Lexington, SC - The Lake Murray Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering free boating safety classes in 2020 as the result of a donation made because of a boating fatality on Lake Murray in 2018.
Marek Giurk of Charlotte, NC, made a generous donation to Lake Murray Flotilla 12-3 in memory of his son, Daniel, who was injured in a tubing accident on September 1, 2018. Daniel was just 25 years old when he died a few days later on September 4.
Mr. Giurk gifted the funds to be used for boater education provided by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, saying “I would like to do something to prevent accidents like this from happening in the future”.
“We would, too,” agreed Clay Goodwin, Flotilla Commander and Public Education Officer. Putting a plan in motion immediately, it was decided that this year’s educationclasses will be called “The Year for Daniel”, with all eight Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-3 boating safety classes offered for free in memory of Daniel Giurk. In each class, Auxiliary Instructors will include prevention suggestions and best practices to avoid accidents when a vessel operator is towing people.
All classes are held at ECPI University, 250 Berryhill Road, Columbia, SC 29210 on Saturdays from 8:30am - 4:30pm. Class sizes are limited, and students must register online. Registration for the Lake Murray Coast Guard Auxiliary free boating safety courses can be found at www.uscgaux-lakemurray.com or on SC DNR’s boater education website.
The donation made by Mr. Giurk made it possible to offer the free classes this year because the Lake Murray unit relies on boating safety class fees to fund much of its activities. The 2020 free boating safety classes are normally $30.00 per person or $50.00 for two family members. About Boating Safely textbooks will be available for purchase for $15.00, an option for students who wish to take the textbook home. All students who pass the course exam will receive the SC DNR boater education card.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members are the uniformed volunteer civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard within the Department of Homeland Security and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.
