US Coastguard/RCMP Checks.
- Thread starter Doug
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Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
Sorry great point Walleys. I posted the link I had saved in my notes. Here's a link to the TC pleasure craft safety guide lines. It's in PDF too so easy to print from if need be.
https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/TP-511e.pdf
spring time
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys for a reminder to check my safety gear
Pearl dog
Active Member
I was stopped with lights flashing by a large USA coast guard boat last month near moresby. The thing easily ran me down as I was doing 22 knots. I was on my way to Sydney for fuel. An RCMP officer was the only one of the 4 to actually board me. He wanted paperwork and did a safety inspection. Then he took my ID and spent about 10 minutes inside running my life story. In the end I got a slip of paper indicating I was in compliance. He said to show it to the next guys that stopped me to save time. Chatting with the young fellas from the USA coast guard they said the boat was based on the mainland near Bellingham. One of the young guys wondered what my prawn traps were. He didn’t realize we had “shrimp” in Canada. Personally I don’t think they were interested in fishing stuff that day at all and my guess would be that it was about drugs. They had a lot of firepower on display and overall were pretty intimidating initially. That said, the whole thing was pretty professional and went smoothly. I wonder what they find out there? The cost to operate that day alone must be staggering.
Gong Show
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting that @Chasin' Dreams.
Good to make sure I have my vessels in compliance
The thing is obviously drafted by Ottawa bureaucrats. We picked up a stand up paddle board to take the dog Show quickly. It is under 6m, so I don't need anything beyond the first column? Our just exclude the second column?
Good to make sure I have my vessels in compliance
The thing is obviously drafted by Ottawa bureaucrats. We picked up a stand up paddle board to take the dog Show quickly. It is under 6m, so I don't need anything beyond the first column? Our just exclude the second column?
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
Strange. Been living and fishing in Sooke for 7 years, but never been checked. Never even seen anyone being checked for anything. Fish all the busy spots (Otter Point in August is nutty crowded) and the not so busy spots from Becher to Sheringham and beyond - nothing.
Gear'n'beer!
Well-Known Member
I have seen lots of boats checked in sooke, usually its right before the entrance but other places also......you've just got lucky saxe......although victoria definitely has more checks
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
Yes just #'s 1-3/first column and the (* )note under that column. And obviously you would not need a re boarding device as your board is much closer to the water surface than 1ft 8". Numbers 4 to 10 are for over 6m.
Fish Camp
Well-Known Member
When you meet RCMP/Coast Guard/Moe together while on the the chuck/bush they mean buisness an often quite intimidating and might have a drone to monitor .As for reboarding device ,I have a rope ladder for the 14' tinny and working on a telescopic 3 step 90 degree pivot transom ladder/cooler holder on the starboard side of the tiller.
I fish Sooke a lot and in more recent years have not been checked on the water although I have been checked a couple of times at the marina and seen others checked while we were doing dry land maintenance etc. I know many who have been checked on the water and I have observed boats being checked around me. Sometimes that large RCMP ship will stop well off shore off Sooke for a time on their way out west and will launch a RIB off the back that will go in and check a few boats. They don't necessarily check a lot, its more showing the flag. The boats (DFO etc) may also sit near the end of the spit and check boats going back into the harbour. Sometimes you will hear sport guys on the VHF mention they are there. Once we were fishing in the fog beside another boat and one of the big US gun boats came out of Sooke harbour and slowed down to watch us and one other boat for a couple of minutes in the light fog and then left. Perhaps they had dropped off the Canadian guy and were headed home.
One of my old fishing partners (now gone from cancer) had a funny story he use to tell about being out in his boat and having the DFO guys come up close to check him and when they got a good close look at him one said to the other "oh. he's first nations" and they spun their boat and went off to check someone else. The funny part was he was actually a well tanned, grizzled up old Chinese guy. We dumped his ashes on the waters off Sooke a few years back.
One of the smartest DFO guys ever, stopped us many, many years ago on the Oak Bay flats. This guy was sneaky and by himself on a flat calm day in a small tinny with a smaller motor on it going fairly slow. No one even noticed him until he was beside you asking for your fishing license.
CIVANO
Well-Known Member
i was anchored for Halibut and was boarded. They asked if I had been salmon fishing and I said yes and we had 2 springs on board. He said he fished some himself and asked if it would be too much to tell him what was working today. I told him the spoon we were using. he immediately took it and checked the barb. Sneaky fellow!
Wow! that is one smart enforcement officer; happy to see our tax dollars spent on him. Gets the admission that you had been fishing for salmon, caught them and caught them on that particular lure before he checks the hook on it for barbs. That gets around the issues that it is legal to have barbed hooks on your boat and on your lures and to fish them because they are legal to use to fish for a wide variety of species other than salmon.
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pescador
Well-Known Member
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Years ago I was coming back from Bowen Is and slowed down to look at the action at the mouth of the Cap. It was pretty obvious that a small number of anchored boats were snagging a school of coho that were waiting for the tide to rise. They were REALLY pissing off the guys fishing from shore. As I backed away from the pack I saw a a friend that was a Fisheries Officer out of uniform , waving at me to come in.... I ran up on the shore and he said lets go visit those jiggers . ( He was sportfishing too, but he had his ticket book with him ) I slowly ran into the estuary in my little 15 ft Hourston and sidled up to the snaggers one by one. He showed his badge, asked for licences, kept them, told them to stay put . We surprised a total of 5 anchored boats. We then slowly went back and he left a paper trail and seized a number of fish. It was just about then the bankies realized what we were doing---- We got a great big cheer ! I really was disappointing that I didnt get an honorary Fish Cop badge for providing transport. LOL!
fishchaser
Active Member
Its important to remember that as inconvenient as a boarding is they are doing two things. Ensuring everyone is following the rules saving our fish stocks as well as making sure everyone is operating a safe vessel. Remember these are the same guys we call on our worst of days to come hep save us. We were boarded last year on our return trip frim Ucluelet to Seattle. We were in the middle of the channel between Renfroe and Neha Bay, talk about choppy. It was to rough for them to do a side tie so the inspecting officer boarded our boat from the rear deck. We had everything required for a coast guard registered vessel however our flares were expired. Who knew they had an expiration date? We were giving a warning ticket that I had to mail back with proof of purchase of new flares. The officer made sure we were aware store like West Marine do not rotate their stock and to make sure new flares were not expired as well.
We weren't fishing at the time of boarding however had possession limits of Salmon, Halibut and Ling Cod and they never asked to see our catch or licenses.
We weren't fishing at the time of boarding however had possession limits of Salmon, Halibut and Ling Cod and they never asked to see our catch or licenses.
Kildonan
Well-Known Member
I've been checked a couple of times over the years. They give me a pass now, they must have my boat registered in some system because they come close then drive away. This is in area 19 around the Victoria waterfront. There are some sketchy looking rigs around there that aren't safe, we've all seen them. Plus the plethora of newbies I see at the ramp that haven't a clue what they're doing. These guys get a good lesson from inspections I would think.
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