09-04-2009, 11:23 AM
Train Nut, the Coast Guard Auxiliary is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard. They are also not like the National Guard in that they have no government affiliation. They are a volunteer service organization made up of mostly of boat and yacht owners who help out by putting on safe boating classes and offering inspections to people's boats to make sure they meet all of the Coast Guard safety standards. If you take a boat out on a public waterway, it is required to meet state registration requirements as well as U.S. Coast Guard safety regs. By being on a public waterway, any boat is subject to the Coast Guard conducting an inspection at any time to make sure the boat is properly registered and in safe operating condition with all required safety gear on board. The auxiliary will do free inspections or perhaps for a small fee to make sure your boat and equipment will pass a Coast Guard inspection so that when you take it out, you don't have to worry about being cited for a safety violation. Even more important, since as far as I know there are no fines connected with safety violations, they will let you know of any unsafe conditions or any lack of safety equipment like an adequate supply of emergency floatation devices on board the boat. As a non-profit service organization, I think they qualify as a charity for tax purposes. That caboose may have been donated by the Alaskan Railroad when cabooses became obsolete, or it may have been available cheap, and easily moved to that location to be painted up for a sign for the local chapter.