Question of the month

[Ken Juul]

On the queston of doing CG inspections annually 59% of the responders said no.  Kind of suprised me, thought it would be the other way.  On the Chesapeake Bay we have a big CG presence.  It is quite common for them to do random safety inspections. Great way to put a temporary stop to a day of sailing.  Having a current inspection sticker usually sends them looking for someone else.  Jeff mentioned the CG aux/Power Squadron doing them for free.  The Power Squadron up the river from us normally conducts inspections as a part of our opening day activities.  Check out  http://www.usps.org/national/vsc to find a Power Squadron close to you.

Only 29 responders to the last poll.  They are easy, take less than a minute to complete.  See the new one about getting started!

[Ron Hill]

I asked a USCG Boarding Party Crew that question about the value of a USCG Aux/Power Sqdn Safety inspection sticker.  They said the same as Ken mentioned.  If they approach 2 boats and see the sticker on one they will Board the other!!   

[Jeff_McKinney]

Ken,

Thanks for the mention. One minor correction: The web link you mentioned is for the Vessel Safety Checks. There is a search engine that uses your zip code to identify any listed vessel examiners in your area & their contact info. I had a request from a guy in my town 2 weeks ago whoo found me by this tool.

The inspections can also be done on the hard. Important: the batteries need to be hooked up so the dadio and the running, steaming & anchor lights can be checked.