The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, working in concert with Coast Guard Sector Detroit, announces Thursday that it will be offering free vessel safety checks throughout eastern Michigan, northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana during the months of May and June, 2012.

Some recent safety checks resulted in Coast Guard boarding teams requiring mariners to return to port because of a lack of required safety equipment.

The Coast Guard is offering these free, no penalty, courtesy examinations of recreational boats to ensure boaters understand the state and federal safety requirements, and that boaters’ equipment meet those standards.

Coast Guard auxiliarists from Auxiliary Divisions 16, 18 and 20 will be offering vessel safety checks in Ohio from May 12 to May 19, at locations between Marblehead and Toledo, in Michigan from May 7 to June 30, at locations south of Detroit between Monroe and River Rouge, and north of Detroit at locations between Clarkston and Algonac and in northeast Indiana on May 19.

“Checking safety gear before leaving the dock ensures that proper lifesaving equipment is available should something go wrong,” said Chief Petty Officer Gabe Settel, a search and rescue controller with Coast Guard Sector Detroit. “The Coast Guard wants everyone who goes out on the water to come home safely.”

The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary are advising that all mariners receive a vessel safety check before heading out onto the water. This is not a boarding or law enforcement action, and there will be no citations given as a result of this examination. Each vessel examiner is a trained boating safety specialist that will make recommendations and discuss issues that will make boaters safer.

For more information contact Lynn Heasel, Auxiliary coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Detroit, at 313-568-9575.