San Diego, California. (October 19, 2023): Some folks seem determined to test fate. In this photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Stanton, a Coast Guard Sector San Diego boarding team stops an illegal charter that is clearly overloaded and poses a serious risk to its passengers and crew. These types of incidents typically involve the heavy use of alcohol and a total disregard for basic safety procedures, especially when transporting commercial passengers at sea.

The Coast Guard is the leading federal maritime law enforcement agency with both the authority and capability to enforce national and international law on the high seas. Coast Guard cutters regularly patrol the nearshore waters of America’s coasts seeking to interdict smugglers and undocumented immigrants but also run into these types of situations.

For those boaters willing to tempt their fate in an unpleasant exchange with the Coast Guard, the first thing is to remember the extent of their enforcement authority.

Under Title 14 Federal Statutes, the Coast Guard may make inquiries, examinations, inspections, searches, seizures, and arrests upon the high seas and for the prevention, detection, and suppression of violations of laws of the United States.

This covers a lot of ground. If found in violation of the law, you may be arrested, have your boat impounded, and any equipment or illegal substances will be seized. If convicted of crimes at sea, a violator could face years in a federal penitentiary and severe economic penalties.

While the Coast Guard appears unforgiving, their crews have witnessed countless tragedies when people do things that court disaster.

Sometimes, the Coast Guard must protect people from themselves.