On Jul 30, 5:19*am, Gordon wrote:
* *I go to the CBP website and find none of the above. Things are the
same as always. Coming from out of country, you phone customs and they
meet you at a port of entry. They ask a few questions, look at your
papers, and clear you thru. You are then free to go where you please and
only have to report again if you leave the country and then return. Same
as always.
* *Had a Japanese gentleman arrive in Port Angeles the other day and he
was cleared in about 15 minutes. Took him 51 days to get here from Japan.
* Gordon
read he
http://www.the-triton.com/megayachtn...x.php?news=827
then he
http://law.justia.com/us/codes/title19/19usc1433.html
TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
CHAPTER 4--TARIFF ACT OF 1930
SUBTITLE III--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
Part II--Report, Entry, and Unlading of Vessels and Vehicles
Sec. 1433. Report of arrival of vessels, vehicles, and aircraft
(a) Vessel arrival
(1) Immediately upon the arrival at any port or place within the
United States or the Virgin Islands of--
(A) any vessel from a foreign port or place;
(B) any foreign vessel from a domestic port;
(C) any vessel of the United States carrying foreign
merchandise
for which entry has not been made; or
(D) any vessel which has visited a hovering vessel or
received
merchandise while outside the territorial sea;
the master of the vessel shall report the arrival at the nearest
customs
facility or such other place as the Secretary may prescribe by
regulations. .....
Its he (B) any FOREIGN vessel from a DOMESTIC port;
though the original law is from 1930 it is still in use!
Maybe in some areas the officers have much to do and do not care, but
the law is here!
The annoying is not the custom clearance, sailing around the world you
encounter everything, from a few minutes to 2 days, but as a foreign
vessel I MUST report every movement in US, though it might only be a
phone call, I might overlook it in bad weather, lucky, I do not drink,
but when sick? the officer might forget to write it down, sorry this
is my own paranoia, bureaucrats in the whole world never make
mistakes, I know, but the fines are just to high, I am not taking that
risk.
My dream was coming down the West coast, passing Panama, then
following the American Great Loop (
http://www.greatloop.com ) going
up the ICWW, N.Y., Great Lakes then down to New Orleans. Have more
family and friends is US than in Europe, would take more than 2 years,
but must be done in 2x1year or import taxes and duties are to be paid.
But at a reporting scheme as in former Russia or China just scares me.
What happened to a former free country? Why they treat all visitors
the same? Oh not true, I am still lucky to belong to those 30
countries which are better off, we pay less and only need to call, the
rest of the world must report personally. My cruising kitty has no
allowance for this risk, there is something to replace/repair all the
time anyway.
And US yachts are free to roam in EU waters.
Henry
P.S. if anyone can PROOF that my information is wrong, please let me
know, I'd really like to make that trip