takes a licking and keeps on cruising

AstoriaDave":oxfzkcvu said:
I believe similar patrols are now common when cruise ships are in port, but typically the patrolling vessel is a USCG RIB equipped with a 50 cal machine gun. I bet they intercept small vessels routinely and warn them off, sans use of the machine gun.
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You got that right, Dave! This was in September, 2013. They seem to always be a little more vigilant in September. I was getting video of the cruise ship pulling away from the dock and trolling toward it to get a better view. These guys came out rather quickly. I asked the gentleman manning the gun if a picture would be ok and he gave me the thumbs up. He probably got in trouble for it.

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A couple weeks ago on our way out of the Skipanon to go crabbing there was a tug towing a barge with a huge building erected on it, obviously new and built to temporarily cover something up. There was a CG cutter on the north side of it and a RIB on my side. The RIB turned and made way directly for us so I decided to stay a little further from the channel for the trip down river. After dropping the pots, the barge was again getting close to us as we headed back up river toward the Astoria fuel dock. This time I held course at the edge of the channel and the RIB again came toward me keeping the big gun trained on my boat. I took the motor out of gear and walked back to the cockpit. The CG came a little closer and told me there was a 500 yard safety zone around the barge. I asked what was covered up on the barge but the CG guy was "not at liberty to say". The attendant at the fuel dock said he thought it had something to do with LNG.

I know none of this has to do with the thread topic, but you have to admit it was a pretty slick way for me to get that picture on here again!
 
Tyboo,

Thanks for the photo, and the heads up re: that barge. It sounds like one of the decommissioned reactor transport barges. They take them, under wraps, up to Hanford for storage/disposal, tug ahead, and one behind, I thought, and usually an armed Navy vessel. Maybe this is different. That 50 cal machine gun is serious beans.

For others:

A 500 yard radius around a barge in the ship channel chews up a lot of real estate down here, and would put some of us on the beach or on the sands in the middle of the river. I suspect the guys in the RIB understand that, and are content if you are clearly at the limit of navigable water when you pass the barge.
 
I thought that was pretty broad also since the channel is considerably less than 500 yards wide.

The barge was outbound so it may have been coming from Hanford, I don't know, but wasn't heading there. Nuclear something sounds likely, though. And it may well have been a small Navy ship on the north side since it was gray and not the typical CG colors. I didn't pay that much attention to the other escort. It was large enough to accompany the tug out to sea but small enough that I doubt it was going too far out. The whole thing made me wonder what kind of protection the barge was going to have on the open ocean.

Probably the meanest I've seen the CG look around here was a few years back when there was a cruise ship tied up at the port docks and a friend of mine in his brand new boat with only a temporary registration and no hull numbers decided to go take a look at the ship. He motored over fast without thinking and the little orange inflatable came almost flying out to meet him followed by the sheriff and OSP boats trying to keep up. I think that was a Labor Day weekend so it was pretty close to September 11. He didn't get any closer than a few hundred yards but they weren't taking any chances. I am sure it scared him because I was a little scared myself and I was on the other side of the channel trolling by the bridge.
 
I'm wondering what would have happened if the rammed ferry would have had a CG escort. Regardless of the stand off rules for the ferries, what are the CG rules when a small private vessel is going to ram a ferry? I doubt that Nap Tyme's hull would have stood up as well against .50 caliber machine gun fire.
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First there will be the siren (over 120 dB), and probably 5 blasts of an electronic horn. There will also be VHF radio contact on Channel 16. There will be instructions to stop the boat, alter course, and a warning, if this is not done, the vessel will be fired upon.

I believe that the next step would be warning shots across the bow of the suspect vessel. I doubt that the Commander of CG District wants the evening news to day teenagers (etc) gunned down by Coast Guard patrol boat....

