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06-04-2014, 20:18
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Victoria, BC
Boat: Catalina 36 MKII
Posts: 1,108
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Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
I would like to 'test the waters' so to speak. I have never taken my boat out of Canada and I want to give that a try. I would like to pop over to the USA, go through the procedures, whatever they are, maybe stay overnight and then come back to Canada and do the customs thing there. Roche harbour seems to be the closest but that is apparently only in operation during the summer (whatever dates that might be).
Is there a close port of entry to Sidney or would it be a case of going all the way to Seattle (in which case my test can wait til summer)?
As a side question, what is the procedure if you were going all the way to Seattle which would be a two day trip for me with an overnight stop somewhere in US waters. Do I call the US Coast Guard on Ch 16 and tell them what I intend to do and they would give me permission to sail all the way to Seattle with an overnight stay? Does one fly the Q flag the moment one crosses the border ?
We have three days of gorgeous weather coming up .... can't wait to play
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06-04-2014, 21:18
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Posts: 6,252
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Roche Harbor is the closest US port of entry to Sidney.
No need for a Q flag.
You cannot do an overnight stop without clearing.
You also need to get a cruising permit.
__________________
CRYA Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor Evaluator, Sail
IYT Yachtmaster Coastal Instructor
As I sail, I praise God, and care not. (Luke Foxe)
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06-04-2014, 21:24
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Gig Harbor, WA
Boat: Prior boats: Transpac 49; DeFever 54
Posts: 2,874
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Doesn't Port Angeles or Port Townsend have US Customs and Immigration offices? Maybe they have now closed... it has been a while. Phile
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06-04-2014, 21:31
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Seattle
Boat: Cal 40 (sold). Still have a Hobie 20
Posts: 2,944
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Customs page says Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor, Anacortes, Pt. Roberts and Pt. Angeles are ports of Entry in this area. Friday Harbor is not that much farther than Roche.
Puget Sound/Northeastern Washington | U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Noonsite says there are winter hours at Roche, but to call ahead. I'd call Friday Harbor before you start your trip to make sure any of this info is up to date
http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/USA/SanJuanIslands
Customs (Roche Harbor)
Tel:+1 360-378-2080.
Winter hours for U.S. Customs are: Wednesday thru Sunday 09:00 - 17:00
Summer hours are: Every day 08:00 - 20:00
It is very important that you call ahead to confirm an agent will be present by calling the Friday Harbor Office at 360-378-2080 before your arrival - any time of the year!
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06-04-2014, 21:32
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Vancouver BC
Boat: Lagoon 380
Posts: 367
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Point Roberts and Friday Harbor are also ports of entry on the US side. JD1 if you have a Nexus card you can call in from the boat on cell phone.
__________________
You can sail anywhere on the planet and never be more than 7 miles from land - it might be straight down, but its never more than seven miles
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06-04-2014, 21:36
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#6
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Salish Sea
Boat: Tayana 37
Posts: 249
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
I checked in at Port Angeles in July, coming down from Sidney. Easy, peasy, but Roche Harbor is much closer. It is, or was, closed during the off season, but Friday Harbor is only a few hours away.
Edited to say you have to be quick to get your two cents in...
__________________
SalishSeaPilot.com cruising guides
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06-04-2014, 21:58
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 541
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
If Roche is closed is there not a phone on the dock to clear in like Poets Cove etc?
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07-04-2014, 00:17
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Nordic 44
Posts: 110
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Jd1,
If its a test you want, it will be a test you will get if you choose Roche Harbor and clear back through your homeland at Bedwell!
It seems these two stations are in a contest to be the most insulting, boot jack tough bunch on the US-Canada border. One seems bent on retaliating against the other for the gall of the Americans for requiring passports for border crossings. From personal experience of the last two years, each crossing involving each of these entry ports has been four hours of accusation and innuendo filled interrogations.
In the same time frame clearances at Victoria, Sydney and Friday Harbor were a breeze.
In the case of Roche, I am completely dumbfound as the personnel is largely the same as FHA.
