John I've got to reply to a few points, which I hope you'll accept in the spirit
offered.

John wrote:

Hi Jimmy,
I am a canuck who had his sailboat in Seattle and took a trip in my
dinghy up through the locks into Lake
Union. I was accosted by two incredibly rude Harbour cops

Sorry about those guys. Prickly as Hell.

who hassled
me big time over no registration
numbers on my boat and the fact I was a foreigner didn't make any
difference to them in the slightest.

As it shouldn't, right? Putting aside the interpersonal difficulties, you
*were* driving an unregistered boat through the locks. No case could be made
that the boat was performing as a tender. Can't agree with you on that one - it
was pretty blatant.

I can't imagine some American being smiled at and given a 'tsk tsk' for being a
mile into WG when it's active, can you? OK, not completely comparable, but
rules and laws about these things in the US aren't created to hassle Canadians,
of all people.

You can't go anywhere other that from your boat to shore by the shortest
possible route in an unregistered
dinghy.

Not strictly true, at least here in WA. We can do the odd setting of crab pots
and exploring a harbor. I suppose that the law may be as you state it, but I've
never heard of being hassled for that 'near boat' stuff.

That was about 10 years ago and I haven't been back and have
no plans to ever go again.
That country is simply not worth the hassle between the border guards,
coasties and harbour police.

If you
really want a treat.... go to San Diego and try anchoring. Harbour
Nazi's decend on you in droves.

Large cities tend to be that way. San Diego has had a horrible problem with
anchored boats and they have been aggressive in trying to keep it under control.
One can't anchor 'just anywhere', for a variety of very good reasons. But
San Diego doesn't have exclusive hold on 'harbor nazi-ism'.

Two years ago a friend who spends a lot of time anchored in French Creek
(Vancouver, CA for your easterners) was busted big time, hassled for hours, made
him report here and there, and fined in the hundreds for "Trespassing", which is
the charge they laid when he overstayed an hour or so at a moorage on Granville
Island. He admitted his error, but felt the reaction and treatment were out of
line. Frankly I couldn't believe he was talking about Canada. But cities are
strange animals.

But did you check any source, whatever, to determine where you might anchor? If
not, why not? You certainly can't drop into Vancouver Harbour or Victoria and
anchor anywhere. Or Esquimault, which begins to compare to San Diego with its
huge and varied Navy presence, right?

One of the most valid criticisms of Americans I hear from my Canadian friends is
that some of them, sometimes, act as though 'Canada were just another state' and
fail to recognize that it is a sovereign nation. That's a fair judgement and
embarrassing to us who do know and respect the distinction.

But, reading your message, I wonder if perhaps you didn't act a little bit that
way even if, on reflection, you knew better.



Good luck going south but myself and many others won't ever go south
again. Hope this helps.
cheers John

On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 04:35:00 GMT, Chuck Bollinger
wrote (with possible editing):

John I've got to reply to a few points, which I hope you'll accept in the spirit
offered.

....snip

Nice post, Chuck. I agree completely.

You didn't mention the Patriot Act. There, I have to agree with Jimmy
completely - it's hard to imagine taking away citizen's rights and
calling it patriotic. Frankly, I consider John Ashcroft to be the
most dangerous American since McCarthy.

Jimmy, just know that many of us firmly disagree with Ashcroft, the
Patriot Act, DMCA, UCITMA, and a host of other atrocities and we're
trying to change them through the electoral process.

That said, I should note that Canada has its share of idiots as well.
I live on the border and have seen and dealt with my share, including
filing charges against one particularly egregious border Nazi.

--

Larry

McCarthy....?????

ummmmmmm ..... McCarthy was completely VINDICATED during the Clinton
Administration by the Russian govt. disclosure of the "Venona Papers"
which flatly documented that McCarthy was wrong ONLY in the fact that
the Soviet penetration into the heart of the US govt. was 7 times larger
in numbers than even McCarthy was after. McCarthy's chief
source/witness, Whittaker Chambers, the center piece of the 'all the
hububb' was awarded the highest award given to non-military personnel.

