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Oct 22, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

Coast Guard Boarding: What to Expect on Your Boat – Southern Boating & Yachting

The Coast Guard just made a U-turn, lit up the blue lights and called you on the radio. Here is exactly what happens next.

Capt. Chris Caldwell walks through a Coast Guard boarding step by step, from the first hail to the receipt in your hand.

In this episode of the Southern Boating podcast, training captain and Southern Boating & Yachting contributor Capt. Chris Caldwell breaks down what to expect when the U.S. Coast Guard asks to board your boat.

He covers how the boarding crew approaches, the questions they ask about passengers and firearms, why they open the engine room and lazarette first, and the paperwork and placards they expect to see, including the Navigation Rules handbook for boats 12 meters (39.4 feet) and longer.

He also explains the most common violation he sees (expired flares), why life jackets must carry U.S. Coast Guard approval, what to say and what not to say, and how a simple pre-departure checklist keeps a boarding short and friendly.

00:00 Intro
00:22 Where the Coast Guard can board you
00:55 The wave, the U-turn and the blue lights
01:53 Head count and firearms questions
02:48 Engine room, lazarette and the safety inspection
03:26 The Navigation Rules handbook (39.4 feet and up)
04:06 Pollution placards and the waste plan
04:46 Your documentation number
05:35 The boarding report and the “gold sheet”
06:18 Why they pick your boat
07:18 Big events and holiday weekends
08:10 Is there anything they cannot do?
08:23 The federal requirements booklet
08:54 Life jackets: USCG approval matters
09:43 Dewatering devices
10:20 The most common violation: expired flares
11:06 What to say and what not to say
11:30 A friendly boarding in Charleston Harbor
12:13 Your pre-departure checklist
12:52 Capt. Chris’s background
13:33 “Owning the boat”
13:55 Ask Captain Chris on YouTube