Re: Informal, unscientific survey
1/ Have you ever been cited (ticketed) while boating? How many times in how many years on the water?
Never. But I did get yelled at by the Harbor Patrol once (I think he was just having a bad day).
2/ How many boaters do you know who have been cited (ticketed) by a harbormaster or harbor police?
None. But a friend was ticketed by the USCG once back in the old "zero tolerance" days, when they were boarding everyone and handing out all sorts of chickenshit tickets.
3/ What's your reaction when you hear about a harbor where the rules of the road are strictly enforced?
Depends on how strictly. Common sense goes a long way. However, if someone is operating a boat in an unsafe manner, I have no problem with the local marine constabulary cracking down on them.
Is this the kind of place you want to visit because you know you'll be safe? or the kind of place you'll avoid for fear of a guy with a glock and a flak jacket driving 250 HP of flashing blue lights?
What really makes me nervous are the USGS RIBs driven by 20-somethings going way too fast (and for no apparent reason) around LA/Long Beach Harbor and with machine guns manned by even younger "kids". Although, that sort of behavior seems to be less common lately.
Never forget them. Do something to prevent it from happening again.
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