I know what you are saying. About half way between us and the Baltimore harbor is a USCG training base. Every so many months we get a whole new lot of Coasties full of piss and vinegar on boats full of firepower. Like I said in the post in the other thread that lead to this one sometimes around here it looks like a war zone and I don't care what side of the law you are on or if it was the pope himself behind the 50cal when its pointed at you while you are in the Chesapeake Bay during a "safety check" don't make you feel much like an American. So yes there is ASSHATS in the USCG maybe not the guys you see on TV jumping out of helicopters but.....

Seems kinda reckless to be pointing large caliber machine guns at boaters, at a "safety check"
https://discourseincsharpminor.files...shat.jpg?w=200

You should see some of these guys. They are not sitting around and waiting to save someone from a burning boat like they do on TV around here. More like they saw a Soviet submarine during the cold war hidden under your boat. Drop 2 guys, back off enough to get you in their gun sites. The sad part is we have all saw on TV and online their tactics and what they do and why they do it. It may work with drug runners from S America but for what is supposed to have been a "courtesy safety check" its a little over kill if you ask me.

I live on Lake Washington. There are three separate sets of waterborne police to deal with. There are the Seattle cops, the King County cops, and the Mercer Island police. They all think Lake Washington is their turf. I am retired and sit on my deck looking out onto the lake. There is not an afternoon or evening without the blue lights on with the police harassing the boaters. It appears to be a revenue source for them.

I understand your position, if your pulled over in New Jersey take the field sobriety tests, ABC's, nine step heal to toe and turn, One Leg Stand, or finger to the nose, it is a rigged game, but do it anyway. In the New jersey the Breathalyzer was replaced with the Alcotest 7110 MKIII-C maufactered by Drager, I my self have been charged with two DUI's in the past six years, in the first instance my BAC reading was .04% (I was in a car accident), and the second I was wrongfully accused all together, my BAC reading was .03%, the limit in New Jersey in .08%.

All I handle is DUI and Criminal matters, the police sometimes make mistakes, my point is this, if a trained officer cannot distinguish the difference in a person that is .03% from a a .08% that's a problem, either the officer lacks adequate training, or is incompetent/lazy, or has it out for the the suspect (me).

I have been stopped for safety checks, always came out clean, the New Jersey State Police (or Marine Police) are I think adequately trained, now local Municipal Officers for automobile stops, some are great at writing DUI's and some are so-so.

As you said it is a game of poker for them, and each and every-time it cost me money and time....

In my example it was a Saturday-night, so much for going to dinner with your girlfriend for a to dinner and having two 12 oz Budweisers, one Vodka and Club Soda, and one Bailey's on the rocks alcoholic beverages, then coming home and getting hassled and wrongly accused, I knew my BAC would be .03/.04 and the officer would not listen..

Best advice you mentioned, keep your statements limited, don't admit but do not lie....

They ban you from the lake for life if you get a BWI? I'd think the lake would be deserted by now if that is the case. :food-smiley-009: Leaving houseboat we always make sure the exhaust is closed, music off, everyone sitting down, and no drinks in sight. Only have to make it a short distance to the marina to back into the slip and put it on the lift. DNR sits on the point up by the marina with binoculars looking for people coming in to "inspect" once they hit the ramps. I've never seen them come down the docks after someone with the exception of the pi$$ing match between a houseboat and bass boat a couple summers ago. Pretty sure the bass boat lost! Bad idea to have a band on a boat in the marina.

As money becomes tighter every year we the car and boat owners become a bigger source of revenue
to fund police departments....
Its only gonna get worse..

That's funny because I live in Yorktown where there is a HUGE coast guard training facility and about a mile up the river is a weapons loading facility. I have never been stopped by the CG. Gone flying by them, run alongside them, idled out past them at the ramp, tied up beside them at lunch and never once been stopped.

I've said it on here before but I think if you are documented in our area you just don't get any attention

This is probably a dumb question, but what exactly dose it mean to have your boat documented ? Is it just a safety check to have a safety certification?

It means your boat has a Coast Guard registration.