A lovely Thursday afternoon out on the bay... that's what this particular afternoon was supposed to be.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
I met a group of friends at the Alameda docks, where we boarded our chartered vessel, Aqua Nopa, with our charter captain, Phil Albury of NauticShare.
We were all bundled up and happily lounging in the cockpit, chatting away as we motored out of the Alameda estuary.
Well, that's where the fun ended. Well, maybe that's where the fun began?
Long story short: We didn't sail that day. At. All.
Because this happened:
Our boat was boarded by a pack of gun-toting Coasties who were all business (at first) and then turned out to be a downright friendly lot. With a shiny new coast guard boat along side us, we motored up the estuary and back down again.
After about ten minutes of various inspections, they asked our "skipper," Phil Albury for his license... and *Dun*Dun*Dun* HE DIDN'T HAVE ONE. What?
The dude was running an illegal charter!
What the heck?
While I'm sad we didn't get to actually sail, and annoyed at Phil Albury of NauticShare for not having a proper license (ie: operating a charter business illegally - which is bad for all of the legit businesses in the area! Shame!!) I had a good afternoon. I mean, how often do you get to chill on a boat with the Coast Guard AND bust crime??
Who knew our sailing outing would turn into a bust!? Kinda cool.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
I met a group of friends at the Alameda docks, where we boarded our chartered vessel, Aqua Nopa, with our charter captain, Phil Albury of NauticShare.
We were all bundled up and happily lounging in the cockpit, chatting away as we motored out of the Alameda estuary.
Well, that's where the fun ended. Well, maybe that's where the fun began?
Long story short: We didn't sail that day. At. All.
Because this happened:
Our boat was boarded by a pack of gun-toting Coasties who were all business (at first) and then turned out to be a downright friendly lot. With a shiny new coast guard boat along side us, we motored up the estuary and back down again.
After about ten minutes of various inspections, they asked our "skipper," Phil Albury for his license... and *Dun*Dun*Dun* HE DIDN'T HAVE ONE. What?
The dude was running an illegal charter!
What the heck?
Posing with the CG boat as it tails us during inspection.
Face it, you would take a picture too.
While I'm sad we didn't get to actually sail, and annoyed at Phil Albury of NauticShare for not having a proper license (ie: operating a charter business illegally - which is bad for all of the legit businesses in the area! Shame!!) I had a good afternoon. I mean, how often do you get to chill on a boat with the Coast Guard AND bust crime??
Who knew our sailing outing would turn into a bust!? Kinda cool.
Bahahaha! I'm glad you got a pic of the cute coast guard guy. I would have done the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame the guy didn't have a license! I mean seriously?! That's kind of crazy. You would expect him too.
Yah, really. That's just wrong. I was talking to a friend in the industry about it. Basically, what the guy was doing is horrible for the industry because he illegally sells his services and undercuts everyone else who IS properly licensed. Bad.
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