Here in the USA, this is National Safe Boating Week.
All boaters are encouraged to:
Check all of their safety equipment,
Replace anything that is no longer serviceable or expired,
Make sure all lights and safety devices are working on their boats and trailers,
Make sure there is an approved floatation device on board for each passenger your boat is rated to carry,
Get a Vessel Safety Check by the USCG Auxiliary, US Power Squadron, or other state agency,
Take a boating safety class (you may get a discount on your boat insurance), and
Make this a continuing personal policy through the whole year.
Be safe folks, so you can keep fishing!
One advantage of getting a coast guard auxiliary or power squadron inspection around here is that every time the various county marine patrols give you an inspection and start going down their checklist, I just ask" can I just give you the coast guard auxiliary inspection form, it's got all the information on it already?" Speeds up the process.
;D ;D
http://cgaux.org/vsc/
I always have a current inspection decal, it doesn't seem to make a difference, but at least having the completed form speeds the process up. The county marine patrols are Sheriffs, and each county has its own unit. One time we were tied up at the dock, and as 9 or 10 piled into the boat across the dock, (I think the kids had life jackets on but not the adults) they inspected us instead.
They probably have you pegged as a troublemaker because you're one step ahead of them. :-\ Having the sticker is no guarantee of not getting boarded but most agencies won't re-inspect over and over. That's too bad you have to be subjected to it. It sounds like you're doing everything you can to be safe.
Here's the CGAux form used for vessel inspections:
http://forms.cgaux.org/archive/a7012.pdf
It's not the same guys rechecking, just different jurisdiction's Marine patrols, sometimes I think they select me because I do have the sticker, everyone in my boat is usually wearing a PFD (my wife and I always do, I give the other adults the option and some chose not to), so they can do a quick easy successful check. Don't get me wrong, I know I'll pass so it doesn't bother me, but when you see three 300 lb guys and a dog not wearing PFD's in a 12 foot aluminum boat with 4" of freeboard, I'm thinking they might really benefit from a inspection......
Quote from: seaeagle2 on May 19, 2013, 04:53:50 PM
..... when you see three 300 lb guys and a dog not wearing PFD's in a 12 foot aluminum boat with 4" of freeboard, I'm thinking they might really benefit from a inspection......
::) ::)