Ticket for no whistle in dinghy??

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Do you know how speed limits are often set? A survey is done to determine average traffic speed, and often that becomes the speed limit.

It’s only a small fraction of the population that need policing anyway. For example is the cop driving around what keeps you from stealing a car?


By waste of police forces I agree, when I lived in Germany you rarely ever saw cops riding around setting up speed traps etc., and Germany was way more restrict on speed limits than the US, they just set up camera’s. More effective any way cheaper than a Cop and a car.

Many states in the US had cameras to document traffic violations but courts found a ticket had to be issued by a person who saw the violation in person and could testify in court. In other states popular opposition to traffic cams resulted in pols outlawing them.

Not saying they don't work; just that they are not used in the US because the citizens don't want them.

[revere]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ok, ready to get yelled at by the peanut gallery, but:

Has anyone ever been stopped by local water cops and given a ticket for not having a WHISTLE in their dinghy?? What the heck is this world coming to?

I have multiple life jackets, a VHF radio, cell phone, outboard kill switch clipped to my belt, lights, you name it.

Got a ticket for this yesterday

I was in Annapolis a couple of years back and the Coast Guard stopped me in my dink .. He trite to write me a ticket for anything he could find. He asked for my life jackets and when I took them out he said they probably have holes in it which they didn't. Then he noticed there wasn't a whistle attached. And he was proceeding to write a ticket but I told him I have a horn does that count. At that point he proceeded to put his face right up to mine and told me in no uncertain terms to Not blow the horn. So he just gave me a certificate that said I was in compliance and I went on my Merry way. Two days later when I was cleaning out the Dink I went to test the horn and guess what it didn't work hahaha on him

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

You know the real question here is not whether or not your required to have a whistle, but why was the person stopped to begin with?
No way could the LEO see there there was no whistle, and I’m sure there wasn’t an incident where a whistle was called for.
Has anyone ever been stopped in their car and the LEO start conducting a safety check?
Then why should they be stoping dinghies, seemingly fishing for a reason to ticket?

As you probably know, at least for the Coast Guard the law is very different between stopping a car and stopping a boat. No probable cause or even any suspicion is required to stop a boat, and in fact the Coast Guard is budgeted and therefore told by Congress to do a certain number of safely inspections of boats each year. So to answer your question about why they are stopping boats and checking safety equipment... they're doing it because it's their job.

[Jim Cate]

We've had at least 4 people die in small boats a few boat lengths from their boat or shore in Annapolis in the last year. Alcohol wasn't a factor in any of the mishaps, and they all involved people who had spent a lot of time on the water. So the distance of your journey isn't really a compelling reason in and of itself.

Redneck, could you please cite these cases for us? 4 deaths in a year (or more... you say "at least 4" in the same area is kinda terrible, and all close to shore, too. I can but wonder how they happened, and if having a whistle or other gear on board would have affected the outcome.

Jim

[Dsanduril]

I’d guess that half of Rob’s four are these two, a mother and son chasing after a ball in a canoe.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Redneck, could you please cite these cases for us? 4 deaths in a year (or more... you say "at least 4" in the same area is kinda terrible, and all close to shore, too. I can but wonder how they happened, and if having a whistle or other gear on board would have affected the outcome.

Jim

The two of these I know of were in the depth of winter, and cold water got them in moments (cold water shock). A PFD might have helped one of them (people nearby in one case but perhaps no way to get to him, the other alone) but really a dry suit is the thing when the water is 35F. Another jumped from a boat to get a wayward dinghy and did not resurface (cold water gasp reflex). The last I do not know.

No, not whistle related. Just an object lesson about water, and specifically, cold water.


Also the Kennedy case, listed above. And I think there has been one more recently.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

I’d guess that half of Rob’s four are these two, a mother and son chasing after a ball in a canoe.

It was blowing like stink, off shore. I'm sure it seemed nice on the beach, but a ball blows fast and once you got beyond the wind shadow of the trees, there is no way you could handle a canoe in that wind with a child. I was kayaking 5 miles to the south. I'm an experienced paddler, wearing a dry suit, and the paddle back against the wind was a wet, aerobic challenge. If it had been more than a fraction of a mile, I would have had to turn 180 degrees and do the 10 mile paddle to the other side instead. At least it would have been down wind, but the conditions on the open bay that day would have been treacherous for a canoe.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

As you probably know, at least for the Coast Guard the law is very different between stopping a car and stopping a boat. No probable cause or even any suspicion is required to stop a boat, and in fact the Coast Guard is budgeted and therefore told by Congress to do a certain number of safely inspections of boats each year. So to answer your question about why they are stopping boats and checking safety equipment... they're doing it because it's their job.

