Special Local Regulation; Casco Bay, Flotilla To Fight Cancer, Long Island, ME

What it does

• •Establishes a temporary special local regulation for navigable waters in Casco Bay near Cow Island, Long Island, ME, to manage safety during the Flotilla to Fight Cancer offshore concert event scheduled for August 15-16, 2026.
• •Designates a spectator zone with two transit areas (one behind the concert stage barge and one perpendicular to it with 240-foot width) to allow vessel access and emergency response while prohibiting stopping, fishing, mooring, anchoring, or loitering outside these lanes.
• •Prohibits swimming throughout the regulated area and enforces a 'Slow-No Wake' speed limit of 5 knots maximum (or higher only to maintain vessel control) for all vessels in the area.
• •Applies these restrictions from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on August 15, 2026, or the same hours on August 16, 2026, if weather delays the event.

Why it matters

• •The regulation addresses safety risks from vessel congestion and potential collisions or emergency evacuation bottlenecks caused by the large number of anticipated spectator vessels gathering for the concert.
• •The Coast Guard issued this rule without prior notice-and-comment procedures, citing good cause that the standard 30-day rulemaking timeline was impracticable given the event's proximity to publication.

Who is affected

• •Vessel operators and spectators present in Casco Bay during the concert event on August 15-16, 2026.
• •The event sponsor (Flotilla to Fight Cancer Benefit Concert organizers) and support craft operating in the regulated area.

What happens next

This temporary final rule becomes effective on August 12, 2026 (publication date) and expires on August 16, 2026, with enforcement occurring only during the specified concert hours unless weather causes a one-day delay.