Advice on Clearing in and out of the Leewards

[MattL]

Hello,

I'm chartering in the Leeward islands next month and I'm hoping to get some advice on customs and immigration procedures. My sailing experience to date has generally been within the boundaries of a single nation, so dealing with this stuff is new for me. I expect to be visiting some combination of Anguilla, St. Martin, Sint Marteen, St, Barths, Statia and St. Kitts and Nevis. A few questions:

(1) It seems that C&I on most of the islands close by the late afternoon, and significantly earlier on weekends and holidays. If I arrive after closing time, is there anything I can do other than stay on board until the next morning and clear in then? I've heard that it is sometimes possible to arrange for clearance outside of normal hours with the payment of an extra fee, but I'm not sure where this is available or how I would go about arranging for it.

(2) If I do get stuck arriving too late to clear in and want to leave early the next day for another island (i.e., before c&i opens) can I do this? Or am I required to clear in and out as a result of having spent the night in the harbor, even though I never went ashore?

(3) Has anyone had any luck clearing into St. Kitts and Nevis at Sandy Point Town? The cruising guide indicates that this is an "official" port of entry, but sounds a bit less than optimistic about whether yachts can actually clear in there. I'm trying to see if there is a way to visit northern St. Kitts without having to first clear in at Basseterre.

Thanks to all for your advice.

Regards,

Matt

[denverd0n]

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