brian,

a.) anyone can register a boat in any state. registering is different from
documenting, and

b.) anyone can hoist any flag they choose on their boat. however, any boat
with a US flag can legally be boarded by the USCG, at gun point if necessary,
anywhere in the world. boats claiming to be US flagged but aren't can, and
likely would be, siezed. that the USCG has few cutters in the area Dalmatia
does not change that.

c.) if the German speaking Dalmatian meant that someone formed a US corp in
Delaware and then documented his boat with that corp as the owner, yes this can
be done. However, the vessel still MUST be operated by aUS citizen in command.
If it isn't and the USCG stops the boat the boat will be siezed and at the
least the documentation will be revoked.

what would you expect, dood?

Jax, I spoke (in German, after he failed to understand my English) to one of
the owners while waiting for the village post office to open on one of the
small Dalmatian islands last summer, we were neighbours in the anchorage
there; he said he had registered his yacht in Delaware for $100. It seems
there are companies, sometimes a single lawyer, who facilitate this service.

This must be a thriving business from the number of US ensigns I saw - it
was clear who were genuine US boats and who were Slovenian from the size of
the ensign - the latter were using smaller, courtesy flags, presumably the
only type available locally.

Best,

BrianH


JAXAshby wrote:
Brian, they may be registered in say South Carlolina but they are
not, can not, be US documented and operated by non-citizens.

That some countries allow their citizens to register some boat with
some state
-- and then ignores the international conventions -- in no way means
that some county -- say Brazil or Italy or Singapore -- will accept
it as the same as US federal documentation.

close, but a couple of points

boats can be "registered" with a state (New York, Alabama,
California, Guam, etc), and usually have to be to kept in use in
that
state for some period of time. you do not need to be a US citizen
to register or use a boat in any state. mostly, you just have to
pay
your fees. state registration is usually not recognized by national
governments of the world.


There are many US registered yachts in the Adriatic - owned and
sailed by Slovenian nationals; everywhere down the Croatian coast
there are Ol' Glory ensigns flying on ships with no one speaking
English on board.

Slovenia, now a EU member state, has high import tarifs for
recreational
boats (to protect their own industry, Elan in particular) and many
Slovenians register their new imported craft in Delaware - it's a
cottage industry there.

Imagine, the USA, a flag of convenience country.

BrianH.