Seaplane Splash In
The annual Mike Brown Memorial Seaplane Splash In was held at Lake Tahoe on Memorial Day. Coast Guard Auxiliary Sierra Division provided two boats, the Camie Marie from North Shore Flotilla 1 and Following Sea from Reno Flotilla 3. In addition to these two boats, Reno Flotilla 3 had two PWCs on this regatta event. Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe and the Sheriff's Department also provided patrol facilities.
Regatta patrols have different goals than our standard safety patrols. Typically these regatta patrols are designed to provide safety for participants and other members of the public who may encounter the participants. In this particular regatta patrol, the Coast Guard Auxiliary provided safe passage to shore for the seaplanes that were landing near the beach at Obexer's Marina on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. The boats were stationed further offshore than the PWCs. As the planes approached the shoreline, the PWCs assumed the escort. The excellent maneuverability of the PWCs was valuable near the shore line.
Typically, float planes circle their planned landing site prior to splash down so they can anticipate obstacles to a safe landing. On this Memorial Day, there was high winds which limited the number of planes that could land safely at Lake Tahoe.
