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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Fri Nov 28 2003 - 10:34:05 EST
Comments and any related experience on the following incident would be of
interest to me:
Location: Lloyd's Neck Sand hole, Long Island Sound, NY. This is a state
wildlife refuge with only a few private homes hidden in the trees and nothing but
beach elsewhere.
Conditions: My boat at quietly at anchor, very protected harbor, flat calm
night, clear in the 40's, little boat traffic during the day...mostly small
fishing boats out for the day. One other small sailboat at anchor in the harbor .
Date & Time: Saturday night, November 22 (last weekend) , 9:40PM.
I had dozed off in my aft cabin with the tv on (not an unusual occurrence
these days) and my watchdog (a 12 lb Silkie, "Natalie") was asleep on the floor
esconced in her fabric dog house, oblivious to the world.
Something awakened me to search lights and a strobe light flashing in the aft
window and portholes. I put my glasses on and, already dressed in long
johns, went above to find a USCG inflatible with three coastees aboard in uniform
about 10 feet off my port side, two all powerful lights glaring at me, a
flashing strobe light adding to the brilliantly dazzling effect.
"Good evening Captain" the Bosun said. (Afterwards, I realized I was aware
of other crew but they were standing in darkness...only the bosun was clearly
visible.)
We've been having trouble with people not carrying lifepreservers.......Where
are you from?? (Very casual, very polite...)
"New Rochelle" (about 12 nm distant) I answered, the home port as shown on
the stern.
"How many people aboard?" I was asked.
"Just myself"
"May we see one lifepreserver." the Bosun asked
So I got one out and held it up in the glaring searchlights.
"Thanks Captain". ...Will you be leaving tomorrow? (I thought....after this,
definitely!!)
But I said "probably."
"Have a good night, Captain" the Bosun offered and they left.....
(The next morning I stopped by the little sailboat to see if they had been
checked, but as no one was up and about, I returned to my own boat and left
shortly after.)
My own guess is the they were out doing night security training and the Bosun
was getting some experience approaching boats with younger crew.
I have been told that new coast guard enlisted people are often assigned to
NY, Connect, Maine, etc where there is little drug enforcement danger and they
can gain some experience in safety...They may later be assigned to more
dangerous waters, like Southern Flordia.....)
But I still found the experience very odd.
Cheers,
Rob Brueckner
1972 Hatteras Yachtfish
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