Questions For any Coasties

[Big Fish Billy]

And I suppose if you could fly a quarantine flag and keep the CG off, every drug runner would have one....

I was boarded once in 6 foot seas, I asked if we couldn't wait a few minutes until we were safely inside the harbor. They said they had to do it there. They didn't make contact with my boat, very good job of boarding in rough seas. Once on board and polking around, we had a sleeping baby on board. My wife said "you wake him, you own him." That was enough to clear them out.......I'm never doing anything wrong, have the Facility sticker every year, so I don't care what they do. I can rememeber plenty of times before Towboat US, when I was glad to see them coming, so if they have to go through an exercise for training etc., fine with me......

[Bligh]

I'm a former coastie and was stationed down that way for about 3 years, so I'll weigh in with a few thoughts. Forgive the lack of coherency as I am a little pressed for time-

1) it sounds like you got boarded by a small boat from a station as a cutter would have hailed you on the radio first and probably resolved the customs issue first

2) they really can't open drawers without permission or probable cause

3) messing up someone's boat is never acceptable, and we were trained as coxswains and boarding officers how not to do that.

4) I used to jokingly classify boarding officers into 2 types: one that felt empowered by their weapon and one that felt responsibility because they carried a weapon... you can interpret that how you want

5) there should be some contact info. on the paper work they left if you want to talk to a decision maker

I am proud of my service in the USCG and a better man for it, so I am sorry to hear your experience was not a good one.

Maybe what you are saying is true and there are some good CG men. Maybe because your the type thats on this thread you have respect for your job and for the people your protecting . On enougher trip south past canaveral it got really rough{fierce to frieghtning} off the cape and the captain that I was mating for then decided to duck in canaveral port. Well the CG decided to search the boat in the harbor. They litterally tore the boat apart lookin for hidden compartments or what ever? They opened drawers doors and were threatning to open the bulkheads up. The boat was clean except for the mess they left. I have not been running boats near as much as in the 80s but they were out of control then with the war on drugs. I cant imagine now with the so called war on terror and securing our borders?{open mexico border} I did have the opputunity to watch the atlantic city NJ CG station harrass every striper fisherman daily fishing day after day.At the point of a manned pod mounted auto pointed at them. Yes that was in 2005-2006, not that long ago. (I made a complaint and erged all my fellow fisherman to contact congressman Lobiondo who was over seeing the CG then. It seemed to help as they calmed down.

[Deep C]

I said it at the start I have no issue with a boarding. Thats their job. There is a right way and a wrong way though. I have taken notice on the last few boats that I have run that after being boarded once they just havn't boarded them again after that initial one. i have seen them come into position like they were going to board then turn off.
I was stopped and boarded by several agencies in one night comming in from swording on the first Albemarle I ran. Started with Coast Guard, a few minutes later Customs, then Border Patrol then a second Customs and finally a Sherrif. You would think they would communicate with each other but I guess not. All of those boardings were done professionally and all commenced with permission to board.
In seeing and notification of customs clearance status I would think that they should have radioed for verification first. I was taken back that they didn't seem to even know. I'm not real upset or anything. I'm just wondering what this was really all about.

[bigfish4me]

I would imagine you have been on the water enough, and been boarded enough to know what is the norm. Sounds like a shitty experiance to have them wreck the boat by tossing everything.....sounds like the guards tossing a cell down in a prison. Do you think you were singled out? Do you think one of your haters would make a call to whoever and give them a bogus tip?...I hope not and i am glad you breezed through it with flying colors.....keep up the great work deep and keep posting up your reports, the toothy fish aint to far away up here in Jersey....it will be time to go pig stickin

[Deep C]

I talked to a source... Says they can board you in the capacity of doing a "Customs search" but they are to notify you and other agency of that intention. I was never notified of intentions at all. Seemed to be multi pronged approach. While one went at CG compliance the other was looking for something then they switched roles...
Oh well... I may just send them a clean up bill...

[Capt_John]

Capt John
Homeland security has been given new profiling protocols to keep the nation safe. They started right before the tea parties. The bigest threat to the nation in the new administration is anyone who believes in the constitution and has previously defended it. There will always be profiling, it is an effective way to defend against a threat. The new administration sees patriotic Americans as a threat to their socialist views so they will go after them this way.

The Deep C is a white guy that is running an expensive boat and has publicly stated that he is a gun owner. This fit the profile that is a threat to their ideaology so homeland security was tasked to assess the threat. The administration has yet to form their civilian army so they rely on the assets already in place. The coast guard was working on orders to ascertain the threat to the nation.

Ummm ok.... well I'm a minority that runs expensive boats, has lots of guns, and I think homeland security goes a little too far sometimes. So as far as you're concerned, I'm screwed huh?

I think the coasties that boarded Deep may have been undertrained and didn't know all the rules and procedures exactly. This is no excuse whatsoever, but it could explain it. They probably had good intentions, but went about it way wrong. Kind of like any other LEO's out there. I think Deep had the right idea to send a clean up bill and go from there.

Actually, if you send them a clean up bill then we are going to pay for the clean up. I can't afford it Deep. CLEAN IT YOURSELF!!

[chumslicker27]

They dont have to ask to come on board because of the safety inspection loophole... They come on to perform the safety inspection and try to use their bag of tricks and tools.... ie probable cause, reasonable suspicion, etc.. to gain access to uncommon places... What they did sounds just plain wrong... However, they are allowed to just board you for no other reason than the safety inspection...
BS if you ask me!

[Captain Michael Buffington]

or another oldie...Iowa dirt farmers with a dream

Mike

[Big Fish Billy]

Oh well... I may just send them a clean up bill...

Now that's funny right there.......

[Deep C]

Now that's funny right there.......

They may fail to see the humor in it. My time is VERY expensive...