Doug, we never disagreed on that at all. My comments were about the an act
that involved presumption of a future, non-existent emergency.

You have really lost me now. I prefer to base my plans on a future
possability of a very real emergency.

I am very glad I am a ham. The safety it affords me is far greater than
any provided by the CG or CGA with regard to contacting someone to
dispatch help. Once the CG is contacted then their assistence is some
of the best in the world. Close to shore, the towing services are excellent.
In my case, I sent an email via Winlink to a station in Dallas, that message
was forwarded to my friend in Baltimore who called Vessel Assist. 30
minutes later I was contacted on VHF that they were in-transit, 15 or 30
minutes later they were there. That's hard to beat.

Best,

Jack