US/Canada border still closed.

wilber1 wrote:

lakeside013104 wrote:

wilber1 wrote:

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

Why do you think this is about me? I was referring to a problem someone else had getting their boat back to Canada. He couldn't drive a mile from the border to the marina but he could fly from Vancouver to Seattle then charter a San Juan airlines float plane to take him there. BTW. I have had NEXUS for years and used to own a light aircraft which I used to take to the US quite often. I am quite familiar with customs procedures at ports of entry.

Sorry, not about you. I was making general comment about contact with foreign vessels on the open waters. No offense intended toward your post.

Lakeside

lakeside013104 wrote:

wilber1 wrote:

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

Why do you think this is about me? I was referring to a problem someone else had getting their boat back to Canada. He couldn't drive a mile from the border to the marina but he could fly from Vancouver to Seattle then charter a San Juan airlines float plane to take him there. BTW. I have had NEXUS for years and used to own a light aircraft which I used to take to the US quite often. I am quite familiar with customs procedures at ports of entry.

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

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.

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. 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

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.

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.

The way my maps read he could have left Washington, stayed in US waters and landed in Point Roberts (again US territory). Nothing illegal about that unless there's some wacky back door agreement about who has control of what in that little corner.

It seems to me that things are changing so fast about what you can and can't do that border agents on both sides of the border really don't have a clue. All depends on how much of a bad time their spouse gave them last night, what today's rules are. Different agents, different crossings, different rules and oops, that was the rule this morning, but it just changed.

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.

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.

On the radio yesterday, a fellow was recounting the experience he had picking up his boat. He lives in Tsawwassen and keeps his boat at Point Roberts in the US because its marina is close to his home and has attractive moorage rates. Point Roberts is in the US and its only land access to the rest of the US is through Canada. He was refused entry to pick up his boat by US border services because his travel wasn't deemed essential. He had to fly from Vancouver to Seattle and then charter a float plane to Point Roberts in order to pick up his boat and bring it back to Canada.

Fisherman wrote:
Put your RV on a ferry and go by water, the last thing we need up here is an increase in cooties. Essential should be work only and then by aircraft not stopping here.

You do know you'll have to change ferries at either Skagway or Haines, right? The ferry from Bellingham north does not keep you out of Canada. You'll be in Yukon Territory, Canada at the Haines Junction road or just below Whitehorse. Don't know what those crossings are doing. The ferry from Haines or Skagway across the Gulf of Alaska to Valdez or Whittier makes it a very expensive trip. You'll need a cabin and meals all the way and won't be able to access your RV except at certain stops and the LP MUST be turned off and sealed before loading.