Let us know your experiences.
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07-04-2014, 04:35
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London, Ontario
Boat: Hunter 340
Posts: 635
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Sounds rough out on the left coast. I have cleared into the US and Canada at many locations on Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario with no difficulty. No cruising permit is required, and no Q flag is required. A Customs decal is needed ($25) on any recreational aircraft or vessel to enter the US. You don't need to enter at a designated "Port of Entry" if you carry a Nexus card or I-68. Just call US or Canadian Customs and enter at your port of choice.
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07-04-2014, 05:09
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#10
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
Boat: Valiant 40 (1975)
Posts: 4,073
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
I have cleared at Sidney and Friday Harbor. It is only a few more miles than Roche, but the grapevine says the people are much nicer. I have had my boat cleared there by some charterers, they said they were given a hard time. I would go down to Friday and enjoy the better restaurants, groceries and fish market. Plus it is so easy- The first big dock in Friday Harbor is the customs dock, just pull up and have a chat.
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07-04-2014, 05:55
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Victoria, BC
Boat: Catalina 36 MKII
Posts: 1,108
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Is there a requirement to clear at the first possible opportunity? In other words, can I sail past Roche to Friday Harbour without getting into trouble ?
Thanks for all the great information!
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07-04-2014, 06:31
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Behind the garlic curtain - east central Saskatchewan
Boat: Baylurker 2755
Posts: 608
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
As long as you don't set foot on US soil you can sail from Victoria to San Diego without clearing in. I'm not saying I'd recommend that but them's the rules.
Personally I've never had any particular difficulty at Roche and we have definitely cleared in there in the winter. I don't however have any difficulty believing that they are perfectly capable of being supreme a-holes if the mood strikes them, as any of them are. One thing to remember above all else at any border crossing - your day can go completely to hell on a moment's notice for no reason whatsoever, it entirely depends on what kind of a day the official in front of you is having. And when that happens you have exactly zero rights.
Our favorite left coast entry point is Port Angeles and we have always returned to Sidney.
Make sure you have all your papers in order - proof of ownership, Canadian registration, passports. And you'll need to buy a US decal for about $25. You can buy them online but I don't think there is any particular advantage to doing that and it may in fact make your clearing in easier if you DO NOT have a decal. The reason I say that is that Customs officials are fundamentally bureaucrats and bureaucrats need some bureaucracy to deal with. Give them a chance to sell you a decal and they may very well be happy with that. Already got the decal? Well they may just decide to look for some other bureaucratic tangle to involve you in.
__________________
R.J.(Bob) Evans
2755 Baylurker plastic shoebox
previously M/V Gray Hawk, 43 Defever Offshore Cruiser
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07-04-2014, 07:27
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Holladay, UT
Boat: Nordic Tug 37
Posts: 394
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobofthenorth
As long as you don't set foot on US soil you can sail from Victoria to San Diego without clearing in. I'm not saying I'd recommend that but them's the rules.
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Set foot, or anchor.
__________________
Richard Cook
Dream Catcher (Nordic Tug 37) Poulsbo WA
"Cruising in a Big Way"
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07-04-2014, 07:43
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#14
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
Boat: Valiant 40 (1975)
Posts: 4,073
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
JD: I go past Roche all the time to clear in at Friday. The customs guys have a nice little office on the pier at Friday. That might be why they are in a better mood. I do not fight the system, I just work with in it. One officer having a bad day can make a big difference. The worst I have been treated is at airports and car crossings BTW. If you can handle those, this should be easy.
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07-04-2014, 13:43
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#15
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Salish Sea
Boat: Tayana 37
Posts: 249
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Re: Closest USA customs port of Entry to Sidney, BC, Canada
Surprised to read about difficulties at Roche or Bedwell. There was one time at Roche that my wife was chewed out when she hopped off the boat and came into the office with me before we had cleared, but usually they have been sweet.... though, like Newt, I prefer docking at Friday Harbor. Happy, chatty folks. Point Roberts is ok, too.
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SalishSeaPilot.com cruising guides
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