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Article: coast guard advises tourists to avoid illegal charter boats.(Local)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- July 18, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Stephanie Lee
The Virginian-Pilot
The Coast Guard is cautioning tourists to avoid charter boats with unlicensed captains at the upcoming pony swim in Chincoteague.
Illegal charter boats may not have a formally trained crew, carry proper equipment or meet federal safety standards, according to Coast Guard officials, who said they received several complaints last year.
In one instance, 12 people boarded a charter boat that had no lifesaving equipment or fire extinguishers, said Rick Ball, a chief boatswain's mate in the Coast Guard. The group sat in chairs taken from a nearby hotel pool area.