Boarded by Coast Guard
 

This was a first for me. Cruising down the estuary into Alameda, got boarded by the Coast Guard. They ran down a list of safety items, etc. I had most of it, but my Coast Guard documentation was, of course, expired by 2 weeks, DOH!

They said I may or may not get a call regarding them issuing a fine, or something to that effect.

Does this happen frequently?

I’ve only been boarded a couple times. I know some that seem to be a USCG magnet.

It does happen, but not frequently.

Dunno how to assess frequency, but I had one boarding last year. No deficiencies, no hassles. Party of a three, plus the coxswain of the RIB. They had come from a 110 standing off about a half mile.

once you have a boarding CG4100 boarding form, they are supposed to not board you for another year without probanle cause.

Because there was a discrepancy, I believe now you may not have that priviledge.

Once you get a clean one, then so.

But in reality, if you are in the right place at the right time.....sure you might get boarded and no USCGAUX sticker or previous 4100 will matter.

Michael

Is your vessel properly State registered with CA numbers etc? Or do you claim it to be a Documented vessel? Or both?

Begging the question, when does a CA domiciled vessel need up to date USCG Documentation?

You can’t just claim to have a documented vessel. You actually have the document and a sticker with the expiration date on port window. It must be renewed yearly.

We have been boarded one time in the almost 30 years of boating. I think they were doing training, and it was our turn.
Fortunately we had all the documentation and equipment required.
It was totally painless, we never changed speed or course per their instructions.

Not to be funny buts what’s a documention sticker? We have a certificate but no sticker.

There is no documenttion sticker, just the certificate which you must have on board and up to date. You may be referring to your state tag sticker which should still be displayed somewhere visible on the vessel, though not necessarily on the bow since you do not have to display your state reg number.

Regarding the CG4100, last,and only, time I was boarded when they handed me the "your golden" they told me that if I showed it to a boarding party within six weeks then they would not board. I seem to remember that this was on the form as well. This was some time ago so things may have changed. Regardless they can board you at any time for cause.

We have a MD "Documented Vessel" sticker good for 2 yrs. I suspect that this s what's being referenced. AFAIK there is NO such sticker from the USCG, unless I've been doing it wrong for 25 yrs as a documented vessel owner.Attachment 75168

you have to request deletion of documentation...

as usual, I suspect its best done in plenty of time to avoid the overlap of expiration and deletion.

I suspect no fine as a recreational boater but you never know.

no federal sticker...in the old days you got one to stick on tbe "original COD" for yearly renewal.

Documented here too. No sticker. I kinda wish I did have one! Lol

Last time i was boarded they took my passengers aboard the coast guard Boat and provided a pilot to drive my boat to the dock.

Uh oh!

My boat seems to be a boarding magnet. I average once per year and twice last year (doing the Loop). The more you use your boat, the higher the odds per year as they generally aren't boarding boats at the dock. Also, if you tend to use your boat during the week, you're more likely to get boarded for practice. When I'm the only boat out and there coming the other way, odds go way up. I've gotten use to it and find it's great fun to flirt with the girl coasties.

Ted

Hmm, my sticker actually came with the document. I’m heading over now, so I’ll check it out.

Nope... no sticker here either. I wonder if it is a state thing?

Ditto. We use the boat in the winter, the Coasties get bored so we get boarded generally once a year. Never seen any girl Coasties but there must be some of them. Otherwise, how would you get boy Coasties?

I was about 2nm offshore and they approached and called me on the radio. It was kinda snotty, about 4'. I told them I did not like the idea of two boats transferring folk in those conditions. A bud had been boarded offshore and took some damage to his boat, I was remembering that. I told them that if they insisted, I would run the boat into a nearby inlet and they could board in quiet water. They agreed and so off we went. Boarding was without any trouble, no deficiencies.

It was a young crew, and I think they wanted to train for offshore boardings. I was not into that. Not matter how good you are, two hard shell boats in 4' are going to bang the hell out of each other.

I have been boarded multiple times. This has always been at my request though in my big boat though.

The local Coast Guard station near me is a training ground and I would rather expose new Coastie‘s to big boats before they go to other populated areas where they would cause issues.

Most of the kids have never been on a boat bigger than the one they are boarding from. A lot of the time there are two ribs out and they are practicing towing each other and setting anchors. This should give you an indication as to how new they are.

I personally keep all of my documentation in a binder and present it to them. The very first section of the binder is Alexander Hamilton‘s letter to the revenue service.