Incidentally I believe that the weapon on the CG 25 foot "SAFE boat" "Defender class B", Rapid Response High speed boat is a M240B (shoulder stock, and pistol grip) 7.62×51mm, or .30 caliber belt fed machine gun on the red or orange foam encircled aluminum hull. The Grey Foam encircled boat, "Defender C" does have a × M2HB, (Much heavier receiver, and no shoulder stock, with dual hand grips) or browning .50 cal machine gun forward, and one M240B guns on each side aft.

No question that the CG and other government agencies will shoot, but we hear most of drug running boats which either attempt to flee or ram the Coast Guard (or DEA or Customs Border Protection vessel) being shot and eventually disabled.

Great photo Tyboo--out to be a promotion of the CG!
 
Tyboo wrote: The barge was outbound so it may have been coming from Hanford, I don't know, but wasn't heading there. Nuclear something sounds likely, though. And it may well have been a small Navy ship on the north side since it was gray and not the typical CG colors.

Ah, I should have figured out it was downbound from your description of two encounters. Cannot be an old sub reactor housing. Must be something new, manufactured in PDX or maybe aligned or similar.

I bet the tow boat crowd knows.
 
Here in the Puget Sound, small boaters' dreamland:

Sea lanes, almost shore to shore in a few places (always give way to large boats - law) Big boats can legally create some heavy wakes.

Many Naval bases with security zones, some very big, but they are continuously enforced.

Ferries with their 500 yard (think 1/4 mile) security zone, and some of those two ferry 30 minute runs there is always a ferry to duck, sometimes two at the same time.

Not all that many barges, but beware just the same. Suppose that guy on the can and with auto-pilot challenged one of those!

Most of us look at all this as a feature. Certainly it has a lot to do with our healthy economy.
 
One of my favorite places to spend time at a dock is Mystery Bay State Park. The entry into Kilisut Harbor is a long and curvey channel ith the entrance from Port Townsend Bay rubbing right up next to the Naval dock on Indian Island. Rounding the outer mark puts yor vessel well within the 500 yard range.

I was approaching the entrance one day, slowed to hull speed, with still 100 yards to the mark, and was watching the Navy RIB, (gray and black and in the shadow of the structures at the dock), who had slowly turned towards me when another boat about 25ft came up from behind me oing about 20 knots. It had been in line behind me so the RIB was not likely visable, nor was the 25 visible to RIB until it swung out and around me. By the time the 25 was beside me (about 20 yards to starboard), the RIBs blue and red lights were on, and it literally jumped from shade to sun, and was at the turn point behind the marker in a few seconds. The 50 cal forward was manned, and the vhf 16 called that boat by name and requested (insisted) all forward progress be aborted, and to prepare for boarding immediately.

I have seen other boats come by that marker at planing speeds without getting that response, but my thoughts are that because the direction of this approach, there being a Navy ship at the dock, and the 25 coming from a blind spot behind me all added up to that visit. I had hoped that the 25 would show up down at MBSP dick and i could get his side of the story. No such luck.

Lessons learned though. Those Navy guys are not just out there for looks.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Sorry, can't post a photo with the tablet.
 
Trying to get the photo in here.

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Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
This has been a very interesting thread. It started off with discussions about the ferry vs boat collision where the lesson is, watch where you are going and keep clear of anything bigger than you on the water.

The second part of the discussion was also very interesting and informative when the discussion turned to exclusion zones, coast guard patrols with 50 cal machine guns etc. While I have not boated in the US with anything bigger than a canoe. I plan to boat in Puget Sound and area once I retire on Vancouver Island. This thread was a really good heads up to check into the rules regarding exclusion zones around certain vessels, military areas and bases.

I have travelled extensively around the western US and I am always amazed with your military presence. It seems that you cannot go more than a day or two without passing 'Fort Such and Such' seeing fighter jets fly overhead, passing a convoy on the highway or listening to live fire at a distant live fire range. My closest experience in the US military was camping at Bowman Bay Campground on Fidalgo Island in Washington. We found a beautiful campsite, enjoyed a cold one as we watched a beautiful sunset, lit a nice campfire and were settling in for an enjoyable evening when the Super Hornet jets started roaring around the bay doing runs over Whitbey Island Naval Air Station. It was neat to watch at first, but after a few hours of jets roaring overhead every minute or so, my wife went completely nuts and we pulled up stakes and found a backroad on the south end of Whitey Island where we could park the camper and try to recover our hearing. We could still hear the jets which were still flying the next morning.

