US/Canada border still closed.

wilber1 wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

wilber1 wrote:

JaxDad wrote:
Seems kinda ‘fishy’ (pardon the pun) the Point Roberts Marina is a US Customs Port of Entry.

All he has to do was go in by boat from across the bay.

Great, get busted for entering the country illegally.

You have to clear customs to enter the country, the only way to do that is fly. Pleasure boats are no more exempt than vehicle traffic.

Illegal? How? I think you missed the part where I said the Point Roberts Marina is a Port of Entry, aka a legal border crossing.

As with so many things, border agents have an incredibly broad amount of discretion and a different agent is often a very different answer.

Of course the other simple solution is merely to have someone else bring the boat out off the marina and swap operators on the water.

Of course the other simple solution is merely to have someone else bring the boat out off the marina and swap operators on the water.

Pleasure boats are prohibited from entering the US. You will be turned away just as you would at a land crossing.

Changing operators at sea would be a solution if you had an American who was willing to do it for you. I don't know how legal it would be.Changing operators at sea would be a solution if you had an American who was willing to do it for you. I don't know how legal it would be. In this case, the fellow was doing maintenance on the boat when the border was closed and had to put it back together before he could return it to Canada.

As an aside, American boaters are quickly getting a bad name in BC because of their using the Alaska loophole to cruise Canadian waters. People are very concerned they might bring the virus to some of the remote coastal communities that don't have the medical facilities to handle it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/they-should-not-be-going-ashore-u-s-boats-in-b-c-waters-rattle-vancouver-island-boaters-1.5653722

Vessels entering the United States from a foreign country (Canada) and / or any US citizen having 'contact' with a vessel coming from a foreign country (Canada) MUST report to US Customs for inspection. Failure to present oneself for inspect could result with being charged with 'Illegal Entry' into the United States. An infraction that could reduce the greenbacks in your wallet from $500 to $5000 and a permanent record of your 'illegal entry' will ALWAYS be tied to your name for returning US citizens and a period of or a permanent inadmissibility status into the United States for citizens of other countries.

If you feel lucky, try sneaking into this country without reporting to a sanctioned Port of Entry or better yet, buy a lottery ticket. You will be further ahead and much safer. Good luck with your decision OP.

Lakeside