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Well what an exciting afternoon I had! I took my Fountain 38TE out for a quick spin around Tampa Bay this afternoon to burn some old gas out of it so that it is lighter in weight when I take it in for the 100hr service tomorrow.
I left Apollo Beach at around 4pm and zipped across the bay toward the Pier hung a left and dodged some crab traps, hung another left heading north toward McDill hung a right at a sand bar and cruised along the McDill security posts back towads Apollo Beach. I had to get my boat back on the lift by no later than 5:00pm because of the low tides and shallow water in my neighborhood canals.
I saw in a distance heading north leaving the Pier Area the Coast Guard RIB running about 2 or more football fields horizontal to me. I see these guys out all the time on Tampa Bay. I thought nothing of it and kept going because they were running horizontal to me and not towards me. Aparently these guys were trying to catch me and I had no idea! They said they had lights on and a siren but I did not see any light plus they were far from me and I could not hear a siren over the blast of wind. I was traveling at 65-71mph back across the bay to Apollo Beach during all this. I idled down in the no wake zone in Apollo Beach and after a few minutes of idleing toward my house I hear sirens and see them coming.
They pulled up to my boat, guns drawn and pretty upset. They aksed if I saw them and why I was running from them and to step back in the boat. I explained what I saw and did not see them coming toward me and I never turned around to look at what is behind me while I ran across the bay...heck i am going 70+mph! They asked to board and no problem I let them board. Gave them my papers and answered there questions. After about 20min in the Apollo Beach basin I explained to them if I do not get this boat to my lift I will not be able to get it on the lift due to the tide and there is no place to dock this size of a boat in the water over night at my house. They were very nice and cool about my situation and followed me all the way to my house and let me put my boat on the lift. I almost did not get it back on.
They explained to me that they could arrest me and put me in jail with a FELONY because I ran from them. However they could see I did not intend to run from them and I did not see they were after me. They explained that boats like mine are being targeted because of all the human and drug smuggling going on in the west coast of Florida area. This type of illegal action is now coming farther north into the Tampa area. Boats like mine are being stolen and used for this purpose.
Still they could see that I was just hot rodding around the bay and not on some kind of mission but I guess they have a job to do. All in all this is the very 1st time I have ever been boarded and I have been boating in the Tampa area since 1997! These Coast Guard guys were actually very polite and nice.
My experience with the CG folks has been the same. Very polite and professional. It's the Florida Fish and Wildlife guys that are a total pain in the a$$.
Did they try to hail you on 16? If they tried and you kept going, then they had a reason.
I got stopped the other day. All they asked me was do I have any weapons or weapons of mass destruction. And rather than check for themselves, they took my word for it I didn't have either.
Did they try to hail you on 16? If they tried and you kept going, then they had a reason.
I got stopped the other day. All they asked me was do I have any weapons or weapons of mass destruction. And rather than check for themselves, they took my word for it I didn't have either.
That a relife to know since all terrorist would have said yes if they had weapons aboard.
__________________ "Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll pee on em
Thats what the statue of bigotry says
Your poor huddled masses, lets club em to death
And get it over with and just dump em on the boulevard"
-L.Reed
"If you don't like it, go to Russia" -Homer Simpson.
Even if they called me on ch16 there is no way at speed you can hear the radio. Funny thing was one of the Cg guys on board my boat was complimenting me on my boat and asking me fuel burn, speed cruising and WOT and he loved my Raymarine dual E-120's. I told them my boat was for sale and the local CG needs this boat. I told him $199k and the CG can have it and as they saw it runs awesome! ;-)
I think once they got one board and could see I was legit and was not going to hurt them...heck I have a full left leg prosthetic and my arms are literaly bolted back together so I am very harmless these CG guys were very polite and cool to me. However the guns and threat of hauling me into jail on a FELONY shook me up pretty good. I was think would they take my prosthetic leg from me? What if they took it am damaged it...I need this leg to walk and function. Very scary stuff!
Did they try to hail you on 16?* If they tried and you kept going, then they had a reason.*
I got stopped the other day.* All they asked me was do I have any weapons or weapons of mass destruction.* And rather than check for themselves, they took my word for it I didn't have either.*
there boat did not look like this one in your picture. they were on a small RIB with a pilot house and 2- Honda outboards.
