USCG Auxiliary

Today we had a successful courtesy vessel inspection from the local branch of the USCG Auxiliary. We have always been fans of keeping a current inspection decal on our boat. The inspection is a free, quick and relatively low stress process, and that little sticker can significantly ease the pain of a full-on USCG boarding, should it happen. 

Circe had not been 'stickered' since 1999, during the tenure of her original owner. Her second owner hadn't bothered to have an inspection during the time he had her but we wanted to give ourselves the best chance of a smooth process if the Coasties decide to visit us while we are out on the water. With all the current problems in the World, and the potential for terrorist activities against high value targets like the oil tanker and container terminals  in the San Francisco Bay Area, USCG boardings of recreational boats have understandably increased. We wanted to make sure we did all we could to minimise our 'exposure' should we receive a visit.

Here is  the old decal (top) with annual renewal stickers for 1998 and 1999.  Evidently nobody was interested to follow up with inspections in subsequent years. As the Coasties usually come up on the port side of their victims, having the sticker in a prominent location that is easily visible from the port quarter is preferable. Circe's decals are on the port side of the mast, just above the boom.

Circe is the first USCG Documented vessel we have owned so we were interested to see what was different to our previous State Registered vessels. The answer was not much, with one exception.......verification of the document authenticity. We learned that there is a heat sensitive seal on all original Certificates of Documentation.

Here is the original Certificate of Documentation. Note the pink dot on the on the top right corner. 

Here it is in close up. We learned that the pink ink is thermally sensitive and reacts to body heat.

A few seconds between finger and thumb and............

.......presto, magico, the pink dot has disappeared. Cute huh!

In these days of high definition laser printers, a certificate can easily be copied and be visually indistinguishable from the original, so the thermal seal is a reliable way to check validity. If the original certificate isn't on board for inspection it is an automatic infraction and ticket! Apart from that interesting variation on the Certificate of Documentation the basic inspection is exactly the same as for a State Registered vessel under 39.5 feet LOA. Here is a link to a self-inspection guide using the actual  USCG Auxiliary form.

 http://forms.cgaux.org/archive/a7012.pdf

So, off we go into the wide blue yonder, secure in the knowledge that we have done as much as we can to ensure a stress free experience if the Coasties come calling!