The harsh reality and penalty for not reporting a boating accident

Q: I own a 40-foot powerboat, and was recently returning to my slip when a gust of wind pushed me into a neighbor’s boat. The incident left a rubber scuffmark on the side of his boat, and I was prepared to accept full responsibility for the incident after we secured my boat in its slip. Unfortunately the owner of the other boat was not aboard and, since it was on an end-tie slip that was not accessible to me, it took a few days to contact him. I reported the incident to my insurance company and gave my insurance information to the owner of the other boat when we eventually spoke on the phone. My insurance company paid him $950 to buff out the scuffmark and I assumed the incident was closed. Three months later I received a citation for failing to report the accident to the State of California. At first I was annoyed by the citation, but when I appeared in court and pled guilty, I was shocked when the judge read the sentence. I had to pay a fine of $2,350.00, perform 40 hours of community service and take a Coast Guard approved boating safety class. How...