[Paddlewise] FYI - security zones around Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships

After viewing a pictures of kayaks relatively close to docked, former U.S.
Navy warships, this is just a fyi regarding the security zones around U.S.
Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships.  I doubt any kayak would get this close to
a ship underway, or at least I would not (and I only have river barges in
Minnesota). 

Nationwide, a security zone has been established around all naval vessels
whether they are docked, anchored or under way: 

Boats must stay at least 100 yards away and reduce speed to a minimum within
500 yards.
To underscore the seriousness, violators are subject to arrest and
prosecution for a federal felony, punishable by a $250,000 fine and six
months in jail.
For boaters in an area where the channel does not allow such clearance,
skippers need to radio the ship on Channel 16 with a request to pass within
100 yards. 

"Our greatest fear is the boater who gets into trouble (in a security zone)
and doesn't even know what he's doing wrong," said Capt. Scott Evans, the
Coast Guard's Chief of Boating Safety. The possibility exists, he said, that
security patrols perceiving a threat or getting no response from a small
boat in the wrong place will use deadly force and ask questions later.

Even before Sept. 11, there were many longstanding security zones around
military facilities and many of these are already marked on nautical charts.
In the past, there was little or no enforcement of these zones, but there
will be now. Also what's markedly different this summer is that non-military
areas beneath bridges, near airports, petroleum and chemical facilities,
power plants, locks and dams or cruise line docks are now also considered
off limits.

"If you drop an anchor to go fishing beneath a bridge, you can probably
expect to be boarded," Evans said. He cited an incident in which a night
fisherman reported seeing men in SCUBA diving gear beneath a major East
Coast bridge. Taking no chances, Evans said Coast Guard divers spent the
next day checking the base of each piling. Luckily nothing was found.

For port security information, 
call 800-682-1796 for East and Gulf coasts, 
787-706-2415 for the Midwest. 
To report any suspicious activities, call the Coast Guard at 800-424-8802; 
U.S. Customs at 800-232-5378; 
INS at 800-375-5283; or contact local marine police on VHF Channel 16 or via
phone at 911. 
Useful government web sites include 		www.uscgboating.org or

	
www.uscg.mil/news/homeland_security/homeland_security.htm

and another article at http://www.boatus.com/gov/homeland_article.htm
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