bertram31.com

country needs money-------coast guard boarded every boat in them hudson canyon checking tuna/shark permits!

Not surprised at all.......

hb

dont double park.

the coast guard boarded over 50 boats along south shore of long island.the penalty for excess bluefin tuna is $25,000 and keel haul on there 100 footer. :cry:

Is Tuna enforcement now a USCG/Homeland Security responsibility or are DEC guys on board? Also, what do you guys know about the "new" BMI requirement that took Geaux Deep's owner's Captai's license? See under Swap and Sell. Sounds unconstitutional to me.

Guy's,
Back in the early 90's I was fishing a big boat for giants out of Gloucester, we were boarded every morning for almost 2 weeks by the crew of the cutter Hamilton (same small boat crew everyday). Everyday we were asked the same questions, checked for the same equipment. checked for permits and documentation. It didn't seem to matter where were we fishing(The Curl, Scantum Basin, Jefferies, Wildcat or Stellwagon) they would show up at dawn or just after. We got sick of the constant boardings and changed locations to the shipping lanes off Nantucket the next week, guess who showed up after 2 days down south. It seems that they were working along with NMFS on permit compliance issues and our boat was chosen because of the amount of fish we were bringing in, 12 fish in 22 days. Big brother is always watching no matter what or where your fishing.
Pete

Pete Fallon wrote:Big brother is always watching no matter what or where your fishing.

It has nothing to do with fishing......

mike ohlstein wrote: It has nothing to do with fishing......

Yep, about the same as TSA preventing terrorism by checking an old ladies diaper.

It has nothing to do with security.

The subjects have to be reminded from time to time who's in charge when a nation of laws gets outta hand.

actually i think its about money. the CG guys are on the clock no matter what they are doing.....why not check parking permits? some big fines just waiting to be paid out there.

Do you "have" to let them onboard? Especially in Petes case of having already checked them that many times before. Once should be enough in todays computer age. Things are getting way out of hand....Like Harry said not surprised...BH

bob h you have no choice in the matter unless your are not a citizen and you have drugs then it it best to run for it ,you have nothing to loose. they will slap your hand and sent you back to your country minus the drugs.we were boarded by one of those small RIB just east of smith point bridge. the kid was about 19 or so. i guess he boarded every boat going through that funnel point he ask the SOP. " do you have weapons on board" "yes i do " he was taken back " were are they " i have a weapon on my right hip "the other guy was holding the RIB to my boat and said do you have life jackets i answer yes i have 8 pfd's aboard then he signal the other rookie lets go.i just acted as a professional captain and i we had mutual respect that day.

Do you "have" to let them onboard?

You don't have to, but the consequences wouldn't be pretty considering after about 2 seconds of refusing them boarding, everyone on board would be leveling their weapon at you. Nowadays that includes a bunch of kids that have a maturity level of a pimpled faced teenager.

Being on the water for over 45 years, my run ins with the CG have been professional to down right combative.

During the early 80's I owned a former APBA championship boat that I ocean ran all the time and I was stopped continuously by the same crew out of Peanut Island CG station and checked.

I contacted the district commander and requested a sit down between him and the commander of the Peanut Island station.
We did and it turned out the station commander had no good justification for stopping me other than harrasment. The district commander told me legaly they could stop me any time I was out there but that in the future more descretion would be used.

It wasn't friendly, but the harrasment stopped.

Most all the other times except the time the line of 31's got stopped in N.C. for so called wreckless behaviour comming by the inlet by a CG group of 20 somethings, including the head dyke, were good and professional.

The worst of all time was the DEA in the early 80's. Those guys were just damn scary. Nothing like a bunch of coke heads with guns.

I don't share Randall's warm fuzzy feeling from any government agency.

nothing warm and fuzzy about it. just a reality check on why they are doing what they are doing NOW. and as i said in another thread....russian czar, rock concert bouncer, union leader.....human nature... power and authority corrupts.

one time during a snow storm in february i go to the bank. as i am driving out i realize i forgot to do something so i pull over to the side (caren in the car) and go to the ATM. i hear loud banging on the door and look at the reflection on the screen. its a DEC guy. i ignore him and finish my business. this guy goes ballistic!!! threatens me with arrest for ignoring an officer of the law and also threatens me with a parking ticket. i just laughed. any east end local can tell you who it was.

I am not sure I understand this whole issue in this specific case. Were they boarding people in the Hudson Canyon or in the bay? I have not heard about anyone being boarded in the canyon or offshore recently.

Bob, you said they pulled you over by the Smith Point Bridge. I don't know how many of you boat along the south shore of Long Island, but 4th of July week can be a real s*%t show because of the overwhelming number of idiots who have no business running a boat even when they are sober. I don't mind the CG being visible and keeping some of the crazy yahoos under control.

This description sounds to me like the CG pulled up, asked some simple questions, the vessel appeared well found and was operated by an apparently responsible and capable captain so they just let you go. What's the beef? Seems to me they handled this incident properly.

