When you know a bearing to a landmark, you plot a line of position on the chart from that landmark along the observed bearing. Your vessel’s position lies somewhere along that line. To fix your exact spot, you need a second line of position from another landmark or a known fix. Plot the second line the same way, and where the two lines cross is your precise position. This use of intersecting lines of position is the fundamental method for determining your location from landmark bearings. With only one bearing you only get a line, not a unique point.

When you want a hearing, you must act quickly by filing a declaration of opposition within 15 days after the notice is mailed. The clock starts on the mailing date, not when you happen to see the notice, so it’s important to check mail promptly. This short window is set to preserve your right to a hearing while keeping the process moving for the agency. If you miss that deadline, the agency can proceed without a hearing, and the decision may become final. A proper declaration should be directed to the correct office and include your identifying information and a clear statement that you want a hearing. Longer timeframes, like 30 or 60 days, aren’t the correct process here, and claiming no declaration is required would bypass the hearing right when it’s actually being sought.

A storage lien on a vessel is the claim a storage operator has to secure payment of storage charges. If the owner doesn’t consent to storage, the vessel can stay only after those charges are paid and the lien is satisfied. Paying the lien releases the vessel from the storage hold, allowing it to be removed or reclaimed. If the lien isn’t satisfied, the storage holder can keep the vessel or pursue enforcement to recover the debt. The lien isn’t automatically canceled, and authorities don’t have to seize the vessel as the immediate step. So, the owner must pay the storage charges (satisfy the lien) and then remove the vessel.

Vessel identification and documentation status must be clearly specified in an Authorization to Sell. This form should provide enough details to uniquely identify the boat and confirm the person has authority to sell it. Including a description and make helps you distinguish the hull, while the undoc. vessel registration number and the vessel’s name identify boats that aren’t USCG-documented. For USCG-documented vessels, the official number is the unique identifier assigned by the Coast Guard, and the home port ties to the vessel’s documentation. Together, these items ensure there’s no confusion about which boat is being sold and who is authorized to sell it. Price, buyer’s signature, or insurance policy numbers do not establish authority or identify the vessel, so they aren’t appropriate elements for the authorization.