NYCkayaker Captain and Paddlers Day at Pier 66

[bonnie13 at earthlink.net]

I was not sure I wanted to say anything because - well, just becasue.

But I was pretty sure that what Stevie said was right, and I was curious enough to go find the relevant rule on the USCG Boating Safety site, in the visual distress signal section. And this isn't about kayak politics, this is just about making sure we know what the actual rules say. So here it is, straight cut & paste from http://uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_vds.htm :

Under Inland Navigation Rules, a high intensity white light flashing at regular intervals from 50-70 times per minute is considered a distress signal. Such devices do NOT count toward meeting the visual distress signal requirement, however.

Regulations prohibit display of visual distress signals on the water under any circumstances except when assistance is required to prevent immediate or potential danger to persons on board a vessel.


-----Original Message-----
>From: Steve McAllister <stevie at brooklynkayak.com>
>Sent: May 19, 2008 12:06 PM
>To: 
>Cc: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
>Subject: Re: NYCkayaker Captain and Paddlers Day at Pier 66
>
>Hi All
>
>Although those particular Coast Guard people seem to not have a problem 
>with it, others go by the book and will give you a heavy fine for using 
>your strobe for anything other than a distress signal.
>
>The coast guard threatened to write up a summons for a friend whose 
>reflective tape on his paddle looked like a strobe, causing the Coast 
>Guard to be contacted by a passing boat.
>
>Although he was wearing a strobe, it wasn't engaged. He eventually 
>convinced them and they let him go.
>
>Since boats are supposed to call Ch 16 when they see a strobe on the 
>water, I'd think that running a strobe in a busy harbor could cause a 
>lot of confusion.
>
>stevie
>
>> The coast guard suggested, and the
>> captains and police agreed, that if we were crossing the river or a ferry
>> terminal area (or any time when you are not sure that you are visible to
>> boat traffic day or night) that you can use the strobe during the crossing
>> to make yourself more visible.
>
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