Very Low Budget Atlantic Crossing

[boatman61]

I'm curious as to whats happened to the 30.06..

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I'm a little unclear what we are supposed to learn from this intrepid sailor.

Guess we learn that some bludgers are lucky.

[Mambo]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab View Post

I'm a little unclear what we are supposed to learn from this intrepid sailor.

Originally Posted by StuM

Guess we learn that some bludgers are lucky.

I think *most* bludgers (whatever that is) seem to be "lucky" and most people on the internet forums seem to yak about them. 7 billion people piss and vinegar everywhere and this guy cobbles together a little boat and sails it across the ocean by himself . . . awesome! I am all ears.

[Volkeno]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I'm curious as to whats happened to the 30.06..

Me too. I would think it would be worth more to sell it in the US and buy something rather than bring it along and potentially ruin it with rust and maybe have it confiscated at customs at the end.
It would have a use if you were stranded ashore and had to hunt for food to survive in an uninhabited land, but there aren't many between here and there.

[Stormboy]

Love the attitude and approach to adventure.....but......well no buts....
we can all learn something from each other, positive and negative,
it wouldn't be my way to go about things, but there again I haven't
sailed across the Atlantic ( happily stuck in the South Pacific )
In some circumstances you have to....'Just Do It'....

[atlantical]

What happened to the 30 06, well, that was supposed to stay aboard the boat as part of boats equipment, that is what the UK home office told me was to happen. I had asked to carry a handgun, but they said no chance, they told my they accepted a need to protect myself on an ocean crossing, and said that I could carry any bolt action rifle, which is the case of all British yachts that are ocean crossing. I had it aboard in Largs marina, but home office said only way I could remove it was to apply for a licence My friend knew a licensed gun dealer in glasgow who owns a shop called Guns and Tack, he came down, because I said it was a remington model 700 when he checked it we found it was the cheaper model 760 so he said he would take it off the boat (as he knew I couldn't) but he wasn't going to pay, I wasn't going to give him it, but my friend told me to just get rid of it, he gave me a receipt, so I could prove (if officials asked where it had gone, and yes,it had become a bit rusty.

What will you learn from my log book, if nothing else, how to make fresh water out of sea water with nothing but a zig water bottle, some hose, a big water container and a fire, or you might learn, that you don't need loads of money, or loads of electronics, or all the best of kit, but I would say, you do need a very good strong hull underneath you, the rig is not that important, because its up to you how much strain you put on it, you can control the strain on the rig, you can't control the strain on the hull.

[atlantical]

I put a combined answer to a few questions as somehow when I logged in it wouldn't let me answer individual questions, but as i said below, Guns and Tack in Glasgow, or it might have been Tack and Guns, came to the marina, and took it off, he was a licensed gun dealer, other than that it could only be removed from the boat if i got a license. Or maybe got the police to take it off.

[atlantical]

I forgot to say, I read that book too, "the kindness of strangers" its what Blanch Dubois says in the play Street Car Named Desire, I read the book saw the play, and the film with Marlon Brando, it was great.

[atlantical]

There was a bit of story to it, about eleven years ago, I was making money in property, and I wanted to sail across the atlantic from the USA to the UK, I hired two dick heads, who bullshitted at every point, I hired them to advise me, (i had the money) they advised me to buy an irwin 35, they advised me that we could leave the USA in December, (they were both RYA qualified but not to the level they claimed) they did as much damage to the boat as they could, (to make it too expensive for me to continue, then they could say, "not our fault pay us") I solved all the problems they created myself, and they both got off in Bermuda, making threats that if I didn't pay them for the whole run to the UK they would arrest the boat, I told them to go ahead, and they took off. I had to sell that boat in Bermuda where it still is, its called Sandy Feet, I bought it for $30,000 had it two months, and sold it for 15000, thats why I didn't want to put a lot of money in, or involve anyone else, so I pretty much blew the money I had in the USA before I left. I didn't want to spend loads on the boat, because I didn't know how far it would get.

[atlantical]

Let me explain, I had no life raft, no dinghy, and no hope if the boat went down, shooting ones self would be a lot quicker than drowning, besides, I also thought, dosent matter where you are, guns are always in demand. Some people in the USA keep gun collections as retirement funds.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atlantical

What happened to the 30 06, well, that was supposed to stay aboard the boat as part of boats equipment, that is what the UK home office told me was to happen. I had asked to carry a handgun, but they said no chance, they told my they accepted a need to protect myself on an ocean crossing, and said that I could carry any bolt action rifle, which is the case of all British yachts that are ocean crossing. I had it aboard in Largs marina, but home office said only way I could remove it was to apply for a licence My friend knew a licensed gun dealer in glasgow who owns a shop called Guns and Tack, he came down, because I said it was a remington model 700 when he checked it we found it was the cheaper model 760 so he said he would take it off the boat (as he knew I couldn't) but he wasn't going to pay, I wasn't going to give him it, but my friend told me to just get rid of it, he gave me a receipt, so I could prove (if officials asked where it had gone, and yes,it had become a bit rusty.

