Hey guys,
I sail down at South Padre Island TX and own a 14' turbo. I recently came across the following on a discussion board:
"Many years ago, a buddy of mine was vacationing down at Padre Island (TX, on the Gulf of Mexico, for the Geographically challenged). He and his buddy (rented?) a small sailboat, and were cruisin around, havin' a good time. Buddy decides to hoist the ol' "Jolly Roger".
Being teens, they figure "yeah! that's cool". Sail around for a brief while when a USCG cutter appears, spots the flag, and hauls up to 'em at full throttle, swings around, and hails 'em
"VESSEL WITH THE SKULL AND CROSSBONES, HEAVE TO AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED"
Ha ha ha...yeah, sure....until the crew performs an "action drill" and suddenly my buddy and his friend are looking down the barrel of a 40mm (?...some BMF mounted piece).
It's amazing how fast hands can go to vertical, and that flag can come down. It's also amazing how little a sense of humor those guys had..."
I sail with two of my daughters and they love the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I ordered a replica of the flag that flew over the Black Pearl for our Hobie cat. This is all in fun and can't see how a 14' Hobie with a 9 and 11 year old is going to pose a threat to anyone. Do any of you know if it is illegal to fly our Disney oriented Jolly Roger flag, and will the Coast Guard try to board our boat, LOL! How am I supposed to carry any booty home with the 500 lb weight carrying limit of my boat?
Capt. "Daniel" Sparrow