Memorial Day warning: How to know if your chartered boat is illegal
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — With Memorial Day weekend quickly approaching, the United States Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg has a message for those who plan to be out on the water.
The Coast Guard said some of the boats advertised on social media fail to meet federal regulations. Officials warn that searching for a deal to get on a boat may lead to a dangerous situation, one that could even be illegal.
Sector St. Petersburg monitors the water on the west coast of Florida from about the Fenholloway River to Marco Island, ensuring vessels are operating legally and safely.
“We have had accidents in our area where people are operating illegally who carried too many people,” said USCG Senior Investigating Officer Brian Knapp.
Knapp said the Coast Guard recognizes two different classifications of passenger vessels. One is an uninspected passenger vessel that may carry no more than six paying passengers that’s called a six pack.
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“If you’re getting on a smaller class boat like a pontoon boat and they’re carrying more than six, you probably are getting on a boat that they’re not qualified to operate,” he said.
The Coast Guard said it has seen some of those illegal charters in Tampa Bay posing as sunset boats, dolphin encounters and tiki boats.
The other is an inspected passenger vessel, such as the Bay Rocket or Yacht StarShip. These boats are heavily regulated by the Coast Guard and have a certificate of inspection.
“You should expect to see this on any vessel caring more than six passengers,” said Knapp. “You should expect to see this if you don’t see it, we recommend you don’t get on the boat.”
But how do you know if the one you are getting on is legitimate? In both cases, Knapp said passengers have the right to ask the captain to see their captain’s license.
“The first thing that that person should do is to ask to see the license and if they don’t have it, don’t get on the boat,” he said.
Knapp said there are many charter vessels operating legally. You have to watch out for the ones operating illegally. For those, there are civil penalties and even criminal provisions in some cases.
The Coast Guard said do your research beforehand, so when you do get out on the water you are able to return safely. If you notice something is off or could be illegal, call the Coast Guard to report it at 866-881-1392.
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