I am sorry but i don't believe this. its only common sense if you have the background and understanding of this to understand the situation. There is nothing common about abandoning a boat... who is to know what is the correct protocol.

Just like it was posted above... his boat was a hazard to others.. in reading this entire thread. that never came to my mind.

Now i admit i have limited experience with any rules and regs. I have tried to read EVERYTHING i can from the USCG site's and all the forums in the world, but none of those ever addressed this (perhaps i missed in on the USCG site). I never took any boater safety courses.. (want to and should) but its not required here, and i have not taken vacation time off to do this. My priorities were elsewhere, and since i usually sail with a "pack" i feel safe. Perhaps this is naive. which again backs up my feelings on this...

Regardless, glad they are ok. good info in this thread, perhaps it will educate others as it has for me.