US customs and Canadian boats

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AJF

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I was wondering if this type of situation is happening at other US ports that have Canadian boats moored in them. This story is from CBC Canada:

"A new director of customs in Skagway, Alaska, is creating confusion for Yukon boat owners with new registration and reporting rules that don't seem to be written anywhere.

The rules affect about 250 Yukoners who have bought and registered boats in Alaska and moor them in Skagway.

“We're ready to go,” said Yukon boater Bob Cameron. “We all want to go, but what do we do? We're a little bit scared to untie our boats."

That's because if the boater is Canadian, Skagway's director of Customs and Border Services is requiring them to report where they’re going. They must also report by fax into any U.S. ports they visit.

For example, a pleasure boater now has to register with the Skagway office that they intend to boat to Haines, then report in at the office in Haines, then register an intent to continue on to Juneau, and so on.

None of the rules appear in Customs written requirements.

Cameron said they attended a meeting with director Mary Nagy, but left with more questions than answers.

"Well that meeting led to quite an uproar amongst the boating community, because the only thing clear to us was the punishment," he said.

Canadians are liable to be fined $5,000 for the first offence and $10,000 for the second for violating U.S. customs reporting requirements.

Boater Dave Muir also says explanations have not been clear. The work involved in attending customs offices, phoning customs offices, and faxing forms is dampening Yukoners' enthusiasm for boating out of Skagway.

"I'm left with the feeling that we're not wanted and some people have taken that very seriously,” he said.

“In fact I know of a couple of boat owners that already have their boats up for sale. And if this continues, I suspect that that certainly is going to be the trend and certainly will be for me."

Boat owners have written to American and Canadian politicians to get clarification."

The rules the story references can be found here: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/pleas ... erview.xml
 
These boats are primarily used in Alaska waters. If it is a Canadian registered boat moored in Alaska waters then the rules are being interpreted that the vessel must leave US waters every 6 months then reapply for entry back in. If it was a US registered boat then this requirement was not applied.
The rules for reporting in past would not have applied to US registered boats. The rules now seem to be interpreted that any Canadian owned boat irregardless of country of registry must meet the reporting requirement for every port they past by while in US waters even if their home port is in US waters. Custom agents seem to be giving a very varied interpretation of these rules.
 
The attitude of a number of our customs agents really stinks. I travel a fair bit in and out of the country and it is amazing how poorly represented we are at times. These guys try and treat their districts as little fiefdoms and they forget they work for the American Taxpayer.

I won't ever forget trying to bring back my nephew from Victoria circa 2002.We had gone over on the ferry out of Port Angeles and made a day of it. No big deal, no real requirements to head over. Heading back was a different story. My nephew was around 12 at the time and I had valid ID (before birth certificate or passport restrictions) and they literally took us aside, threatened my nephew and treated us as defacto terrorists trying to break the law. Mind you, we were both born and bred in the PNW, no criminal background, and are as white as the driven snow (not that this should matter)with names like John and Jim. In addition, I had the damn receipts from the crossing earlier in the day.

Finally a supervisor gave us a warning and told us to get on the ferry and think carefully about leaving the country again unless we had some "official" business in Canada or we would be considered suspicious.

I ended up reporting the incident when I got home to the Regional Office and to my State Senators, but it was after all of the 9/11 hubbub when everybody was so ready to toss all of their civil liberties aside without thinking of the repercussions.

I hope it works out for your folks up in the Yukon!
 
I find that interpretation quite bizarre also. Once I clear customs going into Canada (either with a phone call/Nexus card or a visit to that first port), I'm not required to check in with customs at each and every port. I just need to check in with the US folks when I arrive back in the U.S.
 
This is basically what is required of many "foreign" registered cruising boats in US ports. They have to report to the customs district head quarters, and then can be cleared for that district or be required to check in at each port which has a customs office. Canadian vessels in the close proximity to the borders have been traditionally exempted from these requirements, but if you go further into the US (at least in the past) these rules have applied.

Here is the US customs policy:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/pleasure_boats/boats/pleasure_boat_overview.xml
 
Then maybe the Canadian with boats registered in Alaska should apply for the Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (I-68). According to the CBP web site:

"Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (I-68) applicants for admission into the United States by small pleasure boats are inspected and issued an I-68 permit for the entire boating season. The I-68 permit allows boaters to enter the United States from Canada for recreational purposes with only the need to report to CBP by telephoning in their arrival."

That would seem to eliminate the need for the kind of reporting the CBP officer in Skagaway is expecting. However, my point was that we should have some reciprocity with our Canadian friends. They don't expect us to report to customs at every port between Blaine and Alaska, we shouldn't expect the any different of them. JMO.
 
rogerbum":1vnuo1hd said:
"Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (I-68) applicants for admission into the United States by small pleasure boats are inspected and issued an I-68 permit for the entire boating season. The I-68 permit allows boaters to enter the United States from Canada for recreational purposes with only the need to report to CBP by telephoning in their arrival."
Click to expand...

You would think that CBP would interpret the I-68 in the above manner. However it seems they are interpreting it such manner, that you must report at each port of call once you are in US waters. In the worst case scenario I've heard that they could require you to report to each port you pass by even though you have no intention of stopping there on your way to another port. This lack of clarification is what is causing so much frustration. Until some clarification comes forward I know I won't bother putting are boat back in the water in SE Alaska. Which is really to bad as I've really enjoyed my time in SE Alaska waters over the last 35 years.
 
rogerbum":1gvfjgth said:
However, my point was that we should have some reciprocity with our Canadian friends. They don't expect us to report to customs at every port between Blaine and Alaska, we shouldn't expect the any different of them. JMO.
Click to expand...

I haven't read all the paperwork, but is the difference because it's Canadians with US registered boats? In other words, it's not Canadians with boats registered in Canada, nor US citizens with boats registered in the US, but rather a mix. On the other hand, it's customs and not immigration, so maybe it shouldn't matter (?)

I'm trying to think back to when a British friend had a US registered boat in the US. I can't remember if he was required to check in at the various US ports, but I vaguely remember that he was supposed to. But then I'm not sure if that was the human vs. the boat (immigration vs. customs?).

Clearly I haven't shed much light on it.
 
As I understand it, Canadians with vessels registered in Canada visiting the US are required to obtain a "cruising permit" from CBP at the land port-of-entry. This permit is $16.00 (it used to be free until this year) and is good for a year. If you leave the vicinity of the port at which you entered, the master of the vessel is responsible to report to CBP at the next port (the numbers should be on the Cruising Permit) by telephone. So if you put in at Skagway and go to Haines, you should call Haines CBP.
Now this may have all changed, but I think it still stands. It seems like the new changes are being applied to boats register in the US but owned by Canadians.
 
I do hope they don't end up enforcing those rules in the future. Other than Skagway (or Hains, which is farther away and also in Alaska), the nearest tidewater to Whitehorse is Prince Rupert, which is a good 19 or 20 hours drive (1,300 kilometers) - Or possibly Stewart which is almost as far and it's located at the head of Portland Canal, still about 100 miles from anyplace you'd want to go. The Yukon River and Lake Labarge can have some decent boating, but it's no inside passage.
 
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