This Week at the U.S. Coast Guard — week of May 25, 2026

The Coast Guard’s week was mostly routine but busy: temporary safety zones for summer events on rivers, lakes, and harbors, a few security zones around high-profile vessels and visitors, and several administrative updates that tidy up existing rules. Boaters planning trips this summer should check local notices for the specific dates and coordinates below; most closures last only hours or a few days.

Fireworks, airshows, and drone displays

• A temporary safety zone in Lake Michigan near McKinley Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, covers a polygon roughly half a mile wide around a planned drone show launching from the beach, restricting water traffic to prevent collisions and hazards during the aerial event.
• A safety zone in Cape Charles Harbor, Virginia, closes all navigable waters within 350 feet of the shoreline for one hour during a local fireworks display, keeping boats out of the splash zone and away from emergency access.
• A final rule adds three new recurring fireworks safety zones and updates one existing zone in the Captain of the Port Zone for Sector Virginia, covering the Appomattox, Hampton, East, and James rivers where fireworks launch from barges or land.
• The Coast Guard updated its Columbia River fireworks regulations: the Irrigon Watermelon Festival display becomes a permanent safety zone, while the Westport 4th of July zone is removed because that event moved inland and no longer uses the water.
• A stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off Atlantic City, New Jersey, is closed to boat traffic from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on May 29, May 30, and May 31, 2026, for an airshow — a routine three-day measure that does not affect long-term navigation.
• A temporary safety zone around a fireworks barge on the St. Clair River near Marine City, Michigan, covers all navigable waters within a 200-yard radius of the launch site during the Maritime Days festival, protecting boats and swimmers from falling debris.

Races and sporting events

• The Upper Bay of New York Harbor is closed to traffic on May 30 and 31, 2026, for the Sail Grand Prix, where twelve catamarans race at speeds up to 60 mph near Governors Island, Ellis Island, and Liberty Island; the zone keeps spectator and commercial vessels out of the race course in one of the busiest waterways in the country.
• A section of the Detroit River in Michigan is closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 27, 2026, for a rowing regatta organized by the Wyandotte Boat Club with about 400 participants racing from Point Hennepin to the Grosse Ile toll bridge.
• A temporary safety zone on the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio, closes the river bank to bank between the Robert Craig Memorial Bridge and the Glass City River Wall during four evening paddle events, separating thousands of participants and spectators from larger commercial ships.
• The Coast Guard enforced existing special local regulations for three marine events in Oregon and Washington this year, creating temporary restricted zones on the Willamette, Columbia, and Snake Rivers to keep recreational boats away from race participants and swimmers during specific dates and hours.

Security zones

• A temporary security zone on the Ohio River in Cincinnati covers the full width of the river between mile markers 461 and 473 from 12:01 a.m. May 22 through 11:59 p.m. May 25, 2026, protecting visiting dignitaries; boaters should check local Coast Guard broadcasts before heading out on those dates.
• Final regulations for Sail Boston, part of the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations, manage traffic in Boston Harbor from July 10 through July 16, 2026, establishing safety zones around tall ships, security zones for foreign naval vessels, and designated spectator areas.
• A permanent security zone now applies around vessels carrying certain dangerous cargo while transiting or moored in the Corpus Christi and La Quinta Ship Channels in Texas, restricting access for other boats during transit windows to protect against sabotage or attack in a busy port.

Industrial and military closures

• Humboldt Bay, California, is closed to vessel traffic on June 3, 2026, within a 100-meter radius of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company facility at 1000 King Salmon Ave in Eureka, keeping boaters away while PG&E performs maintenance that could release hazardous substances.
• A temporary safety zone in Lake Erie off Hamburg, New York, covers a one-nautical-mile radius around specific coordinates and closes to all vessel traffic during set hours on June 3 and June 4, 2026, for military safety drills.

Enforcement notices for existing zones

• The Coast Guard is enforcing temporary safety zones in Lake Michigan waters around Milwaukee Harbor for annual events at Lakeshore State Park, reminding mariners to coordinate with the Coast Guard before entering those harbor areas on listed dates or face penalties.
• The Coast Guard is enforcing existing safety zones under 33 CFR 165.939 for annual maritime events in the Captain of the Port Eastern Great Lakes Zone during June and July 2026, clarifying where boaters cannot go without permission during peak seasonal activity.

Proposed and administrative updates

• A proposed rule would update how marine foam fire-extinguishing systems on tankers, passenger vessels, cargo ships, and offshore drilling units are approved and tested, consolidating technical standards in one place without changing fundamental safety requirements.
• A proposed rule would update recurring marine event safety zones in the Captain of the Port Eastern Great Lakes area, adjusting coordinates, sizes, and removing obsolete entries; enforcement periods are typically short and during low-traffic times.
• A proposed rule in the Sector Mobile Captain of the Port Zone around Mobile, Alabama, reorganizes existing annual and recurring safety zones for airshows, fireworks, swims, and sailing events, clarifying which specific locations and times are restricted without adding new requirements.

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This weekly agency digest is generated from federal records (the Federal Register and Congress.gov) and summarized in plain English. It may simplify or omit detail — follow the linked official sources before relying on any item. Part of The Boring Parts.