30+ years of boating, lakes, rivers, bays, oceans in everything from Sunfish to 72 foot Hatteras and have yet to be harassed by the boat police, shore patrol, or coastguard. Sure I've been asked to heave to a number of times, but never once did I feel I was being harassed. Wake jumping in Barnaget Bay in a 18 foot Donzi with four friends aboard got us noticed and asked to heave to. A firm talking to (hey I was 16) about how dangerous it was to do this in a crowded intercoastal channel got a yes sir from all of us...Days later we were back at it
.....Going a little fast in a no wake zone with a cigarette boat in Florida got us a verbal warning (I was officially in the co drivers seat at 19 years old), and oh yeah, running in from an approaching storm in Barneget Inlet at roughly 35 knots (have you ever been through Barneget Inlet) with our running lights off (blown fuse with no spares aboard) got us in a bit of hot water with the coast guard who assumed we were drug runners..Again a real eye opener at 22 years old to stare down the barrel of a machine gun pointed at you........But again, that is about it..Add another 20 plus years to this without another incident and it becomes clear that age has brought me wisdom to stay under the radar these days
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Bill S.