Ask a Maritime Attorney

Question - Ask a Maritime Attorney

If the captain suffered a stroke, not the coast guard need to know?

I own a large motoryacht and I use a licensed captain and ship management and operations. Thecaptain has a number of restrictions on the licensing of his health, and he recently had a stroke. Can you give me some idea of how this will affect his license? And, if you don't report the stroke for thecoast guard, the ship owner should do a report?

Regulations for the operation of a vessel of a dealer, manufacturer

I work with a partner to market a line of new boats which we are producing in the United States. I recently got a "demo" the boat here in California, and we are using the boat as a platform tointroduce potential customers to our boats. We do not want the title boat, while we are offering the boat for sale, so we have to be registrations of a manufacturer from the California DMV and we show the number on the mobile registration table mounted on the nose. I think I have followed the rulescompletely but recently we were up by a harbor patrol officers in a cruise last week, and we've beencited for operating a registered boat. He told us that the number of manufacturers is not suitable forthe use of the boat but he did not provide any details. What have I done wrong?

I can hold back the charge slip in a dispute with the Marina? 

My boat was damaged during its sliding during a winter storm last year, when a blow fasciculuspulled off the dock and left tied up the way I broke up under the stress. Months before the storm, I highly recommend the managers recommended that the blow fasciculus dock loose and I wasconcerned that it might pull out of the dock in bad weather. I continued to complain, but he neversent anyone down to fix it. After the storm, I asked the institutions to fix my boat, but so far they have refused. I decided, therefore, to keep the cost of my slide, but now they are threatening to evict me. Ihave heard that the Floating Home Residency Law California can protect me from this kind ofintimidated by the Marina, since I lived on my boat. What is my selection?

The requirements for running a boat what are audiences? 

I volunteer my boat every year as a spectator ship for an annual charity race run by a charity. I would usually have five, six on board, plus a volunteer from the Foundation acts as a Manager and a friendwas acting like my crew. I don't get any money for my involvement, but we are invited to a party the night before, get lunch before the race and attend the party to be held after that. We had a smallproblem in the last year, and while no one was hurt, the incident raised some questions. First, the boats would volunteer audience for the event is considered the carriage of passengers for hire, for it is a Coast Guard Captain's license must be run each boat audience? If so, the audience need to be inspected by the coast guard? And finally, does not depend on the request of the Coast Guard,should we look at a special insurance policy for the event or may be required to sign a liability releaseprior to the audience?

Concerns over the purchase of a yacht from a private party without a broker 

I bought a yacht in California from a private party without a broker, and the seller's lawyer drafted atwo-page purchase contract. I'm a bit concerned about whether the agreement satisfactory resolutionof the issues involved in these types of transactions since the Convention used by the yacht brokerusually six or seven pages long. I'm sure that a lot of provisions in the contract is designed to protectthe broker, but some of the issues that I need to seek a shorter contract is what? In addition, the sellerasked me to pay the deposit, but he wanted to hold deposits themselves rather than send the fundsin the escrow account. That idea makes me a bit worried because the deposit will need to be returned to me if I refused the ship after it surveyed. Is there some way that I can protect those funds?