Since trading our privacy for security is currently such a hot issue, a homeland security story should be topical even if from a few years ago. Some of you may know of the oceanographic cruise my son and I made in Strider in 2009. If not, you can read about it here:
http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/images/SciencePlan.pdf
http://issuu.com/pointseast/docs/september_issuu
http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/RVStrider.htm
Canada wouldn’t let us into their waters without research permits obtained through the State Department so we were sampling and putting a portable CTD instrument over the side just on the U.S. side of the border in the Grand Manan Channel near Eastport. A ship went by and I heard them call the Coast Guard and report that a sailboat was doing something strange out in the channel.
A while later, I heard the Coast Guard calling for the vessel fishing in Grand Manan Channel. Since we weren’t fishing, I didn’t realize that they were calling us. Not long after, I saw the big bow wave of a boat heading towards us from Eastport and realized what was going on.
The Coast Guard put a man aboard who ran through the whole safety checklist, flares? Check. Oil placard? Check. Life jackets? Check. We got a “No discrepancies” boarding report a, “Have a nice day.”, and they were off.
However, right in the cockpit was this device, the CTD which measures salinity, temperature, and depth. Lowering this over the side is what the ship thought was fishing.
Down below was our small lab with racks of water samples in bottles and bottles of chemicals and chemical hazard gloves sitting on the counter.
This was all taking place in the middle of May which isn’t exactly cruising season in that part of the world. Just being there in a sailboat would be a bit suspicious. Despite being prompted by the report of a boat doing something strange, THEY NEVER MENTIONED OR ASKED ABOUT ANY OF THIS! It was like they just didn’t see any of it. They ran down their SOP checklist like it was a July weekend in Portland and headed back to Eastport.
You know, much as I value privacy and minimal government intrusion in my life, there are bad guys out there and I would like to think that all this stuff might at least have prompted a question.
http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/images/SciencePlan.pdf
http://issuu.com/pointseast/docs/september_issuu
http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/RVStrider.htm
Canada wouldn’t let us into their waters without research permits obtained through the State Department so we were sampling and putting a portable CTD instrument over the side just on the U.S. side of the border in the Grand Manan Channel near Eastport. A ship went by and I heard them call the Coast Guard and report that a sailboat was doing something strange out in the channel.
A while later, I heard the Coast Guard calling for the vessel fishing in Grand Manan Channel. Since we weren’t fishing, I didn’t realize that they were calling us. Not long after, I saw the big bow wave of a boat heading towards us from Eastport and realized what was going on.
The Coast Guard put a man aboard who ran through the whole safety checklist, flares? Check. Oil placard? Check. Life jackets? Check. We got a “No discrepancies” boarding report a, “Have a nice day.”, and they were off.
However, right in the cockpit was this device, the CTD which measures salinity, temperature, and depth. Lowering this over the side is what the ship thought was fishing.
Down below was our small lab with racks of water samples in bottles and bottles of chemicals and chemical hazard gloves sitting on the counter.
This was all taking place in the middle of May which isn’t exactly cruising season in that part of the world. Just being there in a sailboat would be a bit suspicious. Despite being prompted by the report of a boat doing something strange, THEY NEVER MENTIONED OR ASKED ABOUT ANY OF THIS! It was like they just didn’t see any of it. They ran down their SOP checklist like it was a July weekend in Portland and headed back to Eastport.
You know, much as I value privacy and minimal government intrusion in my life, there are bad guys out there and I would like to think that all this stuff might at least have prompted a question.