sheograth

For those of you who boat in large bodies of water, never drop anchor and proceed to have a picnic in a shipping lane. Accidentally did that this morning with some friends. I was pretty sure I was following all laws but it turns out my survey maps were 2 years out of date. Coast Guard got us around noon, weren't too merciful. Didn't help that one of my friends was being a bit belligerent with them. That was The most expensive pesto chicken wrap ever .

jikkuria

that sucks, but was it least amazingly tasty?

SLAYERDUDE

That blows man. Not a small chunk of change...
Are the others going to help out with the fine?


I got busted going too fast in a no wake zone on a waverunner a couple years ago.
There were fishing boats making a much larger wake than me but I was going like 10 MPH and I guess that's too fast...
It was my first time out and I learned the hard way.

sheograth

It was scrumptious. I might try to appeal the citation and at least get it reduced, but it might be tough since it's the Coast Guard and not a local dept.

Ttam Says Blarg

Ouch a little harsh?! Dont ya think?

jikkuria

i guess i could see the fine if he was blocking the shipping lane, but no one would hold a picnic in front of a cargo ship lol. i think you could get the fine reduced if you showed them your out of date map, and explained the mishap.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Youch! That $2,300 is going to eat up 3 days of your usual car modding budget!

sheograth

4 days actually, really tragic.

I called the number on the citation and they said that if I want to contest it I have to go to a Federal magistrate in Sacramento - might or might not be worth it. Considering this is the type of contest you need an attorney for it might be more trouble than it's worth.

traxxaspede

My dad has a 22 foot sailboat in a marina. Its at the slip closest to the shore, which is supposed to be a 24 foot slip, but with the motor and the front guard rail, the boat is 25 feet, so they make him pay more. But the really annoying thing is that there is about 20 feet in front of the boat where no body has a boat (because they can't), and the boat doesn't stick out past the end of the dock. Their reason for charging him extra is "well, if you don't have to pay extra, then everyone else will think they don't have to also."

That does suck about being in the shipping lane and the big fine, but is it really necessary? I mean, if you weren't in anyone's way, what harm is done? I didn't know parking tickets apply in the water too.

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

With piracy, Save The Whales and all of the other stuff going on out in huge waterways, they no longer have much of a sense of humor about that kind of stuff although it seemed innocent enough to you and you didn't know that you were doing wrong. Try a nice anchoring spot along a quiet beach.

lee172

a little ott for an innocent mistake, good luck with getting it sorted.

DaveG55

I have looked and could not find much in the way of information on the fines that the Coast Guard can impose. In Washington state the fine for anchoring in a shipping lane can run to $5000 but the site I found states that it's usually closer to $550. Another article I found says that reckless operation is subject to up to a $1000 fine. That was about it.

I do have one question though. A chart that is two years old does not seem like it would be old enough be a problem. I mean they really don't change shipping lane routes all that often do they? It's quite a production to dredge a channel and redeploy buoys and markers.

IMHO, I think that your belligerent friend is the reason for most of your fine. I think I would at least give a law firm or two a call and see what they charge and if it's worth the effort to fight the citation. For all you know the normal fine could be a couple hundred dollars and the fee to contest another couple hundred.

larryf333

My Feedback: (2)

That's freakin ridiculous. I would've pushed your friend off the boat when he got belligerent. That's the easiest way to seal the deal in getting a hefty ticket. When someone is in a position of authority and you question it, what usually happens? They go on a power trip. That's probably what happened to you. I'd fight it even if I had to pay the lawyer $2200. It's not like you were aware of the situation or intentionally anchored in the shipping lane. Let them use the drug-runner's monies and our tax dollars to fund their operations. You pay enough to the government, don't give them more.

sheograth

They don't change that often but apparently because the SF Bay Bridge is currently being rebuilt the lanes temporarily moved to accommodate construction ships as well as the normal commercial ones coming into the port of Oakland.

SLAYERDUDE

LMAO
I fully agree, that's the first thing I do when partying and see the 5-O rolling up...
"You jokers shut your traps and let me do all the talking!"
Then I am polite and as cooperative as possible, usually getting off with a warning.

Kick that guy that was acting a fool in the junk when he isn't looking next time you see him.

sheograth

Yeah, there's always the obligatory drunk idiot who further aggravates the cops.