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Old 10-10-2013, 05:25   #181
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This isn't quite correct.

Only pleasure craft boats under 13.7m can enjoy a near absence of regulation. Anything over has increasing requirements and needs flares , lifejackets and liferafts etc with the requirements going up according to how far off shore you go
Out of curiosity I looked a bit more into this.

Here is a link to a list if the specific UK flag pleasure craft safety equipment requirements:http://www.rya.org.uk/SiteCollection...0Exemption.pdf

The flares required for a 13.7m - 24m pleasure craft crossing the channel is 4 parachute flares, 4 red hand, 4 white hand, and 2 orange smoke. Interestingly this is a higher requirement than the US one. So, the French (just for example) can (legally) fine a UK vessel for not properly carrying these flares, and can (legally) only ding a US vessel against the shorter/smaller US required list. Of course that assumes the specific French official understands the rules and is not just pissed off and making trouble.

It's an interesting point what you do when confronted by an official who wants to fine you (or send you back to the dock) using an incorrect/illegal interpretation of the rules/law. We find it generally almost always useless to discuss/argue with them. Our experience is If you want you "discuss" it you have to ask to speak to a superior officer. Sometimes we just agree to meet the rule, as in argentina when they wants us to have orange smoke flares. Something we just try another officer/office as in the US when we returned from Canada, anchored flying the q flag and dinghies directly to the customs dock and were told that was an illegal entry and a $5000 fine ( they wanted us to tie the big boat to their dock) we dinghied back out upped anchor (the guy had not even gotten our boat name or papers before throwing around the "fine") and sailed to another customs Harbour where, when we dinghied in they told us we could have just done it by cell phone. Sometimes someone in the cruising community just has to fight it in the courts if it is too punitative (as in NZ and Chile).
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Old 10-10-2013, 06:01   #182
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

By the way, it would be fascinating to study the accident/injury/fatality rates between say 12-13.7m UK pleasure craft (with essentially no requirement) and 13.7-15m (with the decently complete requirements). I have always been curious if these sort of requirements actually make any real difference to outcomes, and this would be a pretty good/direct set of data to answer that.
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Old 10-10-2013, 10:15   #183
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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You forgot to ring the bell. One ticket for you.
Heh Heh.
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Old 10-10-2013, 10:45   #184
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

Want a piece of advice to make a boarding and inspection less painful?

Print out and laminate the applicable Coast Guard regulations out for flares, life preservers, noise makers, etc., put them in a binder with your other "show and tell" papers. (You can also affix them to the locker you keep them in.)

Coasties seem to be impressed with an owner/captain that is prepared and will generally spend a lot less time poking about.

Also, if you have a weapon on board, you might want to have proof of ownership and any weapons class certifications included in your book. I have a copy of my Expert Rifle and Pistol awards in my book and when they see those, it generally leads to sea stories and the "inspection" usually ends, but the visit continues.
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Old 10-10-2013, 11:12   #185
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

The last time we were boarded they were really impressed by my neatly handwritten logbook. Other than the nonsense about checking to see if we were sinking the only real issue was that I tried (innocently) to pass off the letter I received with our registration as the actual registration. It worked just fine when I showed it to Homeless Insecurity the day before but the Coastie kid wasn't buying it. I finally found the right document neatly folded in a blue plastic folder in with all our other ship's docs. I suspect that was the first time it had been out of the folder which means I successfully passed the letter off as the registration at least twice.

