(a) Visual distress signal means a device that is approved by the Commandant under 46 CFR Part 160 or certified by the manufacturer under 46 CFR Parts 160 and 161.
(b) Coastal waters means:
(1) The U.S. waters of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior);
(2) The territorial seas of the United States; and
(3) Those waters directly connected to the Great Lakes and territorial seas (i.e., bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc.) where any entrance exceeds 2 nautical miles between opposite shorelines to the first point where the largest distance between shorelines narrows to 2 miles, as shown on the current edition of the appropriate National Ocean Service chart used for navigation. Shorelines of islands or points of land present within a waterway are considered when determining the distance between opposite shorelines.
[CGD 76-183, 44 FR 73024, Dec. 17, 1979, as amended by CGD 82-073, 49 FR 7119, Feb. 27, 1984; 49 FR 20815, May 17, 1984]