"Charles T. Low" wrote in message
...
1/ We have a great program in Canada, which I think exists in many places
in
the U.S. too, of "courtesy" inspections. However, I don't know if the
police
offers them - I get mine from the CGAux. (In fact, I think the police have
a
formal "zero tolerance" policy.) There are no penalties - it's just
advisory. The "advice," if you found to be in violation, is that if a
police
officer ever stops you, you will be fined.

Luckily I'm not like that. I don't think that a fistfull of citations is the
answer unless the driver/operator is a disrespectful assclown with
absolutely no respect for the safety of others.


So, responsible boaters who have done their best and think their boat is
adequately equipped can have it checked by an authoritative source without
fear of recrimination, and without occupying police resources which
perhaps
could be better utilized elsewhere.

The check on my boat takes a good twenty minutes, so I'm not sure how you
could do that in a boat-ramp line-up. (Are they that slow?)

Well, actually sometimes they are that slow. I've seen 10 to 15 trucks with
boats on the trailer waiting their turn in line.


2/ In our society, we all (almost) know how to drive a car, so a police
officer can take special training in highway enforcement, and even
advanced
driving techniques, and be a good highway patrolman. But we don't all have
much experience operating boats, and a course or two is very good but
nowhere near the experience and expertise that some recreational boaters
have, so that's a problem I've heard about at times: boaters being ordered
to hold station in a cross-wind with an opposing current in a narrow
shipping channel, for example, which just can't work. A Rule of the Sea is
that the captain (even the owner or operator of a small recreational boat)
is responsible for the safe operation of that vessel, and can refuse
orders
from other authorities if he/she believes it necessary. I don't know if
that's written or traditional. And I suspect that you would want to be
able
to convince a judge, later, that you weren't just trying to evade the
officer, but really could not in all conscience behave as demanded. That
can
often be resolved by a patient police officer asking for clarification -
firmly but politely - or asking in what manner could the boater maneuver
his/her boat in order for the further inspection to proceed, etc.

Which is exactly why I am asking for the opinions of people like yourself
with experience.


This should start along the lines of, "I'm sorry officer, but am unable to
comply due to the narrow channel with a cross-wind and current. Could you
suggest an alternate course of action?" Or, "May I suggest an alternate
course of action?" But people are often very threatened and angry when
approached, so handling it professionally I think sometimes requires every
ounce of self-control the officer can muster.

I'm always open for suggestions if I'm not absolutely sure that I'm right on
a certain topic. Some of the "rookies" have that "I'm right and you're
wrong" attitude, but I'm long over that.


I, for example, have had good, long looks through the Nav Rules on many
occasions, and still learn something new each time I inspect them, and I
sincerely doubt that most weekend marine policemen understand them as well
as I do. That need not be a problem if I remain respectful, and if the
policemen doesn't have the insecurity that some exhibit about having about
limitations of their knowledge, as long as both parties are simply willing
to have a conversation and then to gauge what they think about the
accuracy
of the new information and reformulate their plans based on that. I am
also
very familiar with my boat, and understand its capabilities and
limitation,
and don't expect every police officer to know all about the different
handling characteristics of small planing sailboats, large keel boats,
planing power boats with single or double I/O's or IB's, displacement and
semi-displacement trawlers... there's a lot to know, and it takes years
of
boat operation to come to grips with some of it.

Some law enforcers go into bureaucratic mode, and I've heard of, "You're
trying my patience, plead guilty or spend the night in jail," over very
minor stuff that just required a few minutes of calm explanation. From
what
I've seen so far, you're not one of those (and I hope they're the
minority).

I'm definitely not one of "those," and I'm sorry that some idiot with a
badge who obviously had himself confused with an entity berated you. We're
not all like that.


Which is good!

====

Charles T. Low

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it and will note your response.
--
-= swatcop =-

"If it wasn't for stupid people I'd be unemployed."