(a) No operator or charterer shall prevent any person from complying with, or direct any person to violate, any provision of this article, or direct the captain to get underway over the captain’s objection that the condition of the vessel, or the weather, or a combination of both, makes the trip inadvisable.
(b) It shall be a full and complete defense to a charge of violating this section that, given the then-existing conditions of the vessel and the weather, the captain’s or other person’s compliance, however obtained, did not violate and would not have violated any provision of this article or any regulation of the Coast Guard, and was and would have been consistent with all safety precautions and procedures recommended by the Coast Guard.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) “Direct” means to coerce or attempt to coerce by threat of loss of employment or charter earnings or, if by an operator but not a charterer, to make a demand in violation of this section under circumstances in which it would be reasonable for the captain or other person to believe that failure to comply could lead to the loss of his or her employment or charter earnings.
(2) “Captain” means the individual responsible for the operation of the vessel while underway.
(Added by Stats. 1983, Ch. 1049, Sec. 1. Effective September 26, 1983.)