Florida Water Cops Ticketed Me

[scook1]

We just have a flash light. Never had any trouble.
Spencer

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by scook1

We just have a flash light. Never had any trouble.
Spencer

Wait until you get to Florida.

[John A]

Under maritime law, you'd be liable for any mishap with your dinghy without lights, during darkness.

In 2008, there were reports in the Caribbean Compass of the Coast Guard from the Dutch side of Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Maarten, ticketing dinghies for no lights during the daylight..

[speciald@ocens.]

In Simpson Bay Lagoon, Sint Maarten the local Coast Guard will fine you if you don't show lights or are speeding.

[JimJohnston]

Rule 23 of the collision regulations: (ii) a power-driven vessel of less than 7 meters in length whose maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and shall, if practicable, also exhibit sidelights;

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

If yer dink has a top speed of less than 7 knots, only a white all around light is needed.
The Aqua signal lights with LED bulbs and 4 AA batteries will last a long time., no need to wire up a dink and haul big batteries around...That is sooo 60s..

Throw away batteries is so 60's.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by JimJohnston

Rule 23 of the collision regulations: (ii) a power-driven vessel of less than 7 meters in length whose maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and shall, if practicable, also exhibit sidelights;

While that may be true outside the US, my understanding is that there is no such exemption in US waters:

International
1. A power-driven vessel 20 meters (65′ 7½”) and over shall exhibit navigation lights as shown in Figures 1 and 2. If you choose Figure 1 the aft masthead light must be higher than the forward one. If Figure 2 is selected, a vessel less than 20 meters (65′ 7½”) must have the masthead light 1 meter (3′ 3″) higher than the colored lights. If the vessel is 12 meters (39′ 4½”) or more in length and less than 20 meters (65′ 7½”) the masthead light must be 2.5 meters higher than the gunwale.
2. A power-driven vessel less than 7 meters (23′ 11½”) in length and whose maximum speed cannot exceed 7 knots may, in lieu of the lights prescribed above, exhibit an all-around white light. Such vessel shall, if practicable also exhibit red and green lights.
Inland
1. A power-driven vessel, when the construction was started before December 15, 1981, less than 20 meters (65′ 7½”) shall exhibit navigation lights as displayed in Figures 2 or 3.
2. A power-driven vessel, when the construction was started after December 14, 1981, 12 meters (39′ 4½”) or more in length and less than 20 meters (65′ 7½”) shall exhibit navigation lights as displayed in Figure 2.
3. A power-driven vessel when the construction was started after December 24, 1981, less than 12 meters (39′ 4½”) shall exhibit those lights shown in Figures 1-4.


But please tell me if I am incorrect.

[lorenzo b]

I suppose next y'all will be telling me to use the crosswalk, wait for the light, and pay taxes. My people are German, an orderly and ingenious sort ( there's a room on my boat that's a complete alter to Rudolf Diesel ) that got that way by inbreeding in a cold dark forrest for 40,000 years. Needless to say, the results are mixed, and I'm certainly not suggesting that Central Africa is a bastion of civil behavior by way of comparison.
Can we strike a balance here between anarchy and order?
And thank you for your responses, it was a relief to me to hear that the police were not completely out of line.

[Vasco]

Florida seems to have it's own rules. Enforcement is more rigorous in some spots such as Vero Beach.

[smj]

In Florida if you less than 7m long and unable to go over 7 knots an all around white light IS legal. My question is if I'm on my inflatable and I have a 15hp motor obviously able to do over 7kts., but I'm in a slow speed no wake zone then legally I can't do over 7kts. will I still get a ticket?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by smj

In Florida if you less than 7m long and unable to go over 7 knots an all around white light IS legal. My question is if I'm on my inflatable and I have a 15hp motor obviously able to do over 7kts., but I'm in a slow speed no wake zone then legally I can't do over 7kts. will I still get a ticket?

I think they'll ticket you but you could argue that the regulation states "does not exceed 7 knots" and not " cannot exceed 7 knots". That's if you've got time to go to court and are not on your way further south. That's how they get you, who has the time or the resources to fight the ticket.

[lorenzo b]

Vasco
It was in Jensen Beach, and I did do my part to irritate the situation. We were coming back from dinner going around a pier when we heard the God awful screeching from this woman that sounded like a hyena being eaten a lion, and over the sound of the motor we couldn't make out what her problem was. I figured if she wanted to talk to me that bad she could bloody well swim out to the boat. Damn if she didn't show up an hour later in a launch.

[JimJohnston]

...and if the lighting issue wasn't bad enough read this account:

Cruiser's Net » Blog Archive » Important – Boarding Incident in Volusia County (between New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon)

[Hud3]

We've already got a long and lively thread on that one, Jim.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ida-49546.html

We'd appreciate it if anyone wanting to comment on that incident do so in the thread linked above, rather than take this one down that road.

Thanks!

[DaveOnCudjoe]

I prefer to err on the side of caution, what's the problem with displaying lights at night so one's direction and speed can be estimated? The little portable LED's are cheap and work great. Dave