Flotilla appreciates Don’s Marine Surplus & Salvage

Clearwater. Steve Montgomery, Don’s Marine Surplus & Salvage, Clearwater, FL received a Certificate of Appreciation from Gulfport Flotilla 7-16 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on May 14th, 2026. He donated a small helm and single lever engine controller to Gulfport 7-16 in March. 7-16’s Vice Commander, Howard Bush, built a demonstration helm, cleaning and painting it, adding navigation lights, a vhf radio, a horn, in essence a fully functioning helm for recreational boating safety classes, to give future boaters a more realistic learning experience for boating safety and operation.

When asked what he thought of the helm, Montgomery said: “Oh, I think it’s a great tool, ..a great idea, … gets people familiar with what a boat is before they get behind the wheel… . You need a license to drive a car, but you don’t need a license … to have a boat. And there’s no brakes. So, … you gotta know what you’re doing.”
For more information on safe boating classes, please see https://wow.uscgaux.info/peclass.php?unit=070-07-16 or call Marty Richardson (630) 674-5352

Captions for the photos

DON2 Clearwater, Don’s Salvage and Marine Surplus. Steve Montgomery (l) accepts a Certificate of Appreciation from Vice Commander Howard Bush of the Gulfport 7-16 Flotilla of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The helm sits between the two men. Photo by Tom Steiger

DON1 Clearwater—Steve Montgomery with Certificate of Appreciation. Photo by Tom Steiger