Port of call?

[Lucky Dog]

Question

What is your port of call. Where the boat is located or where you live?

ml

[Emerald]

And how does "home port" and "hailing port" fit into this? From page 44 of the 54th Edition of Piloting Seamanship and Small Boat Handling by Chapman we have, "The home port is the port where the craft is permanently documented. The hailing port is the port or place in the same Marine Inspection Zone where the vessel was built or where one or more of the owners reside. The state name, in full or abbreviated form, should be included in the home or haling port."'

That cleared it up, right....:cool:

[Lucky Dog]

Thank you for the information. Refining my question for perhaps a survey poll; which do most of you use, port of or hailing?

ml

[Mindscape]

I have the city and state where my boat is docked on the stern.

[Emerald]

I think I would be inclined to follow Mindscape's lead and use where she is moored. For me it's one and the same, so I didn't have to think too hard - that's' a good thing sometimes....

[jmcpeak]

I look at it this way;

It is where the boat makes berth, not me. (unless you are a full-time live aboard)

Also the city I live in is completely land locked, how could that possibly be a considered a "port"? home or hailing :-)

[Lucky Dog]

Jason that is what got me thinking about what to put on our boat. I am amazed at the boats on the great lakes with landlocked city names. It does invite a person to who may see your home city and start a conversation. Year ago my son and I rode bicycles across the country. We recognized a local bike store logo on a stranger shirt and felt invited to start talking to him.
I see the value in both ideas.

ml

[Tom Metzger]

For a documented boat the hailing port can be anyplace in the USA. Your choice. The USCG says:

(b) The hailing port must be a place in the United States included
in the U.S. Department of Commerce's Federal Information Processing
Standards Publication 55DC.
c) The hailing port must include the State, territory, or
possession in which it is located.

This is a change from the early 80s when it had to be one of three places. The owner's home, the home port, or the location of the CG documentation office. Most people, myself included, used the latter because it didn't have to be changed if the boat or owner moved.

[Shadowfax]

Back when I documented my boat, 1988 you had three choices.
1. The CG district you where in, in my case Philadelphia
2. Where the boat was actually kept, in my case Rock Hall, MD
3. Where you live, in my case New Hope, PA

I chose my home, New Hope, PA, as the hailing port as I didn't want to go through a paper work thing every time I moved the boat and Philadelphia seemed a bit broad as a location in that I live about 45 miles north of Philly and Rock Hall is about 70 miles south of it.

[Mark F]

And New Hope PA is a WAY cooler place to be from than Philly... in my opinion ;-)