"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your story! I'm glad it all ended well. I'm sure you did the
right
thing by calling the USCG.

My question is, what might have you exposed yourself to, legally speaking,
by
boarding the other boat? In the old days of corinthian spirit and
honorable
gentlemanly dealings, your effort would have been appreciated. But these
days
I'm not so sure -- people (and their insurance companies) are too quick to
blame
anyone else they can, and "no good deed goes unpunished." Maritime law
can be
weird sometimes too. Anyone?

I agree that the best thing was to call the Coast Guard. However, in
response to your question, there is a common law principle that danger
invites rescue. It is also generally against public policy to discourage
"Good Samaritan" acts. There have been cases where persons who negligently
or recklessly created a dangerous situation were held responsible for injury
or damage to a rescuer. Of course, this would all depend on the individual
circumstances.