Is This Credible???

[CaptRaul]

ALL hands on a boat should be classified as CREW and informed as such when boarding..that solves alot of potential problems.
Never classify folks as guests or passengers.

[John Vigor]

Even saved expired flares will get you written up.

Lew, is that a fact? Do you mean the Coasties will write you up for carrying expired flares on board, even if you also have the required legal current number as well?

Cheers,

John V.

[chase]

This sailing business is complicated. What with rules of the road, prop spin/lock and the damn sandwich rules…..I’m overwhelmed.

My buddy wants to install a kegerator in Anne Freeman, do I need a liquor license?

c

[tstafford]

This type of thing is common in general aviation. Compensation for non Commercial pilots. This is covered clearly early on in training. I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted, but the rules are clear. Depends on the mood of the inspector.

[Dick Barthel]

"If that's what the law supposes, sir, then the law's an ass." Mark Twain (I think)

I think the only possibility that it actually happened is the "case by case" criteria cited in the Section 2101 of the US Code. However, absent a clear case where "carriage for hire" was intended, I think it is extremely unlikely to have occurred as described.

The Coast Guard is only empowered to enforce the US Code not to create new laws. There is probably a lengthy set of federal regulations that attach to those particular Code provisions leaving little to their imagination.

Dick

[Carl Thunberg]

Picking up on the expired flares idea, I can only pass on what my Power Squadron inspector told me during my last Vessel Safety Check. He recommended that I absolutely definitely keep my expired flares on board, so long as I also had the requisite number of non-expired flares. He further recommended that I alternate the shells in my 12-gauge flare gun with a current one, an expired one and so on (I didn't take this piece of advice because the shells are cheap enough). Granted, the Power Squadron isn't the U.S. Coast Guard, but this inspector happened to be the squadron commander, so I'm assuming he gave me good advice.

[Neil Gordon]

He further recommended that I alternate the shells in my 12-gauge flare gun with a current one, an expired one and so on (I didn't take this piece of advice because the shells are cheap enough).

I can barely read the expiration dates under the best of circumstances. He's suggesting that at night, with water up to our knees, we should use the flares in some sort of order?

I'm curious... if a flare misfires, is it (i) a dud, or (ii) cooking off in the gun? That might make a difference in attempting to reload for the next try.

[Tom in Cambria]

What I was told about expired flares is that it is OK to keep them, but they should be in a separate bag or container and clearly marked as expired. The idea as I understood it is that they don't want you picking up an expired one by accident and trying to use it as a current one. Your current ones should be with the gun so that in an emergency at night when you need one right away you don't have to go through a pile to try and find the current ones with a flashlight. Or something like that. I don't remember now if it was the CG or the surveyor who told me that. The surveyor I think, but it makes sense.