Well, I can only speculate, but it may be that young CG officers consider being posted to Duluth, MN, or Bayfield, WI, as being posted to Outer Slabovia. Therefore, to get a promotion to a more desirable station, such as San Diego or on the Chesapeake, they figure they can enhance their resume with their superiors by showing aggressive enforcement records with lots of boardings etc. Who knows? Or maybe it is because our boating patterns unfortunately take us right past local CG stations in the course of our usual travels. But anyway, there are lots of boardings in our area. Not just us. We see many other boats stopped as well. David Sorenson Duluth On Sun, 5 Apr 2009 07:34:36 -0400 "ed" <ekcine@gmail.com> writes: > David > > I'm also in the 9th district (Detroit) and we don't see nearly the > amount of > boardings you describe. It must be a local phenomenon. I haven't > been > boarded once in the 15 years of boating around here. > ____________________________________________________________ Purify your water with professional water treatment. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTK8PKFjFIraUk2MG6UnmcKbrgd1yFJVQTJWdXRBsw5864KoquK3Hi/

'Lo All, From what I have heard, and personally experienced, you can expect to be boarded by a very young, albeit professional crew, from one of the USCG's ribs in the Gulf Intra-coastal Water Way (GIWW) just west of Pensacola, FL, at the west end of Big Lagoon ( 30 Deg 18.463' N 087 Deg 23.711 W ). Several skippers have told me that they are 'usually' there. Last fall, when taking the Celestial to Mobile, two ribs were working the area. We were not boarded as they were already engaged with two other boats. On our way back to Panama City this spring, only one rib was there. We were boarded. They were looking for life jackets and garbage plan/placards. They also checked to see if there was any oil in the bilges. They were very polite and business-like - but most of them looked so YOUNG!!! Funny how my perspective changes as I grow older.... Take care and be safe. Wayne Celestial Albin 43 Sundeck Near Panama City, FL