Hailing Port ID

In a previous post (USCG Auxilliary) we wrote about the free boat inspection we had and our thoughts regarding ways to minimise the impact of an on-the-water visit from the 'real' Coasties! In that same vein, we are always looking for ways to avoid attracting unnecessary attention through any obvious infraction in either boat or crew appearance or behaviour. One small thing that bothered us was our hailing port ID.

  

Here is Circe hanging in the slings on the day we closed the sale 2 years ago. The hailing port on the transom shows no state ID......Yes, yes, almost everyone on the planet knows that SFO is in California but, in the whacked out bureaucratic world that we exist, the regulations (46 CFR 67.15-3a), and in particular line #6, are pretty clear on the topic:

MARKING OF NAME AND HAILING PORT

"For vessels documented exclusively for pleasure, the name and
 hailing port of the vessel must be marked together in clearly
 legible letters not less than four (4) inches in height on some
 clearly visible exterior part of the hull." (46 CFR ~67.15-3(a))
 Either the homeport or the hailing port may be marked on the boat;
 in either case, the abbreviation for the state must be shown.  
 Name and port may appear on any clearly visible part of the hull; 
 however, they must appear together.
 Any durable, legible method of marking is acceptable, including 
 script lettering.  Name boards are acceptable, if they are attached
 to the hull in a permanent manner.

For example - APPROVED     -- Vessel Name
             Essex, CT     -- Hailingport (town in which you 
                OR            live)
           New York, N.Y.  -- Homeport (nearest Coast Guard 
                              port where your papers will be
                              filed)

Our surveyor had noted the discrepancy in his report but it was a small item, way down the list, so it got ignored until recently. We wondered if the guy from the Auxiliary would flag it during his inspection......he didn't.....but it still bothered us. So, while we had the boat backed into the slip for the recent swim step and transom rehab project, we decided to 'get legal'!  Fortunately, the lettering wasn't painted on, it was a decal, so it was a relatively easy job to put on a new, correct one. 

Here is the hailing port decal as it had been since we bought the boat.

Here the old lettering has been removed with a heat gun and plastic scraper but there is still residual adhesive from the letters on the transom and the effects of UV bleaching can also be seen.

We used acetone and elbow grease to get the residual adhesive off but the effects of weathering were still there. We then wet sanded the whole area with 1000 grit production paper then buffed the whole transom. It wasn't perfect but it's an old boat right? Anyway we reckoned the new lettering would camouflage things pretty well.

We designed and ordered a new decal on line from Speedy Signs in Florida, based on recommendations from folk here on the dock.  They were very quick, we placed the order 12/7 and received it 12/16.

http://www.speedysigns.com/lettering/boat

The decal looked good and had a nice heavy transfer layer. Based on some past experience we knew a thick transfer layer makes application a lot easier. Some sign outfits use a thin transfer layer to keep costs down but then the letters want to stay with the transfer layer rather than peel off onto the surface being lettered.

Here is the decal going on. It came with some very detailed application instructions. 

The whole application was very straight forward and the final result was actually better than we expected. The next time we see the Coasties giving us the once over through binoculars we won't be quite so paranoid.

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!