Cruising to US Waters...

[Rob Skinner]

Does anyone have a read on when the CAN/US ports might re-open for recreational visits? My current understanding is that US Port restrictions follow those of the land borders vis-a-vis COVID restrictions - meaning recreational travel is not currently allowed. I've seen one anecdotal report in the media of a couple from BC headed to Mexico overland being turned back at the Peace Arch crossing and - to add insult to injury - having to quarantine after returning to the Canadian side.

We're hoping to sail down to Mexico this fall and it will be important that the US borders/ports are open. Any direct experience would be appreciated.

Cheers

Rob

[chris mac]

I dont have any info to directly answer your question, however another option that has been working for snowbirds is to hire a pro to move the boat over the border.
Commercial traffic is allowed. You then need to fly across the border to meet your boat. Coming into effect shortly, you will need a negative covid test to fly into the states. And of course will need to apply for your usa cruising permit as per usual and you can continue south.
This is and has been a fully legal method to go south.

[Knot Safety]

Rob,

I replied in a previous post of yours

Don’t hold your breath on this. The closures look like they will be lifted in a month, but then get extended. It happens every month. We were waiting for them to lift and then a day before each end of closure date they would extend it.

Two ways to get south. Skip US completely or as Chris explained, hire a delivery skipper. They will not bend and there have been Canadians in boats turned around upon entry into US waters.

We didn’t want to put our boat in the hands of a delivery skipper and hope everything went well. So we sailed all the way and bypassed the US.

Good luck

[Rob Skinner]

Originally Posted by Knot Safety

Rob,

I replied in a previous post of yours

Don’t hold your breath on this. The closures look like they will be lifted in a month, but then get extended. It happens every month. We were waiting for them to lift and then a day before each end of closure date they would extend it.

Two ways to get south. Skip US completely or as Chris explained, hire a delivery skipper. They will not bend and there have been Canadians in boats turned around upon entry into US waters.

We didn’t want to put our boat in the hands of a delivery skipper and hope everything went well. So we sailed all the way and bypassed the US.

Good luck

Thanks. We remain cautiously optimistic ports will re-open late summer early fall. Interesting idea about having the boat transported over and then flying. Certainly doable, but we’re in no rush just yet. We’ve been watching the monthly closure extensions - it seems to me the criteria for reopening will probably include some degree of control over rising cases and/or a sufficient number of vaccinations in both countries. Could be a while....

[BugzyCan]

With that new UK variant just getting started, I would not expect anything to open before 2022, or even longer, but maybe things will turn around when it warms up this summer, have to wait and see.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Rob Skinner

Thanks. We remain cautiously optimistic ports will re-open late summer early fall. Interesting idea about having the boat transported over and then flying. Certainly doable, but we’re in no rush just yet. We’ve been watching the monthly closure extensions - it seems to me the criteria for reopening will probably include some degree of control over rising cases and/or a sufficient number of vaccinations in both countries. Could be a while....

As noted it will depend on the infection rates being sufficiently low in both countries, from 'herd immunity' achieved through vaccination.

I'm hoping, for everyones' sakes, especially for tourism and related industries including boating, that Canada-US travel normalizes by early summer... but I'm starting to think that by late summer or fall might be more realistic.

[Stu Jackson]

Rob,


I know I only moved to Canada 4 1/2 years ago and became a Permanent Resident in 2017, but...


I know Canada has lottery games, same odds.



I know that the folks that make those decisions live way further east than B.C., seems like a town named Ottawa is the place to ask.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

I agree with bypassing the U.S. entirely. That's a long sail, but doable. I honestly believe that the US is going to erupt in a civil war this year and it will be chaos. It will be like a massive version of Somalia in the 1990s. I hope I can get my boat out of the country before that happens.

[Rob Skinner]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

I agree with bypassing the U.S. entirely. That's a long sail, but doable. I honestly believe that the US is going to erupt in a civil war this year and it will be chaos. It will be like a massive version of Somalia in the 1990s. I hope I can get my boat out of the country before that happens.

Yikes! Let's hope that doesn't happen. You raise a good a point however. We own a recreational property just west of La Paz (the reason we're hoping to sail down this fall). We typically winter there. We hightailed it home last March when the pandemic started - not wanting to risk being stranded in Mexico if things went entirely off the deep end. As I mentioned in my other post about looking to convoy down the coast, we're hoping to cruise back to La Paz as soon as this safe and practical. When considering the option of driving down we came to conclusion that there is a low but non-zero risk of encountering the sorts of violence we just saw in Washington on the 6th. We'd probably be fine driving but there's always that risk...

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Originally Posted by Rob Skinner

When considering the option of driving down we came to conclusion that there is a low but non-zero risk of encountering the sorts of violence we just saw in Washington on the 6th. We'd probably be fine driving but there's always that risk...

Hopefully it doesn't come to this, and it probably won't, but we've never been this close to erupting before. A lot of us are working to make sure that this never happens, calming people who have been agitated against one side or another, but the insanity being broadcast on corporate media (many of us call it "fear porn") is agitating many, many people. I'm genuinely concerned about being able to make it out to the Caribbean before things erupt here. If I could bypass the United States and get to the Caribbean or the Sea of Cortez, I would seriously consider doing that, but I'm on the Great Lakes; I don't have this option.

For a good overview about how quickly stable, developed countries can implode into civil war, read Chris Hedges reports from Sarajevo in the 1990s.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

... If I could bypass the United States and get to the Caribbean or the Sea of Cortez, I would seriously consider doing that, but I'm on the Great Lakes; I don't have this option.

If the Canada/US border opens to recreational travelers this summer you can do the trip without touching the US. You can travel the length of the Great Lakes in Canadian waters. Then go out the St. Lawrence. From there it's a big-water bypass, probably via Bermuda, down to the Caribbean. But it can be done -- and you have the boat to do it .

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

If the Canada/US border opens to recreational travelers this summer you can do the trip without touching the US. You can travel the length of the Great Lakes in Canadian waters. Then go out the St. Lawrence. From there it's a big-water bypass, probably via Bermuda, down to the Caribbean. But it can be done -- and you have the boat to do it .

I would love to take that route. If the borders open, I'll leave as soon as it's practical and take the St. Lawrence Seaway. If New York Assembly Bill A416 passes a person could be locked up indefinitely for sneezing, meaning that I'm never setting foot in that state. Read the actual bill off of nysenate.gov and see for yourself: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a416