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Dear readers,

An article this week brought back a memory for me. It was about flag flying and a fine for flying the wrong flag at the stern. Which, by the way, we took as an opportunity, to summarise everything about correct flag handling once again.

I remembered an experience a few years ago that also ended with a fine and annoyance. My wife and I had anchored in the Hahnöfer Nebenelbe off Hanskalbsand in our then 20-metre dinghy cruiser. It was a hot day. We wanted to enjoy the slightly cooler breeze on the water. With the cockpit nicely lined with cushions, we basked in the sun in our Adam costumes. If you now have images in your head, to be fair, please imagine Halle Berry in "Die Another Day" and Brad Pitt in "Troy".

Woken by the sound of the engine, I saw the water police approaching. I hurriedly threw on a few things and they were already alongside. What do they want?

I was asked where my anchor ball was. Oops! There was something else. "Erm, I forgot, sorry," I replied. The two officers asked me to make up for it. "I can't, because, well, it was just the regatta, every gram counts, and I haven't put the stuff back yet." Which was actually true.

Stupid, my fault, all right, I'll remember that.

"That's 20 euros for not sitting down plus 20 euros for not being on board," said one of them brashly, while the other looked aside, embarrassed.

Stop, not like that, not with me! "That I didn't put it on, okay, my fault," I said, "but I don't have to have it on board and be able to show it. There's no compulsory equipment for pleasure craft."

I wasn't at all sure about that, but you can always give it a try. In fact, the two law enforcement officers were now starting to waver. They then waived the extra 20 euros, but I had to pay the other 20.

I was probably even right. The reason why I am so careful in expressing this is due to the fact that various regulations recommend certain equipment for different sailing areas. However, there is no regulation in the sense of a legal equipment catalogue. This leads to a certain grey area in terms of interpretation. I don't want to open a can of worms here about what makes sense for whom. Or whether the water police are authorised to check the presence of equipment if it is only prescribed for certain cases such as night or fog or anchoring. But only if these cases occur. In other words, can the presence of navigation lights be checked in broad daylight if they only have to be displayed between sunset and sunrise? Because it could be that you have to be on the road at night? I expressly do not want to question the duty of care for sailors here, according to which more rather than less should be on board anyway and which I consider to be absolutely sensible - as recommendations. What these include is in this article.

On the one hand, I was annoyed by the 20 euros, but even more so by the half hour of interrupted sunbathing and the subsequent anger in my stomach.

Why the anger? It was my fault! Sure, but wouldn't a raised index finger have done the trick? A run past the boat, a shout of "Hey, where's your anchor ball? That could be expensive!"? I imagine that would have had the same educational effect on me as the fine. And we wouldn't have been disturbed in our privacy. The police would have been my friend and helper, not a bill collector. Why do they always have to collect money straight away? I really don't think I'm a sea hooligan or an incorrigible repeat offender for whom punishment must hurt.

I then asked a friend in uniform. He said that in around 80 per cent of cases on the Elbe, a verbal warning was issued. However, he had also heard that the situation was very different in other areas.

Well, I was probably unlucky to have been one of the 20 per cent. Or maybe I just got caught at a bad time.

Because, as I learnt, the law enforcement agencies also allegedly function like commercial enterprises. If the balance sheet is not right, the interior ministries or authorities sometimes issue instructions to the police station commanders and from them to the officers outside that they need to generate more fines.

The assessment of the individual law enforcement officer and thus his career opportunities would then also depend on his financial balance sheet. I can only write all this carefully in the subjunctive, as of course no one has officially confirmed it.

So as not to give the wrong impression: there is always personal room for manoeuvre for the officer as to whether he leaves it at a warning or imposes a fine, the so-called opportunity principle. And of course, as in real life, there are also good-natured fellows among civil servants, who are the vast majority, as well as "sharp dogs", according to my mate. However, if pressure came from above or if a district commander wanted to make a name for himself with his income record, the good-naturedness would quickly come to an end.

Sometimes a fine imposed would only be something like a record of activity, so that the official's service book would not show too many gaps. So be it.

In any case, it throws a completely different light on the matter. In principle, I think that a verbal warning should be sufficient, especially for "seafarers", but I will probably feel less angry now if I am fined again. Who knows, maybe the other person is ashamed of the fine, but can't help it? Is that how I should have interpreted the embarrassed look on the second officer's face?

By the way: following a flash of inspiration, I shot below deck when the two of them were already back in their boat and about to cast off and took out a purple paper lantern in the shape of a ball. It was hanging there below deck for "atmosphere". "I've got an anchor ball," I called over. I actually thought that would be enough. The two of them just grinned and chugged off.

As I now know, the lantern was not only far too small (it should have been 60 centimetres in diameter), it should also have been black according to collision prevention regulations. Shame on me and thanks to the officials for not penalising this impertinence as an offence. That could have helped the balance sheet.

Lars Bolle,Editor-in-Chief Watersports Digital

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The week in pictures:

Recommended reading from the editorial team:

THE OCEAN RACE

Always up to date- Daily updates

The queen stage of The Ocean Race has only just started and things are already getting really busy. After an eventful start with initial damage, the Franco-German crew of Guyot Environnement - Team Europe had to report worrying damage and is currently trying to return to Cape Town. Team Malizia and Boris Herrmann have also had to contend with some problems, but the bulk of the Hammer stage is still to come

MISTRAL 33 "PIANO"

From sea cruiser to retro classic - a piece of jewellery

Dreaming of a retro classic, one owner transformed his aged Hallberg-Rassy Mistral 33 in a radical refit until it matched the coveted model

INSOLVENCY

A. W. Niemeyer is sold

The end of the troubled water sports outfitter seems to have been averted. The search for a buyer has apparently been successful. And: the AWN in-house exhibition will take place as planned at the end of March

SWAN 115 FD

Simply beautiful - 35 metre slup "Shamanna"

The Swan 115 FD "Shamanna" complements the Finns' flagship range with a flush deck version. Nautor has thus emphasised the Frers design even more on speed. The superyacht can be chartered, preferably in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean

SEAMANSHIP

Typical flag handling errors that can be costly

Manners among sailors are no different to those on land. Some people believe they can do without them and also consider the rules for correct flag handling to be outdated. This article explains the background to some of the customs and laws and why you should still adhere to them. Because bad seamanship is not only negligent, it can also be expensive

SAILING RECORDS

These are the fastest sailors on the water

Paul Larsen's "Vestas Sailrocket 2" has held the speed record on the water for eleven years. But when will he be replaced at the top of the list? And what other records are there? An overview with astonishing findings

HUTTING 46 EXPLORER

Retro classic for the long journey

The younger generation is now in charge at Hutting Yachts in Holland. And they have ambitious plans. The family business in Makkum is currently completing a new, very robust blue water cruiser under the name Hutting 46 Explorer. The ship is built entirely from aluminium

WAL-ATTACKS

The mystery of the orca attacks - 40 cases investigated

Mysterious orca attacks on sailing yachts are on the increase along the European Atlantic coasts. YACHT author Thomas Käsbohrer asked 40 affected crews about their experiences and took a closer look at the phenomenon. His advice for encounters with the marine mammals

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