I am singlehanding in the Med since a couple of years.
If you have weapons onboard, I think you must declare them to the
authorities upon entry to each country, at least in Europe. They will most
likely be confiscated for the time you spend in the country, and returned to
you when you are leaving the country. Failure to do so is upon discovery
likely to get you into BIG trouble.

As an example, in the summer of 2004 I was boarded at sea by the French
customs in the English Channel. Three armed officers boarded my boat and
spent 1 hour searching my boat, all while sailing 5-6 knots. Discovery of a
weapon would likely have caused me lots of trouble.

Also, with a weapon you have to be prepared to use it without slightest
hesitation, and you might find that you just killed a couple of fishermen
trying to earn a dollar or 2.
Martin

--
i'm wondering about guns on board too. the subject comes up a lot in
different books and articles and things i've been reading about
cruising, and in the cruising forums, and there are plenty of piracy
reports out there to read too. i don't have a clear opinion on it yet,
i'm still thinking about it.

In article ,
"Martin Hinders" wrote:

They will most
likely be confiscated for the time you spend in the country, and returned to
you when you are leaving the country.

Only if you don't have a Bondable Customs Locker.....Do you really think
that all the Commercial Shipping, spend their timer InPort transporting
the contents of their Arms Locker, to, and from, the Customs
Office.......

"Martin Hinders" wrote in news:VL3Ef.6505$Sk1.195938
@news20.bellglobal.com:

Failure to do so is upon discovery
likely to get you into BIG trouble.


I agree. But you'd have to see how carefully hidden they are, nearly in
plain sight.

The other thing is we are talking about a very expensive, custom-made
yacht. This comes with its own "aura". The rich don't get inspected like
us poor folks in the sloppy-looking sloop from 1977. It seems a lot of
things are "overlooked" when one pulls in looking like you're gonna leave
$10000 a day on the local economy and not pinch every penny. Get my drift?

The other thing, in many places on the planet, is just an outright bribe
and no inspection need take place at all....(c;

Larry wrote:
"Martin Hinders" wrote in news:VL3Ef.6505$Sk1.195938
@news20.bellglobal.com:


Failure to do so is upon discovery
likely to get you into BIG trouble.



I agree. But you'd have to see how carefully hidden they are, nearly in
plain sight.

The other thing is we are talking about a very expensive, custom-made
yacht. This comes with its own "aura". The rich don't get inspected like
us poor folks in the sloppy-looking sloop from 1977. It seems a lot of
things are "overlooked" when one pulls in looking like you're gonna leave
$10000 a day on the local economy and not pinch every penny. Get my drift?

The other thing, in many places on the planet, is just an outright bribe
and no inspection need take place at all....(c;


http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stori...es_1256065.htm

Chris Packer is a millionaire yachtsman who has gotten into a ton of
trouble in Bali when police found weapons aboard his yacht.

He's facing 20 years in an Indonesian prison.

Evan Gatehouse

On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:27:52 -0800, Evan Gatehouse
wrote:



http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stori...es_1256065.htm

Chris Packer is a millionaire yachtsman who has gotten into a ton of
trouble in Bali when police found weapons aboard his yacht.

He's facing 20 years in an Indonesian prison.

Is he related to Kerry Packer, the Aussie media baron? Oops...

(Hi, Evan! How's the cat construction going?)

R.

While reading rec.boats.cruising, I noticed Evan Gatehouse
felt compelled to write:

Larry wrote:
"Martin Hinders" wrote in news:VL3Ef.6505$Sk1.195938
@news20.bellglobal.com:


Failure to do so is upon discovery
likely to get you into BIG trouble.



I agree. But you'd have to see how carefully hidden they are, nearly in
plain sight.

The other thing is we are talking about a very expensive, custom-made
yacht. This comes with its own "aura". The rich don't get inspected like
us poor folks in the sloppy-looking sloop from 1977. It seems a lot of
things are "overlooked" when one pulls in looking like you're gonna leave
$10000 a day on the local economy and not pinch every penny. Get my drift?

The other thing, in many places on the planet, is just an outright bribe
and no inspection need take place at all....(c;


http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stori...es_1256065.htm

Chris Packer is a millionaire yachtsman who has gotten into a ton of
trouble in Bali when police found weapons aboard his yacht.

He's facing 20 years in an Indonesian prison.

Evan Gatehouse

He was convicted and set free, must have been a year ago. Got three
months or something, less time than he'd been in gaol awaiting trial
in any case.

From memory he'd fired some Scottish backpacker who was crewing as a
cook, who retaliated by dobbing him in for alleged gun-running,
terrorism and drug-smuggling. It was all bull****, but the Indonesian
Military turned up in force to investigate and found a couple of
undeclared shotguns and a rifle.