Its a shame what we have to accept to try to stop criminals. Reading messages from different forums confirms the theft problems down your way. Gotta agree with the radio at speed comment. There is no way I would hear a radio running as fast as you were. I got chewed out once when returning to dock after reporting floating square grouper. We didn't here the call either.
__________________ 25 WA Kevlar Hydra Sports
250 Evinrude DI
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN LISTEN TO A RADIO WHEN OUT ON A SPEED RUN ANYWAY??If doing nothing wrong its nice to talk to the kids in the coast gaurd--- they love boats , and their gas is free!!! Never been boarded, now I'm sure I will be, but hey whats the big deal.They know your boat and now your bullet proof!And it is the sweetest boat they have been on in tampa bay, FOR SURE
__________________ NO REGRETS GRADY WHITE 306 BIMINI,with hard top Rupp Radials Smith Carbon Fiber Outrigger 15ft poles-- 2007 SUZUKI 225 4 STROKES 16x18.5 x3 suzuki propps.5750 RPM AT 44 MPH (GPS MEASURED)HDS-10/P79 IN HULL DUCER Bennett tabs..
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN LISTEN TO A RADIO WHEN OUT ON A SPEED RUN ANYWAY??If doing nothing wrong its nice to talk to the kids in the coast gaurd--- they love boats , and their gas is free!!! Never been boarded, now I'm sure I will be, but hey whats the big deal.They know your boat and now your bullet proof!And it is the sweetest boat they have been on in tampa bay, FOR SURE
Because we are required (not optional) to monitor 16 AT ALL TIMES when underway. If you can't hear your current radio, I recommend you get a separate speaker so you can.
What exactly are the police state' plans now, to pull over every ski boat, jet ski and canoe with guns drawn and ask them if they have WMD. I am so sick of this crap and everybody patting the police on the back when they are stupid and heavy handed. I bet they patted the SS on the back to as they pushed the people into the furnaces. Wrong is wrong and they are wrong to bother people for no reason.
I mounted a speaker on the T-Top just above my head. Even at 55 MPH I can hear the radio. I don't know about another 20 MPH but it is reguired by law to monitor ch16.
Because we are required (not optional) to monitor 16 AT ALL TIMES when underway. If you can't hear your current radio, I recommend you get a separate speaker so you can.
HUH ? Required by who?
For a rec vessel under 12 meters a radio isn't even REQUIRED equipment.
Recomended yes but not required....many days i go out and dont even turn on the sqawk-box. Even if i do I usually monitor 68 which the fishermen tend to use.
Please clarify.
__________________ "Ahhhh, a man, his dog and his boat....life could be worse!!"
OK, agree a VHF radio is not a required piece of equipment but if you have one, you are required to monitor 16 when underway (unless you are talking to someone else on another channel at that moment.)
OK, agree a VHF radio is not a required piece of equipment but if you have one, you are required to monitor 16 when underway (unless you are talking to someone else on another channel at that moment.)
Not to hijack the thread but who's requirement? Can you supply a statute?
I've never heard of such a mandatory requirement for rec boats.
__________________ "Ahhhh, a man, his dog and his boat....life could be worse!!"
They were just pissed bc their rib could not catch you. Potentially dangerous situation though, a bunch of young guys pumped full of adrenaline with loaded guns.
OK, agree a VHF radio is not a required piece of equipment but if you have one, you are required to monitor 16 when underway (unless you are talking to someone else on another channel at that moment.)
Not to hijack the thread but who's requirement? Can you supply a statute?
I've never heard of such a mandatory requirement for rec boats.
Radio Watchkeeping Regulations
In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate.
OK, agree a VHF radio is not a required piece of equipment but if you have one, you are required to monitor 16 when underway (unless you are talking to someone else on another channel at that moment.)
Not to hijack the thread but who's requirement? Can you supply a statute?
I've never heard of such a mandatory requirement for rec boats.
Radio Watchkeeping Regulations
In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate.
Coast Guard pulled me over in Tampa Bay Today 
-- 2007 SUZUKI 225 4 STROKES 16x18.5 x3 suzuki propps.5750 RPM AT 44 MPH (GPS MEASURED)
HDS-10/P79 IN HULL DUCER
Bennett tabs.. 
