Given the way these things sometime work, the guy who purchased the boat without getting proper bids will get one demerit for that action, but more than make up for it by getting two merit points for thinking outside the box and coming up with the idea of an "undercover" boat to spy on illegal whale watching. The fact that observing illegal whale watching isn't very important in the greater scheme of things is irrelevant because, after all, it is "illegal" if the whale watchers are closer than 100 m. The fact that a $40 or $50K boat would probably serve just fine if the need to observe illegal whale watchers is real won't even register on the radar screen. Buying more boat than is needed is always justifiable as a safety measure, since the wind and water can kick up any time out in the Straits.

Using the boat for personal recreation however, is a fireable offense, although having BBQs on the boat could have furthered the undercover nature of the Special Agents' work. But I think I read they were doing the BBQ at a location well removed from whale watching territory. Pretty screwed up, to say the least.