In article .com,
"Bob" wrote:

Hi Bruce:

Sounds as though you may have some insight here. How about a "what if."
Lets say I am a US citizen sailing about 350 miles off the CA shore. I
am not flying any flags. After all, I am less than 12 meters LOA and a
recreational vessel. I just spent a few months in Peru and returning
home to Astoria, Or. A US warship says, pull over we want to board.
Can I tell them to buzz off and keep sailing?

Bob


At that point Maritime Law says "He who has the Biggest Guns at the
momment, decides what the Law is, at that momment".....
I suspect that you would be hailed, and asked, to state, or show a Flag.
If you choose not to, then you would be boarded as a "Pirate". If you
choose to lie, and declare a Flag of another nation, and got caught,
you would be boarded and taken into custody as a Pirate. If you
stated you were a US Flagged vessel, you would be boarded and inspected
like any other US Flagged Vessel.

The US Navy, wouldn't be hailing you on the High Seas, unless they had a
specific Tasking to do so, so I suspect that this wouldn't actually be a
real senerio. The USCG however does routinely hail and board unFlagged
vessels in international waters.


Bruce in alaska
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add a 2 before @