What will you learn from my log book, if nothing else, how to make fresh water out of sea water with nothing but a zig water bottle, some hose, a big water container and a fire, or you might learn, that you don't need loads of money, or loads of electronics, or all the best of kit, but I would say, you do need a very good strong hull underneath you, the rig is not that important, because its up to you how much strain you put on it, you can control the strain on the rig, you can't control the strain on the hull.

Amazed..!!!
Normally the gun is impounded and held till such time as you acquire the appropriate licence and get a secure gun locker installed on the boat..
No way can it stay aboard as part of the boats 'equipment'.. and no way can you just 'give it away' to any Tom, Dick or Harry... methinks there's a dash of the Blarney Stone...

[atlantical]

It was held in Bermuda until I left, they gave me receipt for the gun and ammunition and gave me it back when I left, other places I went to, I didn't get asked to declare anything such as Guada loup, where visa and check in, is done online, at a cafe. French customs did, though, board the boat in the waters, and tell me they wanted to take the gun, but I was going back to antigua anyway, so they didn't.

I phoned in to customs and immigration when I got to the UK, but no one came to see me, the offices in campbeltown, had closed, (permenantly) so they told me to fill in a form, and send it, declaring what was on the boat.

I had been told by the home office, that the gun stays on the boat (providing the boat is an ocean crosser) becomes part of boats equipment, and that is it. I was also told by them, on no uncertain terms, that I could not remove that gun from the boat.

I would have expected what you say to happen, but it didn't. I still have the receipt in case of any future come back. The gun dealer knew the law, that why he got it for free, because he said to me "you cant take this off the boat can you" is said "no I cant" then he said "i can, but I am not paying you for it"

You couldn't have one in you boat unless your boat is an ocean crosser, the definition of that was 47 feet, (i think) but having crossed an ocean, who would argue, besides which the boat was registered in the USA.

I did ask the home office about handguns, and that was a direct no, they told me only a few people in the UK have a certificated for a handgun, I also asked about a self loading rifle, and was told it would be confiscated on arrival in uk waters, I asked if I would be prosecuted and was told that was up to the discretion of Customs and Excise.

[atlantical]

The one thing I remember most about the trip, was the sail down to Antigua from Bermuda, the weather (when I got away from Bermuda and got south) was great, the boat was racing along, and I was just sitting on the fore deck, doing nothing, and there was nothing about, not even a plane in the sky, no con trails, no boats, I don't know how far I was from the nearest human being. I was just sitting there, with the boat doing all the work, taking me south, and to me thats what its all about, just being away from everything for while.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atlantical

It was held in Bermuda until I left, they gave me receipt for the gun and ammunition and gave me it back when I left, other places I went to, I didn't get asked to declare anything such as Guada loup, where visa and check in, is done online, at a cafe. French customs did, though, board the boat in the waters, and tell me they wanted to take the gun, but I was going back to antigua anyway, so they didn't.

I phoned in to customs and immigration when I got to the UK, but no one came to see me, the offices in campbeltown, had closed, (permenantly) so they told me to fill in a form, and send it, declaring what was on the boat.

I had been told by the home office, that the gun stays on the boat (providing the boat is an ocean crosser) becomes part of boats equipment, and that is it. I was also told by them, on no uncertain terms, that I could not remove that gun from the boat.

I would have expected what you say to happen, but it didn't. I still have the receipt in case of any future come back. The gun dealer knew the law, that why he got it for free, because he said to me "you cant take this off the boat can you" is said "no I cant" then he said "i can, but I am not paying you for it"

You couldn't have one in you boat unless your boat is an ocean crosser, the definition of that was 47 feet, (i think) but having crossed an ocean, who would argue, besides which the boat was registered in the USA.

I did ask the home office about handguns, and that was a direct no, they told me only a few people in the UK have a certificated for a handgun, I also asked about a self loading rifle, and was told it would be confiscated on arrival in uk waters, I asked if I would be prosecuted and was told that was up to the discretion of Customs and Excise.

Keep your fingers crossed the receipt is enough come the time move on..

[atlantical]

Well, I also wrote in the daily mail about how to get a gun into the UK, legally I wrote it due to the existing loophole that dates from about 1965, (which the home office quoted me) Ok it would be a bit extreme just to get a rife in, you would have to across the ocean, buy a boat, buy a rifle, sail the boat back to the UK, it a lot of work, when you could just go to france do a hunting course buy one, and sail back with it (illegal)

Places you land in scotland often have no facilities, I landed in Barra, no customs, no immigration, only two policemen, and when I went to them, they told me they didn't know what I should do, as they had never been approached by someone who sailed in from Bermuda. I had contacted the coast guard in Stornaway, and they said they would send someone down, but I waited four days, and no one turned up.

I was in the uk about three weeks before immigration finally phoned me to check me in, that was after calling everywhere, and then they told me, they dont keep a record of who is in or out of the country.

When I did get through to customs regarding importing the boat, they were not interested, told me to fill in some forms, and I am still waiting to hear from them.