Dont confuse McCarthy with the bipartisan House of Unamerican Activities
Committee (HUAC) - freaks from BOTH parties ... whose retired members
are now apparently posting political trolls on rec.boats.cruising, etc.

On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 21:56:28 GMT, RichH wrote
(with possible editing):

McCarthy....?????

ummmmmmm ..... McCarthy was completely VINDICATED during the Clinton
Administration by the Russian govt. disclosure of the "Venona Papers"
which flatly documented that McCarthy was wrong ONLY in the fact that
the Soviet penetration into the heart of the US govt. was 7 times larger
in numbers than even McCarthy was after. McCarthy's chief
source/witness, Whittaker Chambers, the center piece of the 'all the
hububb' was awarded the highest award given to non-military personnel.

Dont confuse McCarthy with the bipartisan House of Unamerican Activities
Committee (HUAC) - freaks from BOTH parties ... whose retired members
are now apparently posting political trolls on rec.boats.cruising, etc.

Ok, I wasn't going to respond, but I can't keep my big mouth
(fingers?) shut!

McCarthy vindicated? Ok, and Roy Cohn was a choir boy.

This country was founded on the cornerstone of free speech and
personal liberty. If the system was somehow less viable than
Communism, then Communism is what we'd have today and probably what we
deserve. But that's not what happened. Communism as practiced in the
Soviet Union fell apart. The Chinese have seen the writing on the
wall and have adopted Capitalism as a way to develop their nation.
(Yes, they're still a closed society with no respect for individual
rights; I'm not defending them). Cuba is still an economic disaster,
more so now that the prior Soviet Union is no longer supporting them.

Communism doesn't work. Maybe some can argue that it should, but in
very practical terms, it doesn't. That said, if someone wants to
argue the point, it's his right and we really don't need to publicly
excoriate someone for expressing his beliefs.

No flame intended. I lived through the McCarthy era and HUAC as well.
I won't question their motives, as perhaps I should, but the best I
can say about them is that I think they were all, uhh, ill-advised.

Now, to go register my dinghy. Here in NH, we have to register
ANYTHING that floats and has a motor. Even my canoe with a little
electric.

--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

Hey, now don't go calling McCarthy bad things... he was a true patriot,
exposing known spies in Washington. Read Treason by Ann Coulter for the real
story.


"L. M. Rappaport" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 04:35:00 GMT, Chuck Bollinger
wrote (with possible editing):

John I've got to reply to a few points, which I hope you'll accept in the
spirit
offered.

...snip

Nice post, Chuck. I agree completely.

You didn't mention the Patriot Act. There, I have to agree with Jimmy
completely - it's hard to imagine taking away citizen's rights and
calling it patriotic. Frankly, I consider John Ashcroft to be the
most dangerous American since McCarthy.

Jimmy, just know that many of us firmly disagree with Ashcroft, the
Patriot Act, DMCA, UCITMA, and a host of other atrocities and we're
trying to change them through the electoral process.

That said, I should note that Canada has its share of idiots as well.
I live on the border and have seen and dealt with my share, including
filing charges against one particularly egregious border Nazi.

--

Larry

Subject: Dinghy registration
From: "Keith"

Hey, now don't go calling McCarthy bad things... he was a true patriot,
exposing known spies in Washington. Read Treason by Ann Coulter for the real
story.

Yes, he kept the US free and safe from communist screen writers.
And about all Ms. Coulter is good for is keeping the Young Republicans (both
man and female) in mastabitory fantasies.

Capt. Bill

Spoken like a true Democrat!

"LaBomba182" wrote in message
...
Subject: Dinghy registration
From: "Keith"

Hey, now don't go calling McCarthy bad things... he was a true patriot,
exposing known spies in Washington. Read Treason by Ann Coulter for the
real
story.

Yes, he kept the US free and safe from communist screen writers.
And about all Ms. Coulter is good for is keeping the Young Republicans
(both
man and female) in mastabitory fantasies.

Capt. Bill

Subject: Dinghy registration
From: "Keith"

Spoken like a true Democrat!

You're wrong. But I will still accept the compliment.

Capt. Bill