in The Talbot Spy is about data-free opinion. Although that’s of interest, perhaps a smoother path toward a consensus about USCG fulfilling its mission on the Eastern Shore could be helped with public access to facts.
Lawrence Myers says
One of the more valuable hands-on functions that the Coast Guard/Oxford performs for the Town of Oxford and its immediate environs is to facilitate the training of OVFD personnel in fighting boat fires and marina fires using pumpers of Bay water . It is a special skill, as is the knowledge to fight such fires in a highly flammable and often toxic marine environment. Since personnel often change at the OVFD, such training is a constant necessity. It is not textbook practice; good training requires an intimate knowledge of local conditions. Sending training personnel from Annapolis would not amount to the same quality of training.
Lawrence Myers
Oxford
Robert A Boyle says
Sir..I believe that it is imperative that the Coast Guard Station Oxford,MD remain in place. It serves a portion of the Chesapeake Bay and Choptank River that is away from major metropolitan cities. Recreational Boats and more importantly the hundreds of Commercial Waterman would be put at risk if the Oxford Station is closed.