The experienced coxswains know who I am and always take a moment to ask the new kids if they know the significance of that letter.

This has developed a great working relationship between the local guys and myself when they see me on the water.

Several weeks ago, I was using my dinghy to pull a disabled boat back to the dock. They had the audacity to stop me as I was dragging this boat. I was only about 100 yards from the boat ramp and they had me stop completely.

One of the new kids came up to me and got my information. When he walked it back to the coxswain, the coxswain said “we know him, he’s good” and I went on my way.

Unfortunately for me in my area, the Coast Guard auxiliary thinks that it has more power than it really does. As a whole, they tend to harass boaters in our area and I have personally observed them be sent away by local law-enforcement officers.

I know there are some good volunteers, but as the saying goes, one bad apple.

Donna, if you used a documentation company to do your paperwork when you bought the boat they may have sent everything through to you together. So you probably got you doc cert and state tag in the one mailing. In future you will renew these separately.

Apply for the update to your documentation NOW. It will show it was an honest oversight on your part and you quickly corrected it.
Thank them for pointing out this discrepancy.
That's the best you can do.

They took your passengers to the USCG boat and your boat to the dock for a further inspection? What was their reasoning?

Letter by Hamilton ??
Perhaps you will provide us a copy for our binders?

The last time I had a USCG volunteer on my boat, I knew more than she did.
I considered it an opportunity to expand her expected knowledge. It was fun and I'm sure she will remember what she learned.

Reminds me, I need that voluntary inspection again. Mine is maybe 3 years old. In my cases, everything is up to date and the inspection is a snap.

They are supposed to watch you apply the sticker to your vessel. Something else she didn't know.

Not sure what you mean
 

You get no sticker with USCG documentation, or at least I have never received one.

Any Canadians boarded/inspected by Canadian Coast Guard?

No coast guard where I am except during canada day weekend, but seen people boarded by OPD. Each year though the guards offer free inspection at my marina when they come aboard on your request to inspect security items and if you are compliant they give you a sticker mentioning that this boat has been inspected at a given date and is compliant.

L

BTW another inspection I have been through a couple of times was when we kept the boat at a marina. A CG inspector came down the dock and told me he as coming aboard to do a MSD inspection. He poured a dye into both heads and flushed. Then went outside and watched for the dye. He didn't bother checking y-valves or through hulls - just the dye test.

One USCG boarding in the bay, and one USCG/Fed "interview" offshore for drugs.

In CA, no stickers or external stuff needed when Fed documented. Just an up to date doc on hand, and the numbers need to be permanently a-fixed in the engine room, certain size lettering, and font if you read the fine print.

Got boarded so many times on trips back and forth to Bimini in the 80’s finally carried a letter from my attorney.

That's the FRE inspection (Florida Revenue Enhancement). No other purpose than to add money to the county's budget.

I went through one of those at Daytona Beach (Halifax Harbor). At 7am my boat was surrounded by Sheriff Deputy's and the CG had people there as well. They woke us up (Me, my wife and 4 year old son), made us come out on deck. Oh, and they weren't nice or courteous about it either.

The CG had their inflatable boat with the automatic weapon mounted on front and a PO at the ready.

They did their flush, went through the boat. At the end all the jack boot thugs could complain about was the location of my state sticker and gave me a warning about it.

My wife and son were terrified. Absolutely unprofessional and abuse of power. Later that morning I asked the dock master about it and he said they were able to fine 10 boats.

our
If a US vessel is in Canadian water or a Canadian vessel is in US waters, they can be boarded. This happens frequently in the Great Lakes.

If you US vessel is in any foreign waters, you can be boarded by that county's coast guard. End of story.

It doesnt matter if you are officially "documented" or not.... You may be boarded.

There used to be a pendant one could fly if you were US documented vessel but, I think that was only good in US waters.

Not what I asked, but thanks anyways.

I’d board you too just to look around that kickass boat of yours.

No doubt very annoying. They were using you and your vessel as a training aid for the newbie CG folks.


I know of one guy, got boarded, provided sandwiches and coffee and soft drinks (pop) to the guardsman. While onboard the guardsman were freshly fed and when they finished with the inspection, they swapped places with the guardsman left onboard the RIB. Obviously, the inspection took a lot longer than usual but as his reward, they didn't bother him again. Sometimes it pays to be nice to the guys with the guns. :flowers:

It really helps to have a deep V hull in an ocean swell to speed these inspections along.
There was a non-compliant MSD on board, but I was able to lead the guardsman around long enough in the bilge to get him sick. The dude with the clipboard got impatient. Then they all left.

