[C320-list] Boarded by the Coast Guard

[dluzader]

We were boarded by the Coast Guard in the southern Chesapeake the summer
before last and it was something of a learning experience.  As their dinghy
approached, we were under full sail on a close reach and I called across,
asking whether we should drop our sails.  We were instructed to maintain
course and speed while the Dinghy approached and dropped off the boarding
party of two (or perhaps three) guys.  Only my wife and I were on board, so
I set the autopilot and began pulling out gear for the inspection while we
continued to make way.  I'm not sure what they would have done if I was
single-handing without an autopilot.

The Guardsmen were polite and friendly through the entire process, but I was
taken aback a bit when one of them, while seated behind the wheel of my boat
asked whether my vessel was equipped with an inboard or outboard engine.
That underscores an important point, though; these guys are not necessarily
all that experienced when it comes to sailboats (more on that in a moment).
After passing the inspection, we were given a gold-colored form and told it
would allow us to waive off inspection boardings for a period of time (30 or
60 days as I recall).  "Good as Gold" they called it.  Sure enough, the next
day as we approached Norfolk, out came another Coast Guard boat.  Without
even slowing down we passed the form across which they read and handed back.
That was it -- no boarding.

The next day, we happened to meet a Coast Guardsman who was on vacation with
his family at the marina where we were staying in Norfolk.  He told us the
CG was under a new directive to specifically target sailboats.  It wasn't,
apparently, due to any particular threat.  The Guard doesn't like to deal
with sailboats, the guy told us, because the boarding process isn't as
straightforward as it is with power boats.  As a result, they usually
ignored them.  No longer.

Doug Luzader
Assignment
Catalina 350
Tracy's Landing, MD


On Sun, May 8, 2011 at 11:58 AM, Ray Durand <durand.mail at verizon.net> wrote:

> As I was leaving Avalon Harbor (Catalina Island) a few days ago, I noticed
> a
> Coast Guard boat just outside the breakwater.  Sure enough, a dinghy with 4
> or 5 guardsmen approached our boat and they asked when was the last time I
> had been inspected.  It was about 4-5 years since this last happened to us.
> Two guardsmen came aboard.  FYI - here's what they wanted to see:
>
>
>
> Fire extinguishers
>
> Flares (they checked the dates)
>
> Bilge
>
> Placards re oil and trash disposal
>
> Registration
>
> ID (driver license)
>
>
>
> They also wanted to see that my holding tank through hull valve was closed.
>
>
>
> Last time this happened to me, my flares were out of date.  They wrote me
> up
> and I had to send in proof that I had purchased new flares.  There wasn't
> any penalty associated with this.
>
>
>
> Ray Durand, #822
>
> Marina del Rey, CA
>
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