fwiw the complaint is for violations of:

18 U.S.C. § 2237(a)(2)(A) - Obstruction of a Boarding

46 U.S.C. § 70036(b)(1) - Violation of a Captain of the Port Order

and the coast guard was attempting to use their authority to terminate the voyage under https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/4308

anyone know of some programs / competitions for adults that are similar to FRC / FTC?

not sure if anything exists, but would be interested since I regret not being involved in stuff like this in school

Volunteering with FIRST (I volunteer with FRC) can be a surprisingly fulfilling experience on its own! You still get the excitement of watching the competition, while getting the chance to mentor and support the brilliant young students making their way thru the program.

Many regions also have lots of regular returning volunteers, making the volunteer camaraderie even better than what I experienced while on a team.

thank you

You can look into combat robotics (smaller scale version of battlebots). I know of a few FTC alumni who have gone on to compete at different combat robotics leagues. The main league you can look into is the NHRL: https://www.nhrl.io/

There are different weight classes, so it is very accessible.

thank you