As a Canadian, I often go a year or two without every seeing any sign of our military, so you never think much about its presence. I will certainly research your rules before crossing the border with my boat. I really don't want to have a 50 cal fire across my bow for being in the wrong place.
 
Sorry about all that noise, Peter and Judy. It has been a standard feature of otherwise lovely Whidbey Island for many years. As the Naval Air folks like to say, "it's the sound of freedom." I think you get used to it after a while.
 
Pandion":37jo9not said:
Sorry about all that noise, Peter and Judy. It has been a standard feature of otherwise lovely Whidbey Island for many years. As the Naval Air folks like to say, "it's the sound of freedom." I think you get used to it after a while.
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Peter and Judy,

Boating down here is really not that bad, It is usually well marked or obvious, and if you have a question, a call on VHF 16 will generally take care of your question.

As to the jet noise. As Pandion said it's called the sound of freedom. If you have ever been in a situation where those air guys saved your bacon, it's not only the "sound of freedom" but music to your ears. They are the difference between seeing another daylight, and pushing up daisies.

I love to hear the music.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

SSC_CPR_and_Patient_322.thumb.jpg
 
Bowman Bay is beautiful. We either boat/camp there often. The Super Hornets do not bother us and our grandson(s) love them. Yeah, they can be loud...but so can my jack ass neighbors...and I like the Navy/Air Force more.
 
Phil,
Thanks for putting that photo in. It is the dock at Mystery Bay State Park, and the variety of vessels there always interests me. The particular one in the story I related is not there on this day, but the trees in the background are on Indian Island, a Naval base for resupply for vessels going to sea.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP1815.jpg
 
thataway":2s3wqf4y said:
First there will be the siren (over 120 dB), and probably 5 blasts of an electronic horn. There will also be VHF radio contact on Channel 16. There will be instructions to stop the boat, alter course, and a warning, if this is not done, the vessel will be fired upon.

I believe that the next step would be warning shots across the bow of the suspect vessel. I doubt that the Commander of CG District wants the evening news to day teenagers (etc) gunned down by Coast Guard patrol boat....

Incidentally I believe that the weapon on the CG 25 foot "SAFE boat" "Defender class B", Rapid Response High speed boat is a M240B (shoulder stock, and pistol grip) 7.62×51mm, or .30 caliber belt fed machine gun on the red or orange foam encircled aluminum hull. The Grey Foam encircled boat, "Defender C" does have a × M2HB, (Much heavier receiver, and no shoulder stock, with dual hand grips) or browning .50 cal machine gun forward, and one M240B guns on each side aft.

No question that the CG and other government agencies will shoot, but we hear most of drug running boats which either attempt to flee or ram the Coast Guard (or DEA or Customs Border Protection vessel) being shot and eventually disabled.

Great photo Tyboo--out to be a promotion of the CG!
Click to expand...

There would be warning shots before Nap Tyme was fired upon, otherwise, yes to all. As this has all of the appearance of a vessel not under command the USCG RBS could also choose to attempt boarding Nap Tyme underway if the crew felt they could do so safely and assume control of the vessel.



I have TWO SAFE Boats Inc 25' RBS at work. They are incredible. You will not outrun one in any kind of sea state that a small boat can operate. You will not outmaneuver one. They run smooth and safe at 50 knots in 6' seas and more, for real. On my first trip with one in bad weather I was not impressed by its performance because I was going slowly and being careful. We were getting tossed around. So I went faster, and suddenly, we never felt a bump. Incredible.

Aside from the mounted small arms, they have two shouldered weapons in holders in the cabin, either a 12G shotgun or a .308. Usually one of each. So even if you see one with no deck gun, it's armed and can put big holes in about anything.
 
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