Racor Yes, Cedar Plugs No

[Delancey]

I had learned on an earlier regional flight that a Racor filter looks like a kinda like a bomb, so I knew my carry on bag would cause some excitement at the airport security check point thanks to the Racor filter along with the sat phone, hand held VHF, bag full of bottles of pills, and all the other weird junk one has with them in this situation.

We are returning to the states from a delivery and having to pay 100 bucks extra for the bag with the watermaker in it on the regional flight had made me wary of extra baggage fees, so we packed the with the aim of loading up my carry on all the heavy spares and equipment to keep the checked baggage lighter in weight without thinking about what I was loading my bag up it.

It was fun for a minute watching the panic on the screeners face when my bag went through the machine. It wasn't fun when I had to decide between giving up a line wrench and four ratcheted box end wrenches. Either that or go back through security to pay more bucks check the bag and worse, risk missing our flight.

Maybe the saddest part was having to give up my cedar plugs. Guess all that delicious Jamon and Vermouth we had before we got to packing must have put me off my game. Airport security can be a real pain, doesn't help when you aren't paying attention to what you are doing. Such is life.

[NoTies]

Before America had a problem the rest of the world didn't have a problem with this sort of crap. Who really won the "war on terrorism"?

[FSMike]

Racor filter? Wrenches, cedar plugs, watermaker?
Delancey, you carry a tad more stuff to a delivery than anyone I've ever heard of.
If I thought a delivery needed stuff like that I'd make the owner buy it and leave it on board.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Delancey

...Maybe the saddest part was having to give up my cedar plugs....

Why would they ban the cedar plugs?

[a64pilot]

I believe anything except pressure treated wood can be considered to have "bugs" of somekind

[prosneek]

Wood can contain beetles and the like. In order to prevent bugs that cause a tree disease in one country from spreading to another, an individual cannot bring wood in with them. If the security people knew anything about wood, they would have known that ceder repels bugs due to the aroma from the ceder oil. this is also true in different parts of America. If you go camping at a campgrounds, you will have seen a sign that says you cannot bring outside wood with you. This isnt because they want you to buy theirs but so that they can control any kind of tree infestation.

[Roy M]

FORESPAR Sta-Plug® Emergency Plug | West Marine

[Delancey]

Friends boat, delivery on a budget. I grabbed anything potentially useful including small hose clamps, seizing wife, and a chunk of leather that I knew were not onboard his boat. I grabbed the ratcheted box end wrenches because in my experience they can be a real life saver sometimes.

Probably more than a hundred bucks worth of gear including the fishing lures but seemed like the thing to do at the time considering they would have nicked me a $100 to check the bag.

Madrid to JFK, sitting in Dublin airport right now. Been X-rayed four times to get this far. Everyone wants to see something different, this last one wanted to see a hemostat from the med kit.

No one has paid any attention to the copious quantities of prescription narcotics. They did let me keep the spare metric Allen wrenches for the self-steering gear, wouldn't want to be short of those.

Of course the went after the cedar plugs because, I don't know they have a hook? I might take control of an airplane with them? Poke someone's eye out?

In my eyes the 130 pound spectra tuna line is deadlier if used as a garrote. Whatever. I live in a city that smelled like burning dead people for three months after all this nonsense started.

My troubles are my own fault for innocently thinking a fishing lure was okay to take on an airplane or that a 1/2" wrench would be considered a potentially deadly weapon. Such is life.

Lesson learned.

[a64pilot]

On the Cedar plug thing and the $22 dollar WM alternative. I have several soft wood plugs too, but keep a couple of Nerf footballs on board, thinking the kids can throw the football around on the beach, but if a thru-hull breaks off, the football may be as good or better than a wooden plug.

[Delancey]

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Cedar plugs are an old school lure. We did catch four delicious Blue Fish before we cleared Nantucket. I suppose in a store they would cost a hundred bucks so I consider the deal a wash including the wrenches.

They make fine ceviche BTW. Nice tip about the Nerf balls, thanks for that. I have a Forespar plug that the neighbors have borrowed but I have never had to use. Nerf ball seems like a much better value.

(My wife had a great time, meant to say seizing wire before.)

[a64pilot]

You know I don't think I was the only one that got "cedar plugs" wrong was I?

[prosneek]

Nope you were not. I thought the op was talking about some kind of plugs for putting in a hole or some such thing. Didnt know he was talking about a fishing lure.

[a64pilot]

Maybe they took them away because of the great big nasty looking hook?

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by prosneek

Wood can contain beetles and the like. In order to prevent bugs that cause a tree disease in one country from spreading to another, an individual cannot bring wood in with them...

I am glad countries never banned wooden boats...

Originally Posted by prosneek

Nope you were not. I thought the op was talking about some kind of plugs for putting in a hole or some such thing. Didnt know he was talking about a fishing lure.

You were definitely not, like prosneek, I also thought they were for plugging holes...

[goboatingnow]

I never got tools through in carry on luggage, I think they were afraid I'd dismantle the plane in flight. Had even trouble getting my multi meter through Heathrow recently

dave