Cruising America's Great Loop and other inland routes
View all threadsRalph Yost said: "I think the approach to law and its enforcement in Florida
makes more sense.....If the marine police board your boat, they test the
waste system with die markers and determine if your waste system is in
position to pump overboard. If so, you get a noticeable fine. There is no
mechanical disassembly of the waste system required !"
Not so, Ralph. We got boarded by Florida Fish and Wildlife Police at the
Ponce de Leon Inlet. In a blatant attempt to ticket us - we're an "older
boat" and he told us they "were sure we pumped overboard" - those morons
pumped so much water into our holding tank that they created an emergency
need for us to pump out, which was far from a convenient or easy thing to do
in that particular location. I even suggested they pay for it, and the goon
was not happy with me. I told him to ticket me or get off my boat, right
now! He went, and they followed us for five miles down through New Smyrna
Beach looking for their precious dye. I was left with precious little
respect for that agency and it's enforcement processes.
I also wondered about "probable cause" after that was all over. Does that
stupid kid's opinion of the age of my boat constitute "probable cause?"
Hmmm....
Just my opinion.
Jim Healy, aboard Sanctuary,
currently at Punta Gorda, FL