The weapons weer all found to have been documented, God only knows why
he didn't declare them - I'm sure he wishes he had.

His 'yacht' was a 60m freighter, btw.

Ian

See http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1306875.htm

They let him off with a 3 month sentence, although he could have
gotten the death penalty.

"Former champion yachtsman Chris Packer has spoken about his three
months in an Indonesian prison.
The 52-year-old was released from jail on Saturday after a court in
Denpasar convicted him of firearms offences on Friday.
Mr Packer was found guilty of violating a law relating to not having
declared firearms kept on his vessel, the Lissa."
Mr Packer says he tried not to think of the possibility of receiving the
death penalty while in prison because it was too depressing.
He says he has had bad luck.
"Unlucky to have got in trouble in the first place I think," he said.
"We had no bad intentions or anything like that, so unlucky.
"If I'd declared my guns perhaps I would have had a much better time in
Bali."

A similar news item says that he refused to talk about whether
money was paid to the authorities to secure his release until
he was out of Indonesia.

Don W.



He was convicted and set free, must have been a year ago. Got three
months or something, less time than he'd been in gaol awaiting trial
in any case.

From memory he'd fired some Scottish backpacker who was crewing as a
cook, who retaliated by dobbing him in for alleged gun-running,
terrorism and drug-smuggling. It was all bull****, but the Indonesian
Military turned up in force to investigate and found a couple of
undeclared shotguns and a rifle.

The weapons weer all found to have been documented, God only knows why
he didn't declare them - I'm sure he wishes he had.

His 'yacht' was a 60m freighter, btw.

Ian

Don W wrote:
See http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1306875.htm

Ok, I'm not sure of your point though?

They let him off with a 3 month sentence, although he could have
gotten the death penalty.

The death penalty related to the accusation of gun-running and terrorism
arising out of the allegations of the disgruntled former employee. They
weren't realistic options after the circumstances became known. Reporting on
these issues in the Australian media is somewhat hysterical owing to the
spate of Australians arrested in Indonesia and elsewher in Asiaon drug
related crime in recent years.

One Australian Citizen was executed at the end of last year in Singapore, 9
Australian Mules are being held are tried in Bali at the present, and quite
a few others have been under the auspices of the Asian judicial system for
lesser crimes. If you'r interested at all, a quick search of "the bali
nine", "Nguyen Tuong Van", "Schapelle Corby", "Michelle Leslie" will turn up
enough links provide a backgrund.

The result of this has been to incite a degree of hysteria, as well as
speculation over the 'fairness and impartiality' of the judicial process in
certain Asian countries, in any case concerning an Australian where the
death penalty might be applied, however remote the posssibility. Groups are
trying to pressure the Australian Government to bring these people home to
face the more lenient and supposedly more impartial judicial processes here.

In Leslie's case, she was busted for posession of two ecstacy tabs, for
example, the maximim penalty for which is a rather extreme 15 years.
Headlines will scream "Model Facing 15 Years".

Leslie was convicted and released for time served (guess what, 3months) late
last year.

Within 4 days of arriving home after her release, Leslie had engaged a
celebrity publicity agent, such is the febrile media scummage over these
issues.

You have to read all news in its context Don. I'm also unimpressed with the
articles inference that as Packer didn't deny paying to secure his release,
this obviously means he did pay.

In Packers case, within a week of his arrest, the maximum penalty he faced
for the firearms offences was 20 years.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1249223.htm

Ian

"Former champion yachtsman Chris Packer has spoken about his three
months in an Indonesian prison.
The 52-year-old was released from jail on Saturday after a court in
Denpasar convicted him of firearms offences on Friday.
Mr Packer was found guilty of violating a law relating to not having
declared firearms kept on his vessel, the Lissa."
Mr Packer says he tried not to think of the possibility of receiving
the death penalty while in prison because it was too depressing.
He says he has had bad luck.
"Unlucky to have got in trouble in the first place I think," he said.
"We had no bad intentions or anything like that, so unlucky.
"If I'd declared my guns perhaps I would have had a much better time
in Bali."

A similar news item says that he refused to talk about whether
money was paid to the authorities to secure his release until
he was out of Indonesia.

Don W.



He was convicted and set free, must have been a year ago. Got three
months or something, less time than he'd been in gaol awaiting trial
in any case.

From memory he'd fired some Scottish backpacker who was crewing as a
cook, who retaliated by dobbing him in for alleged gun-running,
terrorism and drug-smuggling. It was all bull****, but the Indonesian
Military turned up in force to investigate and found a couple of
undeclared shotguns and a rifle.

The weapons weer all found to have been documented, God only knows
why he didn't declare them - I'm sure he wishes he had.

His 'yacht' was a 60m freighter, btw.

Ian