Sea Pigs Attack!

[Hawkwind]

All this thinking about boat drinks got me nostalgic for one of my favorite youtube vids. It's been posted here before but I'll share it again anyway cause it so cracks me up.

YouTube - Idiot shoots himself with a flare gun

[craigtoo]

Originally Posted by LittleMissMagic

We watched the Gestapo...errr officers! turn on their disco lights and pull over an ancient sixteen foot runabout filled with drunken twenty somethings.

I know...I know.. It shouldn't bother me... I should perhaps take this to AFOC, but associating law enforcement with the people that set up and ran concentration camps under Hitler is way over the top for me.

With regard to the situation you describe, it sounds like there were a number of bad decisions all around... perhaps from your friends, or the officers, (or my choice to respond to this post) and they all combined to ruin what should have been a delightful experience.

[uspirate]

Originally Posted by craigtoo

I know...I know.. It shouldn't bother me... I should perhaps take this to AFOC, but associating law enforcement with the people that set up and ran concentration camps under Hitler is way over the top for me.

With regard to the situation you describe, it sounds like there were a number of bad decisions all around... perhaps from your friends, or the officers, (or my choice to respond to this post) and they all combined to ruin what should have been a delightful experience.

Read the Reality check thread

[LarryandSusanMacDonald]

We spent six or eight weeks at anchor about 100 yards from the Coast Guard Station in the inlet at Ft. Pierce. Each weekend we would watch the antics of the boaters and take bets on which one would get stopped by the Coasties.

It soon became obvious that the briefer and /or more numerous the bikinis on board, the more likely to get stopped and boarded. These Coasties were often 18 or 20 years old. The older ones are sitting behind a desk doing something important.

It's not a regulation thing. It's a testosterone thing.

[hellosailor]

Jon-
It looks like someone didn't properly register his sailboat and is entitled to be ticketed for it:

"In Alabama, all mechanically propelled vessels, sailboats, and boats for hire must be registered, but there are a few exceptions to this law:

A vessel operating under a temporary number.
A vessel already covered by a number in full force, such as that of another state, provided the vessel has not been in Alabama more than 90 days.
A vessel temporarily using Alabama waters that is under registry from another country.
A vessel owned by the United States, a single state, a county, or a municipality.
A ship's lifeboat.
A vessel not propelled by machinery except for sailboats and rental boats. "

From Alabama Boat Registration Procedure, Forms, & Information - DMV.ORG

Alabama apparently requires sailboats to be registered "T/T" or otherwise. The fact that the larger boat was documented does not excuse wither vessel from "motor vehicle" laws requiring registration of the motor vehicle. He might be able to plead that the sailboat IS his lifeboat, and that he was teaching the yl how to use the lifeboat, and get that ticket dismissed.

But the charge for DUI? The cop is going to say the boat was being operated erratically and that's why they came over. It probably was erratic, because a student was operating it. Either way, the DUI charge is serious these days, you want a local attorney for that one. You might be able to get that dismissed if you can substantiate some defect or convince the judge that the yl was not "operating" the boat, she was just being "shown" the operation of the boat. (Not to conflict what what is said about using the lifeboat though!)

I don't see Gestapo or Pigs here. I see an overreaction to good enforcement against drunk boating. If they see a boat operating erratically, they MUST check into it. If you are drinking while boating, you may say you aren't drunk--but that's why pilots have a "24 hours NO alcohol" preflight policy. Sounds like they could have been way harsher and the watercops only did what they are supposed to do--and properly at that.

If someone tells me they had to hide the beer--to me that means they KNOW it shouldn't have been there.

[LittleMissMagic]

I agree with all of the input for the most part. It is mainly the fact that immediately before pulling over the sailing dinghy. The officers had checked a very rowdy crowd on board the runabout who obviously had been drinking, WITHOUT giving the driver a breathalizer.
BTW I was at anchor and had less than half of a beer that day.

[erps]

agree with all of the input for the most part. It is mainly the fact that immediately before pulling over the sailing dinghy. The officers had checked a very rowdy crowd on board the runabout who obviously had been drinking, WITHOUT giving the driver a breathalizer.