Peter- I fished out of there at that time as well, we probably know some of the same folks. The only person I keep in touch with still is Chris Lynch out of Falmouth who owned a blue hulled 32' Holland named "Tashtego".

Boy, but that guy still can fish.

last week the cc stop any boat that looked like it was or could fish for tuna from 5 miles out to canyon ! today they stop every boat coming out of oakdale and checked the dates on your flares. like two boats tied up at a time.

good thing i sold my boat. the flares were from the 70s. maybe original.

does that count?

Bruce - i haven't heard about the NC CG encounter. that must have been before my day... can you share? Bill

I'm getting new flares today then. I think mine are expired and I don't need that hassle.

Guy's.
Expired flares can bring a fine of up to $1,000.00 Not having the correct number of PFD's $1,000.00 Head discharge not locked in a no discharge zone $1,000.00, no sound device $1,000.00. Brings new meaning to the old saying of BOAT break out another thousand.

If you refuse to let the coasties board your vessel your in for a real sh@t storm, just let them come aboard and be pleasant and have all your paperwork ready. If it happens alot call the local USCG office and register a complaint with the OIC.

I was on the DEA's watch list to be stopped & inspected in the early 80's because I was making too many trips offshore. I was chartering my 31 Bertram for Blue Fin, made over 125 trips offshore and back in one season, and I was moving fast over 20 knots, my boat was not consistant with 10 knot Gloucester draggers, that was their reason for stopping my vessel. After being stopped 4 times I called a friend at USCG intelligence division, the boardings stopped but I was still on the watch list for 3 years. I know they were just doing their jobs, but it didn't set well with some of my charter clients, who were doctors, lawyers, judges and even local law enforcement guy's.

Pete

Picked up new flares today.

another bullet dodged....20 years of boating with out of date flares.

jspiezio wrote:Picked up new flares today.

Me too. Actually ordered an offshore SOLAS pack too. Pricey, but there's a huge difference between aerial flares that go up 300 feet and burn for seven seconds, and ones that go 1000 feet and burn for forty seconds.

John.......do you know if New Jersey considers a 12 guage or a 25 millimeter pistol style launcher to be a firearm?

i should look at mine, iam probably due or very close

You cant have it both ways.

We are all tired of the jetskis, go fasts, and jerks with no clue blasting around the bay on a holiday weekend. They dont have telepathic ability to know who is in the know and who is blasted out of their skull.

On any given weekend 50% of the boaters have some sort of violation and on a weekend night half are drunk.

I was once boarded and had no working sound device....not even a bell. This happened on my center console. As the CG Officer was about to write me a violation, I asked how loud does it have to be? Then proceeded to put my fingers in my mouth and whistle. He said..."that will suffice"!!! Lucky day for me!!!

mike ohlstein wrote: Me too. Actually ordered an offshore SOLAS pack too. Pricey, but there's a huge difference between aerial flares that go up 300 feet and burn for seven seconds, and ones that go 1000 feet and burn for forty seconds.

John.......do you know if New Jersey considers a 12 guage or a 25 millimeter pistol style launcher to be a firearm?

Mike

No permits needed in NJ for a flare gun. You are good.

Thanks.

Tony Meola wrote: Mike

No permits needed in NJ for a flare gun. You are good.

Mike- I spoke to friends. Best that I can ascertain is that neither 12mm or 25mm flare pistols are considered firearms. UNLESS you also have a shotgun shell adapting insert or the anti-personnel rounds that are available (e.g., bean bag shells).

If you have an insert or something like the bean bag type shells then it may be considered a weapon.

Around here I'm told the Coast Guard does not count the Pistol Meteors as part of the Required Distress kit, you need the Hand held flares.

I never asked someone of (Real) Authority as I don't need the Headache and I have everything I should and more...but the Aux Coast guard won't give that little Sticker if we just have the 12 ga Pistol kit....not that I allow them on my boat anyway.


Pops used to get boarded weekly on his way past the VZ Bridge ( Right outside our local Coast Guard Station) and right outside his old marina.



Personally, they are doing their job and if everything is up to par you should have no problem. Somehow I'm sure they don't want to go checking boats for illegally kept fish almost as much as you don't want to be boarded.

Then again I have been wrong before...

I spent all three days of the holiday weekend on the water. Between CG, Suffolk police and DEC one was almost always in site within the bay. As was sea tow and boat US, waiting for the idiots.

I for one follow all the rules so I don't mind a spot check here and there. I wish the authorities would focus more on people driving like lunatics rather then counting life jackets and fish. A few years ago I was boarded by Suffolk police and they gave me some sort of receipt showing I had all the proper safety equipment and if I was stopped again I could show the officer.

The holiday weekends are always a low point in the season.

PeterPalmieri wrote:
The holiday weekends are always a low point in the season.

Amen to that.

I'll bet that you're less likely to get stopped if you're flying an American flag.....

I've told a number of you guys many times , an M72 laws rocket is not considered a flare gun no matter how pretty the trail.