My wife is very nice to them. She's good with authority. I try to keep my mouth shut as much as possible. Its a pattern that has generally worked well for us over the years.
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Old 10-10-2013, 11:26   #186
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

I have NEVER been stopped by a uscg. With that said if they'd asked if I was armed the reply would have been..... Better than you are!
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Old 10-10-2013, 11:37   #187
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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I have NEVER been stopped by a uscg. With that said if they'd asked if I was armed the reply would have been..... Better than you are!
And just what would you expert this to accomplish after the short rush of your false bravo passes?
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Old 10-10-2013, 11:49   #188
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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I am guessing that in your part of the world it would not be safe to laugh and tell them to piss off?
These guys are far more dangerous than armed guards - they can confiscate your boat and cancel your vessel registration. With sufficient provocation, my guess is that they could also obtain a permanent injunction to prevent you from ever operating a boat again... but that's just a guess that has yet to be tested.
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Old 10-10-2013, 13:20   #189
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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if they'd asked if I was armed the reply would have been..... Better than you are!
If that were true, it would surprise me. I have seen deck guns on some of their vessels. I also used to be friendly with a USCG armorer. I was surprised to learn the range of equipment that he had been trained to maintain.
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Old 10-10-2013, 13:30   #190
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

I have NOTHING but disdain for all of you who cower in fear of your respective tyrannical governments and the thugs that they use to enforce there draconian laws.
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Old 10-10-2013, 13:34   #191
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

Beyond that the most important armament which seems to be lacking around here is knowledge.
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Old 10-10-2013, 13:51   #192
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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the most important armament which seems to be lacking around here is knowledge.
Please feel free to be the voice of enlightenment if you have valuable knowledge to share. I for one like to learn new things.
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Old 10-10-2013, 13:54   #193
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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I have NOTHING but disdain for all of you who cower in fear of your respective tyrannical governments and the thugs that they use to enforce there draconian laws.

I would bet most of us have disdain for crazy people.

Onto the list you go
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Old 10-10-2013, 14:19   #194
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

We were boarded offshore in the middles of the Gulf of Mexico. It was right at dawn and the wind was dying. I was on watch and saw them coming, every time I change from a collision course they corrected to collide. I called em to see how I could help them navigate they identified themselves and said prepare to be boarded. After a series of questions, my captain reported he had weapons aboard, which was news to me! He was instructed to take apart the weapon and leave down below, while all crew stayed on deck. The ship came along side, a big 400footer with dome like cannons. It was a huge ship to be so close down wind of me, and I had a hard time making head way in the falling winds. Anyways, a 15ft boarding boat came from the stern and started towards us. We were all in the cockpit, me( still at the helm), my boyfriend, and the captain. As the boarding boat got near my captain jumped down below. He had forgotten to take the gun apart. Well, as you can imagine they didn't take to kindly to that. The boarding boat swerved away and held position off our quarter, the captain of the ship, started yelling at us over the radio, getting quite excited. Not to mention the 300+ serviceman and women looking at us from the deck of the ship . I implored my captain to get back on deck while my boyfriend just sat there dead still, I think he thought we were going to get blown out if the water. My captain answered the radio explaining he forgot to dismantle his weapon. After my captain came back on deck, the boarding party, which now doubled, came along side. If I remember correctly there were at least 12-14 of them, 8 came aboard. We were a 27ft sailboat ( island packet), so 4 sat in the cockpit while the rest scattered around deck and below.

Even after my captain pulling that stunt, the coasties were polite and patient. They did however search the vessel from stem to stern, not a inch overlooked. While they searched, I put on the charm. We were low on water ( long story) and could use some diesel. Within an hour we mooched 20 gallons of water, 10 of diesel, and they were sweet enough to throw in a surprise, a fresh, hot-out-of-the-oven loaf of bread ( fresh bread offshore!!). After a couple hours we were on our way, folks waving at us from the deck( lots of binox looking down at us too).

Be cool, they are just trying to do their job. This is what the ship looked like, i think it was navy with coasties aboard, the ship was on it last maneuver before being sold to Greece.

Egads, sorry for the long post.
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Old 10-10-2013, 14:26   #195
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Re: Boarded by the Coast Guard..Terminated Voyage

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I have NEVER been stopped by a uscg. With that said if they'd asked if I was armed the reply would have been..... Better than you are!
Oh? The small USCG craft here go well-armed. Recently observed them off-load a 30-calibre machine gun, 22-calibre automatic rifle, and 12-gauge shotgun. The crew also had semi-automatic handguns on their belts.

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