Passagemaker Magazine

The Coast Guard’s right to board recreational vessels without probable cause is unquestionable, but my editor at PassageMaker asked whether I believed that random boardings are worth the effort. Does the policy significantly deter crime and enhance safety or would we be just as well off if the Coast Guard boarded vessels only if they saw cause to do so?

As to crime, my initial response is no, curtailing or ending random boardings would not result in more lawlessness on the waterways. Based on my experience, rarely were criminal activities discovered during random boardings, and often these had nothing to do with the vessels, just active warrants for members of the crew. However, if we include boating while intoxicated, then yes, there is merit in maintaining the Coast Guard’s random boarding policy.

I also believe the random boardings have merit regarding safety. As mentioned earlier, there are many boaters with absolutely zero seafaring knowledge that purchase a vessel, jump behind the helm and go. We see them all too often, and they are often putting others at risk. Random boardings identify safety deficiencies and can detect a search-and-rescue-case-waiting-to-happen, as we used to say when we’d come upon a hapless boater.

There is one piece of advice I’d like to address to everyone,
and it regards the words that should also come from the boarding
officer’s mouth to your ears before they disembark your vessel:
“On the bottom of the boarding report is my name and
the phone number of my unit, where you can speak with my
superiors. Or on the back of the form, there’s an 800-number
you can call to make a comment, and someone will return
your call.”
For all the boardings I’ve conducted, or been a part
of, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had
feedback. If being boarded has been egregious—if it makes
you want to tell your friends and post it on the Internet—then
please make your opinions known in a forum where they can
make a difference. Feedback to the agency that conducted
the boarding can go a very long way towards fostering better
practices all around.

Pete Dautel is a decorated Coast Guard officer, who retired in 2006 with the rank of chief boatswain’s mate. He joined the Coast Guard in 1982 and served aboard cutters and patrol boats, including several years as part of a specialized tactical law enforcement team working in the Northern Arabian Gulf, Bosnia, and counter-narcotics missions in Central and South American waters and other special mission operations. He now consults with NOAA, works as a mariner surveyor and delivery captain. He and his daughter Alyson can be found exploring the waters around Cape Cod and the islands.