I was boarded by the Coast Guard last week

Stray Cat said:
As soon as you got to shore, you should've bought a lottery ticket.....you were lucky
Click to expand...

Just to be clear. NJ does not have any restrictions against having open alcohol, but they have very tough rules on being intoxicated. I had an open beer, it was my first one of the day, I was not intoxicated. I would have been happy to take a sobriety test. I had no concerns about passing it.

(none the less, they could have put through the embarresment of taking the test, but I think they realized that I was not intoxicated)

Ron,

I was not inside the naval "protection zone". I was out in the main channel. The USCG had a large ship (200 ft?) hanging out in the area over by the naval pier and they dispatched a small boat to randomly stop boats to do safety checks. I had another boat owner on board that was told they had a goal of stopping 10 boats per day. It was mid week and traffic was light so it was my lucky day. :smt038

I avoided the USCG ship by about 1/2 mile and drove straight up to their small boat that was just leaving another boat that was stopped. (I didnt see them until I was a few hundred feet away). :wow: I was next in line.


This is an example of an oil placard that must be mounted in the bilge. There is a similar one for Garbage and Plastic


images



If you have a boat 26’ or longer, you must have a written garbage placard and an oil discharge placard “prominently posted” to remind you and your crew what can be thrown overboard and what can’t. The placards must be permanently attached, be made of durable material, and must be at least 4X9 inches in size. Great Lakes boaters must display a garbage placard specifically designed for the Great lakes. Shown below, these stickers are available from most boating supply ores.
 
I think someone asked about checking ID's of the passengers?....are adults required to have drivers licenses or other ID to ride along as a passenger?
 
rhodyboater said:
I think someone asked about checking ID's of the passengers?....are adults required to have drivers licenses or other ID to ride along as a passenger?
Click to expand...

No, but it might be SOP to ask everyone for ID. Seems kind of silly to me.
 
I was stopped by the Coast Guard a little over a month ago, right by the Statue of Liberty. We had 4 adults and two kids on board. They came speeding up in a little rigid inflatable with a machine gun mounted in it. He asked permission to come aboard. I had to show him fire extinguishers, flares, life vests, oil placard, waste management plan, all my paperwork, etc. He never asked to see my seacock though... We passed his inspection with flying colors. When he left he gave me a boarding report and said if I get stopped again within 6 months, show them the report and tell them to have a nice day.
 
Guys
Regarding the ID, remember there was (and may still be) a movement afoot for a national ID card to be carried by everyone. Part of the war on terror that we cant call the war on terror anymore b/c we're all now PC.
 
I was surpised that they asked for ID from the adult passengers, but I think is SOP. They asked for drivers license's because that was the most likely form of ID. I'm sure if you handed them a passport (hopefully not an Afgan passport :wow:) they would have accepted it.

The boarding crew were professionals and they were nice guys. One of them commented that "this is the type of boat I would own". I felt bad for them having to work in that heat wearing the clothes that they were required to wear.

The NJ state police patrol the river that I have to use to get to my marina. They wear all black uniforms and some of their boats are don't even have a soft top to to hide from the sun. They really need to revisit their uniforms. OSHA requires all commericial trucks to have AC, but marine law enforcement are sent out in 90 degree dressed for Antartica.

Uncomfortable police and coast guard can make for short tempers.
 
We've not been boarded in many years but have watched many others get stopped. We always have a fairly current auxillary safety sticker on the window of our boat next to the state registration. I believe this helps. We usually have the boat inspected every other year and when we are cruising and are tied up in a slip. We do it more or less on our schedule instead of theirs. A few years ago the CG was stopping every boat that came into Frankfort ahead of us. They waved me through.
 
I was delivering my daughter and two of her friends in my dinghy out to the island a couple of weeks ago when a marine patrol boat began to arc around the dinghy on plane. I had my life preserver on because it holds the emergency cutoff lanyard for the engine. I told them all to hold their life vests up - they did. I got a thumbs up. Then, I held up my water-proof bag full of vessle documention info. I got another thumbs up and he turned away without ever coming off plane.
 
