Molesworth wrote:

Bought a 41' Morgan in Ft Myers and, because I took it out of state (to
Louisiana) it has been de-registered from US database.

It wouldn't be de-registered because you took it out of Florida. When
you took it out of Florida, you got out of paying Florida use tax
which is levied on the price you pay for the boat and you don't have
to pay the Florida registration. That is just the Florida
registration - not from the USA

You can't document the boat in the US anyway because you are not a US
citizen.

I think you could register the boat in Tortola or in England. I don't
know whether you'd also have to pay to register the boat in Louisiana
if it was being kept there or not.

In any case, I'm not sure that you will be able to avoid Homeland
Security no matter what you do.

I am English and want to go to Cuba (amongst other places in the
Caribbean) so thought of registering the boat in UK, even tho I live
permanently in NOLA to avoid the hooha by US Homeland Security etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts on a downside to this idea?

It's a small matter, but now is the time to decide one way or t' other.

Molesworth