GrouperNinja

I just over heard someone one day at a dive shop I think I dont recall.....what are we talking about anyway I forget?

Turtlebait

Not even sure ifthis should be posted here, but it is about getting caught by THE MAN, and we had planned on making a dive before we got boarded.

John and I (not that John, the OTHER John!), were on his 40 ft wooden hull snapper boat and had anchored on a wreck (not sure which one) before daylight on a Saturday. We fished for a while at night and only caught two amberjacks, which in the dark, looked 28 to the fork. We planned on diving the wreck once it got good and light out.

Looking to the East, I could barely make out a ship coming towards us, but at least it seemed to the North of us and no concern about collision. As it got closer and more light was available, I checked it out with the binoculars. It was Navy gray, but had U.S. AIR FORCE wrote in BIG letters on it's side. It also had a big crane-type boom on the stern of it. John asks me what it is, I suppose it is a drone recovery ship they used to retrieve drones used in target practice.

They pass a good half mile North of us, then turn South, straight for us. As they get closer, I see ARMED men in life vests all over it! Then I notice a guy toting a huge video camera. When the loud hailer boomed - "Prepared to be boarded!" - we both browned our shorts!

As they held position off our Port quarter, they commence to launch an inflatable with 5 guys in it, two of them armed with M16's! When they boarded, they immediately ask for ID's and boat papers. It was then I noticed they were Marine Patrol uniforms! I ask what they were doing with a drone recovery ship, and they say something about interagency cooperation. After all the papers are gone through, they proceed with a thorough search and inspection of John's boat. About the time one of them asks if we have any firearms on board, another guy finds John's 357 in the cabin and all HELL brakes loose. They raise rifles,pistols and everything else, scream at us to put our hands on our head, don't move, grab some gunwale?, and a host of other crap! I just FROZE! They pat us down, ask about any other arms on the boat and Ipoint out the Bang Stick that is not loaded.

After we all calm down, one guy finds the two Amberjacks in the cooler. He asks if WE have a tape measure, which WE produce, and he measures the fish and concludes they are both an inch SHORT! John says he measured wrong and I thought the Officer was gonna shoot him. The ticket book comes out and writes John the ticket for the short AJ's because he is the captain (I think I was the one who caught and measured them). He then asks where WE were, John says - "With that fancy ass boat of yours, YOU don't know!".

To say things went downhill after that, would be woefully inadequate. After the name calling and cussing subsided, WE turned on OUR loran, and gave them OUR position in TD's so they could enter it on the citation. They thanked us for our cooperation (can you really say NO to a person holding a M16 to your head?), disembarked, got in their "loaned" U.S. AIR FORCE drone recovery ship - must have been a coupla hundred feet long - went back North about a half mile, then continued on toward the West to accost some other unsuspecting fisherman.

Several months later, John recieves a notice from the Marine Patrol that his case has been referred to the Federal Marine Fisheries because, according to OUR coordinates, we were in FEDERAL WATERS! The ship that boarded us was apparently cruising the 9 mile limit, but when they turned South, they crossed into FEDERAL WATERS. Six months later, John recieves a notice from the FEDS saying that they didn't have the resources to prosecute him for having two short AJ's - case dismissed!

We both wondered exactly who's freezer those confiscated AJ's ended up in - Ric

Snook_Reaper

I have had some run in's with FWC before and it never seems fun. I hate dealing with them just as much as anyone else because it just seems as though they immediately suspect that you are a violator until you prove yourself otherwise.....then when you do prove to them that you have your affairs in order they seem to get offended that you showed them up and find one of the many hundreds of reasons to write a piss-ant ticket.

However, it seems really strange that they would freak so badly about a pistol on a 40' boat.....that is so common. Every boat out there at times has a pistol and it is perfectly legal.......

not saying that is not true but there has to be more to the story....... i just cant see them aiming guns at you and frisking u because if 1 pistol on a boat which is LEGAL. If that is truly the way it went down I hope to NEVEr run into those guys.