What paper work is required? I am in MD, would that include the title of the vessel? Or just the registration info? I am a bit confused on the paperwork part... Thanks for sharing I learned something on this thread for sure.
 
Guys, I was given a "courtesy inspection" by the State of Georgia DNR last summer and had just happened to have left my wallet in the car, which I never do. All three of us adults were asked for id and when all I could find was an expired DL that happened to be in with my paperwork, we were given a lecture that "since 9/11 federal law requires that you have a state or federal id on your person at all times". I always thought this a-hole was just being a jerk. We are on a federal body of water so they have some screwy rules. But is it true that you have to have an id on you while on the water? or anywhere else for that matter? (I also uncharacteristically had a bottled water at the helm instead of an adult beverage in my hand, so there was no need for him to be such a butthead).
 
Hampton said:
I was delivering my daughter and two of her friends in my dinghy out to the island a couple of weeks ago when a marine patrol boat began to arc around the dinghy on plane. I had my life preserver on because it holds the emergency cutoff lanyard for the engine. I told them all to hold their life vests up - they did. I got a thumbs up. Then, I held up my water-proof bag full of vessle documention info. I got another thumbs up and he turned away without ever coming off plane.
Click to expand...

Here in Florida if your dinghy is tendered to your mother ship by using the mother ship name on the dinghy preceeded by T/T and the mother ship is documented; are you required to carry your documentation while on the dinghy? I would think the documentation should stay on the mother ship???
 
Hampton said:
Then, I held up my water-proof bag full of vessle documention info.
Click to expand...

Learn from John. We should all have:
a copy of your drivers license,
copy or original boating safety class certificate (esp if required),
boat registration or USCG documentation,
insurance dec page and
USCG safety inspection sheet
and put them into a water proof zip lock bag. Know where the bag is so you are not fumbling around looking for it.

When you are boarded, make it a point to be friendly and that you understand the need to have the right documentation for the vessel to assist the USCG do their job efficiently. They are buttheads, but they do have control over you for the time they are on the boat so don't make their jobs difficult.

I'll never understand the cost-benefit of the whole random safety inspections and boarding process -- from the government's perspective. If you have the little USCG safety inspection sticker on the vessel, you should be LEGALLY excluded from random safety inspections. If the USCG actually sees something as far as a violation (eg kids without pfd, trash being thrown over, possible fishing violations, etc.) that would be the cause needed for the inspection/boarding...
 
gerryb said:
They are buttheads, but they do have control over you for the time they are on the boat so don't make their jobs difficult.
Click to expand...

I was boarded earlier this year and they were very polite and professional. Buttheads??
 
rondds said:
Guys
Regarding the ID, remember there was (and may still be) a movement afoot for a national ID card to be carried by everyone. Part of the war on terror that we cant call the war on terror anymore b/c we're all now PC.
Click to expand...

I just thumbed through the CG requirements at the link someone posted, including the "predeparture checklist". http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/intro.htm

Nowhere is "personal identification" mentioned for operators or passengers.

I find this of interest, because I don't always boat with my wallet. My passengers tend to bikinis. . .and don't bring money. When I am on PWC's, I NEVER have a wallet. In terms of papers. . I have

a) Registration
b) Seatow card
c) Boating certificate
d) five year old insurance statement with insurance numbers on it.
​
As for "national ID". Not sure we are there yet. Personally, I don't think I would argue you don't need anything beyond a concealed weapon permit.
 
Jack F said:
I was boarded earlier this year and they were very polite and professional. Buttheads??
Click to expand...


Sorry - was thinking about New Jersey -- the world's leader of government officials with small shoulders and big chips.

For the record, the vast majority of USCG are not buttheads.
 
:grin:Major Buzzkill likes to pull-up starboardside and tell you your in a nowake zone(gps 4.5mph) yes sir mr harbor master:grin:
gerryb said:
Sorry - was thinking about New Jersey -- the world's leader of government officials with small shoulders and big chips.

For the record, the vast majority of USCG are not buttheads.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,197
Messages
1,428,343
Members
61,103
Latest member
Navymustng
Back
Top