WATERLINES
It was oh-so-dark-thirty in the
morning when my friend Dan
Fales and I slipped the docklines
and quietly idled the Hunt 33
Wasabi past Tidewater Yacht
Marina’s break wall and into
the Elizabeth River. On a
northwesterly heading, we were
outbound for Hampton Roads,
which would bend our course
around to the northeast and
lead us to the Thimble Shoals
Lighthouse, in the southern
reaches of Chesapeake Bay.
The channel was wide and well
marked with lighted buoys that I
mentally checked off the paper
chart while Dan took the first
watch at the wheel. Did I mention
that it was dark, that “darkest just
before the dawn” kind of dark? To
starboard, we barely made out the
looming gray shapes of warships
in dock, some more identifiable
than others. Mindful of the 500-
yard Naval Vessel Protection
Zone, we stayed to the far left
side of the channel and kept our
speed at the minimum required
to maintain a safe course, which
also kept us out of harm’s way
when tugs and tows slipped by.
Title 33, Section 165 of the
Code of Federal Regulations, in
which Congress mandated the
500-yard protection zone around
all naval vessels more than 100
feet in length, makes it clear that,
outside of the 500-yard zone, we
would have been within our rights
to advance the throttles and
increase our speed. It also makes
clear that no vessel or person may
approach within 100 yards of a
Ever Vigilant
naval vessel unless authorized by
the U.S. Coast Guard, which is
charged with maintaining the
protection zone, or by the naval
vessel itself. It also states that
violators of these regulations are
subject to civil and/or criminal
penalties—including the use of
deadly force when necessary for
the safety and security of the
naval vessel.
Since we didn’t really know
how far we were from the ships
in dock, we felt certain that
erring on the conservative side
was the proper course. I have to
admit that my eyes wandered
from time to time, taking in the
lines and vague details of the
warships that I could make out
in the dark. At one point, I
mentioned to Dan that I hadn’t
seen a sentry or a lookout on
any of them.
“Oh, don’t worry. They’re
watching us right now,” he
replied. “They probably know
our heading and speed, and
might already have made a
threat assessment of us.” I looked
more closely at the poorly lit,
massive gray shapes and was not
completely convinced.
As we passed the next channel
marker to port, I momentarily
looked across the dark waters
toward Newport News and
Hampton. A distant white yard
light shone over the water,
laying down an illuminated path
like the rising of some man-made moon. Just for a moment,
I saw a small boat travel across
that path, moving from dark to
light to dark again.
There was no mistaking
the silhouette of the pedestal-
mounted gun on the foredeck, the
person who was standing behind
it, or the protective deckhouse
shape amidships, with windows
that glinted briefly like flickering,
failing candles.
The boat crossed another
path of light. The helmsman
was obviously paralleling our
course and speed. I turned to Dan,
told him we had company, and
described what I had seen. “Told
you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What’s our next mark?”
I bent to the chart once more
but checked our nine o’clock
bearing more frequently after that.
I never did see that patrol boat
again, though I knew it was there.
As you make your preparations
for the coming cruising season,
remember that protecting naval
vessels from sabotage and terrorist
acts is one of the Coast Guard’s
highest priorities. They will
enforce a protection zone even
around naval vessels under way,
and it is incumbent on you to
keep clear. Regardless of whether
you see a Coast Guard vessel in
the immediate area, it is vital that
you maintain a high degree of
situational awareness.
And, if you see any kind of
suspicious activity on the water,
please report it to the National
Response Center of America’s
Waterway Watch at 877.249.2824
(more easily remembered as
877. 24. WATCH).
John Wooldridge
Editor-In-Chief
