Far be it from me to bother Grace and Dracimas. The NZ Coastguard is not a branch of the military like the US Coastguard. It's unique, being sort of out there on its own somewhere between the military, the other emergency services like police/fire/ambulance etc, and a civilian organisation. For one reason or another it attracts a lot of ex-Navy types (I'm not one of them) so there is a vaguely Navy feel about it, but there isn't any real connection. We're more akin to the British version than the US, and as long as you turn up in uniform and look relatively tidy, there isn't much of a dress code. I'm a civilian search & rescue volunteer, which basically means same training, same time commitment and duties, no pay. :-) Hope that sorts out some confusion. Or possibly adds to it. Heh.

Brunnen-"one guy *did* get in trouble for turning up with a purple mohawk once, but that's a long story and involved a stag party"G