Has anyone noticed?

[rgbmatt]

Really??? Without charging you?? That's the exception not the rule. I've had friends who've gotten boarded in a channel and left to fend for themselves as they drifted onto the leeward side of the channel in a sailboat being told if they were towed to the windward side of the channel after being boarded that they would have to be billed for the service!

Nope, no charge, and they were quick about it and friendly.

Have had some pretty goofy experiences with them, though. One time they tried to board a friend's boat in the middle of the channel just as you described, and didn't seem to notice that it would go drifting into the reef. Another time they came charging at us with our dive flag up.

The funniest one, though, was when one of their boats tried exiting Keehi lagoon and missed the channel at full speed. Doh!

I think their biggest problem is a high turnover rate; they like to send guys all over the place to get experience, so often you'll end up with a bunch of new recruits from Iowa who don't really know what they're doing. One of my friends from college joined the Coast Guard right after she graduated and was promptly sent to Alaska, even though she'd probably have done a better job here. If you run into a crew who's been around long enough to know the ropes things usually go a lot smoother.