[Rhodes22-list] Flare guns & state law

[Saroj Gilbert]

They didn't cite me for the flares... because they weren't required on the 
river... however they said I couldn't take the boat into the Bay w/o 
up-to-date flares.

By "current sure to work flares"... you mean I didn't have to have a flare 
gun at all, but if I did, I needed current flares?  That wasn't my 
impression.  So I guess it boils down to "extra stuff" while on the river, 
but required and up-to-date on the Bay.  I haven't checked lately, but I 
don't think a 22' sailing vessel is required to carry flares on inland 
waters... perhaps the deal is that the Chesapeake is large enough to be 
considered something else and of course it does egress into the Atlantic, 
but I passed inspection in Lake Michigan w/o them and you could fit 5 
Chesapeakes or so into that body of water.  We never carried flare guns in 
small boats in the Pacific where I grew up, but then that was many years 
ago.  Guess I should get clear on this before I go out again.

Does that clarify?

The irony of it all is that the "visit" cost us the 1/2 hour of daylight 
that we needed cause we missed a marker (the shipping channels have them WAY 
far apart).  We were one of only two out sailing that day and just got 
"lucky" I guess... And why should that matter? Cause my batteries died on 
the GPS and my spares had one dud.  Lesson: carry 3 times as many batteries 
as you might need.  Due to the large quantity of shoals in the area we had 
to stay quite a way out from the shore line... we ended up pulling into a 
different harbor than our destination with the failing light and lack of 
familiarity with the area.  Between the navigation challenges, being chased 
away from the Yorktown Naval Weapons station by gun boats and being boarded 
by the USCG, it was quite an adventure to say the least.  (Do you think they 
went easy on us because he is a 20-year Navy vet?  I didn't get the 
impression that the USCG gave any notice to that, but he made sure to show 
them THAT ID card.  It might have helped in lowering the hassle factor... to 
say nothing of the fact that it was never warmer than 40 degrees and breezy 
the whole time).

The happy ending is that James and I fell love due to or in spite of the 
ordeal and still going strong.

Saroj

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <DCLewis1 at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Flare guns & state law


>
> Saroj,
>
> Was the problem that they wouldn't let you sail on the Chesapeake with out
> of date flares, or was the problem that they didn't care about the out of 
> date
> flares but they did care that you didn't have current sure to work flares?
> As I recall, the USPS ABC course teaches you can have out dated 
> pyrotechnics
> aboard, but that the Coasties won't count them  as part of the basic 
> distress
> signaling kit you are supposed to carry - they're just extra  stuff.
>
> Dave
> __________________________________________________
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