If that's the basis of the complaint, it may have been evident to the officers that the operator of the runabout had not been drinking. In our state breath tests are voluntary, unless there has been an accident with serious bodily injury or death, at which point you will find yourself in the back of a cruiser headed for the hospital to get some of your blood.

[CalebD]

I have to sympathize. Here in NY (Long Island) I have 2 boats that I do not register because they are sailboats (one 19' and one 14') with no motors, only sails and paddles. There is no registration requirement for them in NY State waters unless a motor is involved or greater than XX feet in length.
Next those FINE GENTLEMEN will be pulling over a few Sunfish sailors because they can't see the registration numbers on the hull because the hull is so low to the water. Give me a break.
Yes, hide the beers, even pull the life preservers on deck but for Christ sake, a boat that can't do more than 5 knots on a good day is no more of a threat than any PWC or worse with a juiced up captain. I am sorry, this is just wrong.
Write your congressman or senator. I hope they don't pull that BS a la legalese in NY State and others along the eastern seaboard.
Perhaps the cutie aboard your friends boat interested the FINE GENTS more than their apparent transgressions. People in power, well, you know...
Is it time to arm all sail powered cat boats with torpedoes to protect us from the Revenuers?
People die on our waters more out of stupidity and high powered engines than boats without engines. It would be interesting to see some meaningful statistic about this to see why the AL legislature ordered the registration of ALL vessels, regardless of propulsion.
I blame the reckless use of PWC for making it harder for the rest of us.
My 27' Tartan with inboard engine I have to register and it ain't cheap.

[CalebD]

have to crap in your pants! This is just over the top sorry (Nazi reference or not, our good intentions ALWAYS get in the way of clear judgement and I am sure this was a testosterone related incident).
You know the law of good intentions, no? The road to Hell is paved with them.

I witnessed an accident here in NYC and the FD showed up before the cops as they were too busy running their usual drills of running 20 cars up and down the West Side Highway or preparing for the next Halloween Parade or whatever. The firemen checked under the hood of the ladies car who had been hit by a pair of younger (overly exuberant) drivers who failed to stop at a stop sign. They smelled gas or whatever and were afraid that a spark from the battery of her car (Caravan or some such model) might cause a spark and a fire that they would have to put out so they used their crow bars to pry her battery connections off. In the process of doing so they broke the battery top, removing on terminal so she could not drive (her car would have been able to limp home or to a repair shop). WTF! Was this the 'good of the many' over the 'good of the few'?
The road to hell IS paved with good intentions.
End of rant.

[HamptonMorgan22]

As a former law enforcement officer. I will tell you how I read it.

So your friends on the cat have.
1. Failed to abide by the law by properly registering there boat.
2. Unlawfully supplied false information to law enforcement officers. To purposely try to avoid the registration laws.

When we run across a person purposely giving out false information its a huge huge red flag. As a general guideline people who provide false information to law enforcement officers, and the general public are criminals, and have something to hide. Clearly they thought they were above or an exception to the laws of your state. This in itself does not give officers a good feeling about about your intentions as a law abiding citizen. They were probably inclined to give them the max tickets/penalties to try to impress upon the citizen the importance of abiding by laws, not just the ones they like.

And they may have thought like I do. Some one would have to be drunk to be on a tiny cat learning to sail in a congested area with tons of drunken power boaters zooming around. As you described

Obviously the teenagers in the ancient runabout had the wherewith all to properly register there boat,carry proper equipment, and not lie to the officers. If they were drunk they should have been ticketed too. But teenagers certainly do not have to be drunk to have a good time or be rowdy

I certainly do not know your officers. But I can almost certainly say I am sure they do not have some sort of grudge out for you or your family. I do not think they go out daily and pick on just sailboats. I think most officers are nice and courteous to law abiding citizens. One of the hardest things we do as officers is give people tickets for having a good time out on the water on a sat afternoon, we all absolutely hate hate to it. But when we come across a citizen who, not only is breaking the law, but providing false information in an attempt to skirt the laws, and has the attitude to call us "seapigs" it makes it little easier to write that ticket.

Its 10$ to register a non motorized sailboat in AL right.