CBP and Border Patrol on Docks

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Ikea is Swedish, must be some other reason.

Maybe they wanted to check out the superior quality of Finnish built boats.

[Summer Magic]

Originally Posted by capttb

On the Pacific if you sail into Mexican waters you must clear in with customs in San Diego when returning even if you don't land.

This is not true... You are not required to clear customs as long as you do not set foot on foreign soil or make contact with "hovering vessels" in foreign waters. This information is publicly available here Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements - CBP.gov That does not mean that you won't stopped by the CBP upon re-entering US waters or ports. I once sailed out of San Diego bay about 3 miles. The marine layer came in and we turned around because the ladies had no jackets. The next thing I know we get stopped by a CBP speedboat. The senoir officer on board asked what our last port of call was and I explained that we had barely gone three miles offshore. He was a turd and demanded I.D. from everyone aboard. Then he asked if we had any contraband aboard. I replied that we did not. Then he asked "Not even any small quantities of drugs for personal use?". I said no and he ran our paperwork through his computer. I told him he was welcome to search the boat if he liked. Meanwhile the retard at the helm of their boat nosed his bow just under my starboard rub rail almost pulling it off. After about 15 more minutes of questioning they let us go. I am a clean cut Caucasian and so were my friends. To this day I have no idea why we were stopped.

[downeast450]

Summer,

It could have been for several reasons. It may have been that they were notified of a similar boat suspected of nefarious deeds. I have been stopped here along the Maine coast because I was in the vicinity of a suspect and driving a similar boat. I will add that as soon as the cg realized their mistake they explained their actions and were very polite and reasonable. It could have been a "training exercise" done for the benefit of the newbies. That does not excuse their leaving you with a bad taste in your mouth. It may have been just one of the minority of jerks who find their way into positions of responsibility in our law enforcement ranks. Unfortunately their rude behavior is what tarnishes an otherwise positive reputation as professionals. It gets weeded out eventually. You should get ID from their boat and the charge person for your boat's log. If you feel you were treated with disrespect it is your responsibility to contact their office and report that incident. Negative reports in the person's file are a disaster for them and no one who is pursuing a career can afford that kind of evaluation. We all need to be both respectful of their job and responsible for reporting bad behavior.

Down

[bandaidmd]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

Yes. Otherwise you've just become an uninvited guest - a.k.a., illegal immigrant - into their country. There are numerous places to check in, even on relatively small islands - and generally, the authorities on the smaller, less common islands are easier to deal with. There's a fee, $150 for a boat under 35 ft, or $300 for a larger boat, generally good for 6 months.

And checking back into the US is even more critical and stringent.

Bahamas are $150 just to stop by for a day? are the other Island chains just as expensive.
I'm new to all this so heres my stupid question for today,what is the CBP?
I would guess the C is for customs & bp = border patrol?

[FarCry]

Originally Posted by bandaidmd

Bahamas are $150 just to stop by for a day? are the other Island chains just as expensive.
I'm new to all this so heres my stupid question for today,what is the CBP?
I would guess the C is for customs & bp = border patrol?

Customs and Border Protection

Please visit www dot noonsite dot com

Everything you would care to know about fees, customs, immigration, currency etc you can find there about entering a country.

[mitiempo]

You're really missing out if you only stop in the Bahamas for a day.

[SailKing1]

If I'm not mistaking that buck fifty for the Bahamas is good for 3 or 6 months. And typically from my experience all you have to do is call Customs to clear when re-entering the US. Provided you have nothing to declare. I have made the trip a number of times and never had a problem.