I invited the local police to bring their drug dog on board for training.
They thanked me and said, they were too busy doing the real searches.

See, they didn't find the 40 tons of grass nor the 200 illegal aliens hidden in the bilges. TEASING

I try to follow all the rules, regulations and laws because even at 75 years old, I am still too pretty to go to prison and those cavity searches aint no fun. Lemme give you one bit of advice when under going a cavity search, that is not the time to yell out, "Oh baby!" Even my doctor didn't see the humor in that. One year he made his request, I told him, "Not without dinner and a movie." LOL He cancelled that exam.

everyone has A story or 2, not the usual situation with USCG boardings.

Early 1980s in Miami... different story back then... :)

Every story that contains the phrase "jack booted thugs" I put in the file with college peacenicks holding a rally and spitting on any and all uniforms..... :)

A little professionalism and courtesy go a long way.

When the beer bellied Deputy is treating you and your family like a drug bust, and uniformed members of the CG are decked out in SWAT gear with loaded weapons, all because they want to check a sanitation device, the lost respect comes out.

NOW, that is non-PC and can get you a trip to the dock, further inspection and a cavity search by a huge male coastguardsman.

I can guarantee the USCG was not in swat gear... only life jackets, bulletproof vests and normal sidearms.....

....machine guns on the boat?... no way...couldnt use them anyway in a crowded marina without killing innocents...especially not resonding to anything other than assistance to local LEOs.

your story is definitely not believable, so mutual loss of respect is to be expected.

I left the States a decade ago, but from your stories it doesn’t sound like its gotten any friendlier out on the water.

Over here my boat was a small center console. Would take it about 10nm out into the Gulf so never really offshore or the Hormuz Straits.

However the Coast Guard here was always very actively tracking and checking on me and everyone else. Even out at sea in the ship anchorages. When the Emir was scheduled to fly over then we were forced to stop and wait it out while being watched.

But these stops were all for security reasons, no safety. No one cared about our PFFs [emoji846].

We learned to get over the annoyance aspect of it all and just roll with it. However nowadays with the embargo things have escalated to the level of paranoia, so I’m glad I sold the boat.

They probably want to check out your boat :)

I have a friend who is a retired Naval aviator whose last sea-going assignment was exec of Lexington when it was the school ship at Pensacola.

We were drifting along Perdido Bay in his 30-foot sloop when boarded by a single BM3. The kid was elaborately courteous, obviously working from a memorized script, occasionally stumbling over unfamiliar words. As he handed over the carbon of his report he asked if the captain had taken any seamanship classes. My friend replied, "not really, but I picked up a few tricks in the Navy." The kid earnestly recommended contacting the Power Squadron.

In WA, every boat must have, and display, a current WA State Registration sticker (much like a license tab). If you are documented, you don’t need to display the WA state registration number on the bow. If you don’t have that registration number displayed, then presumably you are a documented vessel. If you don’t have either, then you are not in compliance with both state and federal law.

I've been boarded by the USCG once. Other times they've approached, shouted a few questions, then gone on their way.

I'm always a little miffed why they insist on shouting from boat to boat before boarding rather than hailing on the VHF. They shouted over asking if I had any weapons aboard. I told them there was a can of bear spray somewhere onboard. They insisted I "holster the bear spray" before they climbed aboard my boat. I shouted back that wouldn't be necessary since it was buried deep in a locker.

It's pretty weird having armed, helmeted guys in big boots searching the boat under the guise of a safety inspection. They looked all over—in the head, in the engine room, the master hanging lockers, galley storage, lazarette... Total time aboard was more than 45 minutes. Maybe a 20-something alone on a trawler in the San Juans is suspicious?

I was in compliance with all the laws and they found nothing amiss, but they couldn't get their printer to work so I got no proof of compliance.

The real bummer was they held me up long enough I couldn't make it back to home port in daylight.

The officers were professional and courteous, but the whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth about the Coast Guard.

My experience with the USCG has been exceptionally positive. They have been great when boarding me, were great when they responded to a boat fire that I responded to, and have been helpful on the radio.

Maybe my perceptions are due to my innate bias. I naturally tend to provide respect to public servants, LEOs, and all members of the armed forces. Very rarely do they disappoint.

My only complaint about the USCG in my area is that often the radios operators are either too far from their mic or are speaking too softly. They have plenty of power, we get good reception, but their input volume is way too low.

OK, that's just tooooo funny!!:lol: