Governmental Inefficiency - USCG

[JamuJoe]

Governmental inefficiency in developing countries (eg; Central America) may be legendary, but the USA Dept of Homeland Security / Coast Guard is in close contention. I submitted an online application for a simple change of hailing port on my Certificate of Documentation on Nov 5, and was charged $85 to my credit card that same day. Following is the reply received when I enquired as to the status of my submission:

"On Nov 29, 2010, at 7:13 AM, Webmaster, NVDC Webmaster wrote:
On November 29, 2010, our office will be reviewing Re-Issue Exchange Recreational applications that was received on August 19, 2010. The paperwork that you are questioning was received on November 5, 2010. Because of the volume of work received each day will vary, we cannot provide and exact time frame."

Now, of course the Dept of Homeland Security has higher priorities than my COD, but this is simple clerical work. Amazing!

[witzgall]

Wonder what would happen if you reversed attempted to reverse the charges??

We are in the same situation, they are taking forever on our docs as well.

Chris

[S/V_Surya]

My boat was damaged when I bought it and I had to redocument it. That was about 4 years ago. When dealing with gov't agencies submit and go get a nice strong drink. It took a few months but I don't remember it costing all that much. I would like to see the CG office. Probabaly one person with one huge stack of papers. So just chill nothing else you can do.

[AnchorageGuy]

I am not sure how a delay in your documentation papers constitutes total inefficiency of the US Coast Guard and how that puts them in the same boat, pun intended, as third world countries. Documentation process used to take a year or more so it has gotten better. And it does not say you won't get it, it just says they can't say when. So go and use the boat, since this won't prevent that. Chuck

[zeehag]

is always 85 dollars to do anything to document from changing name of boat to changing address of you to changing hailing port.i will not change mine--it will stay santa barbara-- even tho i dont live there-- your hailing port can be anywhere you want it to be even if ye dont live there. is not a problem. doing ANYTHING with uscg is not a good thing-- takes 85 dollars and forever. did even before homeless insecurity came into being....

[witzgall]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

So go and use the boat, since this won't prevent that. Chuck

Chuck, is that true? If I sail my boat tomorrow, and get pulled over by the coast guard, or local water police, I won't get fined?

Chris

[zeehag]

you will only get fined if you donot have the name OR hailing port on the boat visibly. you do not need both, according to the uscg here. dont know what YPUR uscg says--mine here in kali says you only NEED one of the two. i do not have name on my ericson , never been stopped by anyone for it. i have seen boats with name only displayed--sail.
if you are in doubt-- call uscg harbor security to find out.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by zeehag

before homeless insecurity came into being....

ROFL.......

[markpierce]

JamuJoe, I got a similar response from the USCG Documentation Center several days ago regarding my application which I submitted in September. Nevertheless, the center has been very timely/responsive to my inquiries, as well as provided the documentation number for my new boat even though the application won't be processed for another month or two. So, now I can have the builder engrave the number on the boat even though the paperwork isn't finished yet.

[markpierce]

Why bother changing the hailing port? My understanding is that it doesn't have to coincide with one's actual home port or where one regularly berths the boat.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by witzgall

Chuck, is that true? If I sail my boat tomorrow, and get pulled over by the coast guard, or local water police, I won't get fined?

Chris

That is correct Chris. Just carry the paperwork showing you have sent the info into Documentation. It can be your credit card receipt or anything. Chuck

[gettinthere]

hailing port can be any city listed by the us post office

[sailorboy1]

maybe the reason it takes so long to get the paperwork back is because they lose so much time answering the email messages about the status

[skipmac]

I didn't have time to wait for new documentation before moving the boat from CT to FL last fall so called USCG to ask what I should do. I was instructed to keep a copy of my application and any correspondence from the USCG and I would be golden.

I was a bit concerned since I was expecting to have my safety inspected and my head examined at least 5-10 times on the trip south but was not pulled over a single time. We were escorted by an armed USCG RIB past the UN building on the East River as the Pres was coming in to speak that afternoon and had to pull out of the channel in Norfolk to clear the security perimeter around an Alpha leaving port, again guarded by an armed USCG RIB (I always wondered how that RIB got to Norfolk ahead of us).

So, never had a chance to test the procedure but I did keep the name of the officer that gave me those instructions, just in case.

[Aussiesuede]

Ahh. The USCG doing it's part to help shrink government. Layoff 20% of the clerical staff and hire 35% more armed patrol guards. Predictably that ends up with longer paperwork delays, and more efficient armed policing of unsecured seacocks.