Boarded by Coast Guard

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

menzies said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

MurrayM said:

Any Canadians boarded/inspected by Canadian Coast Guard?

Click to expand...

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.

OldDan1943 said:

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.

Click to expand...

Not what I asked, but thanks anyways.

Delfin said:

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?

Click to expand...

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

Sugardog said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

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.

O C Diver said:

I've gotten use to it and find it's great fun to flirt with the girl coasties.

Ted

Click to expand...

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.

CaptRonn said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

O C Diver said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

sunchaser said:

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?

Click to expand...

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.

OldDan1943 said:

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.

Click to expand...

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

OldDan1943 said:

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

Click to expand...

https://media.defense.gov/2017/Jul/02/2001772367/-1/-1/0/HAMILTONLETTER.PDF

OldDan1943 said:

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

Click to expand...

I was young, offshore about 20 miles with my friend who was the only one of age and 4 women. They (girls) were drinking beer, I was trying to fix the boat and apparently doing large 1 mile circles, they CG thought it was a drug deal (drop), they thought I was drinking, which I wasn’t. They took the crew and took over my boat till we got to the dock and they could sort thinks out. All the girls had to call their moms, funny now looking back

Retriever said:

I've been boarded by the USCG once. ...

It's pretty weird having armed, helmeted guys in big boots searching the boat ...
The officers were professional and courteous, but the whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth about the Coast Guard.

Click to expand...

hey, you might have had an undersize halibut in that hanging locker!

You are fortunate to cruise in a very civilized part of the US coastal waters. Spend more time in the straights of FL so these inspections won't be so unnatural.

dhays said:

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.

Click to expand...

Non WA vessels can travel throughout Puget Sound without the Registration sticker. Keeping in mind the time duration.

I am sure this has been answered previous, but can one refuse the boarding of the CG? I seem to remember reading that one can, but would be ticketed for doing so. I personally dislike the idea of anyone being able to board my boat without some suspicion of illegal activity. Its not that I don't like the CG, I do, but it just rubs me the wrong way to be involuntarily detained even if only for minutes, without probable cause.

Some states (like California) don't require registration if the vessel is federally documented. If a vessel is documented and resides in a state requiring certification, registration sticker must be displayed but the registration numbers on the hull are prohibited. Federally documented boats must have the documentation number permanently displayed in the vessels interior, and the boat's name and "home" port (place name and state) on the hull's exterior.

78puget-trawler said:

I am sure this has been answered previous, but can one refuse the boarding of the CG? I seem to remember reading that one can, but would be ticketed for doing so. I personally dislike the idea of anyone being able to board my boat without some suspicion of illegal activity. Its not that I don't like the CG, I do, but it just rubs me the wrong way to be involuntarily detained even if only for minutes, without probable cause.

Click to expand...

Small USCG boats are typically armed with a machine gun, automatic rifle, shotgun, and pistols so they have the potential to dish out harm if they insist on boarding. If weather/sea conditions warrant however, one could plead that it would be unsafe at the current time and place for a boarding.

Refusing boarding

78puget-trawler said:

I am sure this has been answered previous, but can one refuse the boarding of the CG? I seem to remember reading that one can, but would be ticketed for doing so. I personally dislike the idea of anyone being able to board my boat without some suspicion of illegal activity. Its not that I don't like the CG, I do, but it just rubs me the wrong way to be involuntarily detained even if only for minutes, without probable cause.

Click to expand...

The short answer is NO. Since the founding of the Revenue Service (now US Customs) you cannot refuse boarding if you are in US waters. USCG officers are considered Customs officers by regulation. This has been challenged many times all the way to the Supreme Court and has been upheld every time. Though the results can be funny when someone tries.

markpierce said:

Small USCG boats are typically armed with a machine gun, automatic rifle, shotgun, and pistols so they have the potential to dish out harm if they insist on boarding. If weather/sea conditions warrant however, one could plead that it would be unsafe at the current time and place for a boarding.

Click to expand...

Not a very useful answer...

OldDan1943 said:

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.

Click to expand...

Thanks, that's exactly what I did. Went online last night and renewed.

wwestman said:

The short answer is NO. Since the founding of the Revenue Service (now US Customs) you cannot refuse boarding if you are in US waters. USCG officers are considered Customs officers by regulation. This has been challenged many times all the way to the Supreme Court and has been upheld every time. Though the results can be funny when someone tries.

Click to expand...

That was my understanding as well, but as I said, I believe I have read that one could actually take a ticket and refuse a boarding. I will have to look it up again. Without probable cause no other law enforcement has such authority to invade the private premises of a citizen, ( to my knowledge), without probable cause or a warrant for which probable cause must be shown to be granted. And no not playing "sea lawyer".