We aren’t talking about the USCG, personally I have never had an issue with them, I recognize that is why they exist, but the CBP, the FWC and whatever town I happen to be in COP and the Sheriff are the ones I have issues with.
I got detained late at night by the CBP in Clearwater under the bridge, with those idiots hiding under the bridge, lights off with a forty ft center console with four 250HP two stroke mercury engines ready to ambush my 6 kt sailboat, which they did and proceeded to circle me lighting me up with spot lights and taking video and then calling in to someone and playing 20 questions, while I tried to keep them from crashing into my Solar panels.
Never did get an answer as to why I was being detained and it was for over an hour. I should have just kept going, and ignored them.
Then leaving Stuart Fl, more than three miles off shore in the Gulfstream the local Sheriff pulls up while we are in International waters and starts asking questions. After answering them and him getting pissy when I told him we had spent a couple of months in Stuart I asked him why he was asking me questions. His answer “we work closely with the CBP”
I didn’t mention I had rented a beach house while we were there and had spent $25,000 with a local business, he assumed I was at anchor and got pissy about it.

Delivering the boat we went though Miami, and had a local cop come roaring up in his 40 ft 1,000 HP CC and give me a nasty look, What the heck was that about?
We have too many water cops, and too many levels of water cops, and they aren’t doing anything to increase safety etc, it’s just plain harassment, and for no reason except to inflate their ego I guess, because how does anyone commit any kind of crime in a sailboat at 6 kts?
There have been no terrorist attacks by sailboat and it’s pretty unlikely that any terrorist will be a family of four, Mom Pop and their two teenage kids, so what the heck was that all about in Clearwater?

[a64pilot]

In the last five years the few times I have been questioned by any authority, it’s always been in 1,000 HP probably $100,000 boats and not once have they had AIS, cause I have asked them and told them if they did they would know the answers to the questions they are asking.
I’ve only had the USCG come alongside and talk to me on the VHF, they have never stopped me, and I have never been boarded by anyone. Still it’s harassment, as I have never had any of that that kind of thing in my automobile in 50 yrs of driving, but have in five years of boating?

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

I’d guess that half of Rob’s four are these two, a mother and son chasing after a ball in a canoe.

Also the secret service agent last July.

[MicHughV]

I havta to go with a64 pilot. One time I was out fishing on my dink in the ICW, when I accidentally cut my foot and was bleeding like crazy.
To get back to the marina, where the mother boat was, I had to go thru' a no wake zone, but bleeding profusely, I kept the hammer down....such as that I could in my little dink, being careful to stick close to shoreline, where my 6" high wake would not disturb anyone.

Out of nowhere, a FWC boat powered by a gazillion engines comes zipping up behind me, blue lights flashing, almost swamping me. My bleeding foot is draped over the side of the dink, for all the world to see as I explain why I was " speeding"...probably doing less than 10 mph....but he don't care....he follows me back to my boat in the marina, at no wake speed now, waits for me to put a bandage around my foot and writes me a ticket.

It was quite the sight....me in my little rubber dink, bleeding foot over the side, followed by this monster FWC boat, blue lights flashing.....people at the marina were wondering what the hell this was all this about.

I've got a few more stories like that, but....what's the point. The FWC guy had stopped a guy speeding in a dink in a no wake zone and that was all that mattered to him. He was doing his job, probably the only thing he did that day....

[Chotu]

Mt sentiments exactly. I don’t think anyone here has an issue with USCG safety inspections.

What irks me are these levels of enforcement in military tactical gear out harassing everyone.

They’re like glorified mall security, know zero about boats and are out to prove something.

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We aren’t talking about the USCG, personally I have never had an issue with them, I recognize that is why they exist, but the CBP, the FWC and whatever town I happen to be in COP and the Sheriff are the ones I have issues with.
I got detained late at night by the CBP in Clearwater under the bridge, with those idiots hiding under the bridge, lights off with a forty ft center console with four 250HP two stroke mercury engines ready to ambush my 6 kt sailboat, which they did and proceeded to circle me lighting me up with spot lights and taking video and then calling in to someone and playing 20 questions, while I tried to keep them from crashing into my Solar panels.
Never did get an answer as to why I was being detained and it was for over an hour. I should have just kept going, and ignored them.
Then leaving Stuart Fl, more than three miles off shore in the Gulfstream the local Sheriff pulls up while we are in International waters and starts asking questions. After answering them and him getting pissy when I told him we had spent a couple of months in Stuart I asked him why he was asking me questions. His answer “we work closely with the CBP”
I didn’t mention I had rented a beach house while we were there and had spent $25,000 with a local business, he assumed I was at anchor and got pissy about it.

Delivering the boat we went though Miami, and had a local cop come roaring up in his 40 ft 1,000 HP CC and give me a nasty look, What the heck was that about?
We have too many water cops, and too many levels of water cops, and they aren’t doing anything to increase safety etc, it’s just plain harassment, and for no reason except to inflate their ego I guess, because how does anyone commit any kind of crime in a sailboat at 6 kts?
There have been no terrorist attacks by sailboat and it’s pretty unlikely that any terrorist will be a family of four, Mom Pop and their two teenage kids, so what the heck was that all about in Clearwater?

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We aren’t talking about the USCG, personally I have never had an issue with them, I recognize that is why they exist, but the CBP, the FWC and whatever town I happen to be in COP and the Sheriff are the ones I have issues with.
I got detained late at night by the CBP in Clearwater under the bridge, with those idiots hiding under the bridge, lights off with a forty ft center console with four 250HP two stroke mercury engines ready to ambush my 6 kt sailboat, which they did and proceeded to circle me lighting me up with spot lights and taking video and then calling in to someone and playing 20 questions, while I tried to keep them from crashing into my Solar panels.
Never did get an answer as to why I was being detained and it was for over an hour. I should have just kept going, and ignored them.
Then leaving Stuart Fl, more than three miles off shore in the Gulfstream the local Sheriff pulls up while we are in International waters and starts asking questions. After answering them and him getting pissy when I told him we had spent a couple of months in Stuart I asked him why he was asking me questions. His answer “we work closely with the CBP”
I didn’t mention I had rented a beach house while we were there and had spent $25,000 with a local business, he assumed I was at anchor and got pissy about it.

Delivering the boat we went though Miami, and had a local cop come roaring up in his 40 ft 1,000 HP CC and give me a nasty look, What the heck was that about?
We have too many water cops, and too many levels of water cops, and they aren’t doing anything to increase safety etc, it’s just plain harassment, and for no reason except to inflate their ego I guess, because how does anyone commit any kind of crime in a sailboat at 6 kts?
There have been no terrorist attacks by sailboat and it’s pretty unlikely that any terrorist will be a family of four, Mom Pop and their two teenage kids, so what the heck was that all about in Clearwater?

We've found a lot of drugs being shipped by sailboat over the years. Not so common these days, but was relatively common in the 90s. Actually could be common now we just stopped checking sailboats!
Funny related story, I distinctly remember a predeployment briefing where we were told point blank not to waste time checking tuna boats because they were too expensive and too slow to be used to carry drugs. Two years later the same briefer is telling us to look out especially for tuna boats because they're perfect for carrying drugs

[MicHughV]

..as a general rule I have a high regard for folks in uniform, they do a tough job and ought to be lauded for their devotion, sacrifice and effort.
..in all my years afloat though, the only thing I have ever seen a FWC officer doing is writing a ticket for speeding in a no wake zone...almost always while tooling around in his 40' go-fast. A favorite target...jetskiers.....dinks....fishing boats...mom and pop out with the kids....the criminal element of the waterways....
I understand that the law is the law without exceptions, but there seems to be a disconnect here.....

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

We've found a lot of drugs being shipped by sailboat over the years. Not so common these days, but was relatively common in the 90s. Actually could be common now we just stopped checking sailboats!
Funny related story, I distinctly remember a predeployment briefing where we were told point blank not to waste time checking tuna boats because they were too expensive and too slow to be used to carry drugs. Two years later the same briefer is telling us to look out especially for tuna boats because they're perfect for carrying drugs

So then why don’t they get a warrant and board and inspect? Or call the USCG who doesn’t need a warrant? Why hold me there in the middle of the night one mile from the anchorage and make me continually helm the boat and use throttle etc to keep from hitting the bridge, and fend them off of my Solar panels?
However I’m going to go out on a limb and bet the odds of a mid 50’s guy with his Wife and kids are not drug smugglers.
You’ll say they are of course, but I have never heard of it on the news.

Back to the living in Richmond Hill Ga and them making a killing policing I-95. Almost every one of the drug smugglers they caught were a Cadillac car, tricked out with whitewall tires, curb feelers, a New Jersey tag and were full of mid 20’s age black males and speeding more than 10 over the limit, back end dragging low cause the trunk was full of cocaine.
Drug smugglers are stupid, apparently as most criminals are.