SSR UK

[alanvdh]

Hello All,
A bit of a nightmare trying to register my boat in the UK.
I bought "Major Tom" a Wauquiez Gladiateur 33 in March this year. I wanted her registered part I with the small ships register in the UK. After having phoned them to find out what was needed they sent me an application. We filled it all in sent it off with payment. A month later I phoned them to find out what was happening and was told it would be in the post the next day.
Yesterday I got an email letting me know that part of the documents are invalid.
Having bought the boat in Belgium I have to have all documents translated into English (fair enough) and notarised. Also needed is a bill of sale. Doesn't exist in Belgium! An invoice, yes. Proof of ownership for the last 5 years. All I have is ownership proof of last owner who was not the owner for the complete 5 years.
Proof of de-registration in Belgium (original). In Belgium, proof of de-registration (original)goes to previous owner. So no original and SSR does not accept a copy. Survey by Belgian surveyor not acceptable.
A bloody nightmare !!!!

[sestina]

I've found the ladies at the Ship Registry in Cardiff very helpful.

Why do you want a full Part 1 registry? It can prove ownership all the way back to the builder, and as a result it needs the supporting paper trail. Also, a tonnage survey is very different from a buyer's pre-purchase condition survey.

The SSR (Small Ship's Registry) is a much simpler process, with no supporting documentation required. Perfectly acceptable to all the port officers I met on an Atlantic Circuit.

[alanvdh]

Hi Sestyna, thanks for the reply. Why part I? I was advised (maybe ill advised?) to register part one. Now contacting Cardiff and simplify :-)
Cheers,
Al

[Alanken]

Alan, I have recently bought a Westerly Windrush in Greece, from a Swedish owner. I got advice from the RYA about registration and foresaw problems with history similar to yours, so just went online and registered the boat anew with any reference to any previous ownership in the UK (which I believed but had no details of. The Swedish ownership was not up to date with registration in Sweden apparently not current since a few years ago.
My attitude is that all this bureaucracy is ridiculous , it keeps jobsworths in a paid position of inflated importance and I resent having anything to do with even the SSR. What business is it of theirs if I choose to keep a piddling little boat in Greek waters which not even the Greeks are interested in? I did it though, because I needed insurance and the insurers wanted to know that the boat was registered.
I think if you had filled the forms in and treated it as new registration, they would have been happy to register you as the owner, no matter how old the boat.
In the end , registration is not even proof of ownership, although the authorities in Greece tend to accept it a some sort of proof of a responsible and bona fide attitude as well as prima facie proof of ownership..

[Alanken]

Alan, One further thought: I wonder if you could just make a fresh application to the SSR (as I did), and hope that the two bureaucracies are separate, and thus get out of the ridiculous impasse with the Part 1 register.
I was able to sail in Greece immediately I had gone online, but received the Certificate of Registration a few days later
Good luck anyway
Alanken

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by alanvdh

Hello All,
A bit of a nightmare trying to register my boat in the UK.
I bought "Major Tom" a Wauquiez Gladiateur 33 in March this year. I wanted her registered part I with the small ships register in the UK. After having phoned them to find out what was needed they sent me an application. We filled it all in sent it off with payment. A month later I phoned them to find out what was happening and was told it would be in the post the next day.
Yesterday I got an email letting me know that part of the documents are invalid.
Having bought the boat in Belgium I have to have all documents translated into English (fair enough) and notarised. Also needed is a bill of sale. Doesn't exist in Belgium! An invoice, yes. Proof of ownership for the last 5 years. All I have is ownership proof of last owner who was not the owner for the complete 5 years.
Proof of de-registration in Belgium (original). In Belgium, proof of de-registration (original)goes to previous owner. So no original and SSR does not accept a copy. Survey by Belgian surveyor not acceptable.
A bloody nightmare !!!!

part III ( SSR) easy peasy. Part I is really only practical for new boats , where the trail is pristine.

[alanvdh]

Hi All, thanks for all the replies. I have re-applied on-line for Part III.
Fingers crossed. Was promised registration within 10 days.
Bureaucracy
Cheers

[Glenn.Brooks]

Don't know,if the processes are similar to US registry but I think in general they are. Part 1 probably involves commercial shipping and use and goes to paying tarriffs and import duty ? on tonnage, also having to do with maintaining record of country of origin and major repairs - which are very big ticket items on large ocean service vessels.

Now here we are, needing to prove which country we are registered in, soas we can clear customs and immigration offices in the Marina as we putter around the world in our tiny little crusing boats, hence we get to show up with next to nothing in the way of ownership documentation and get our SSS or yacht registry in US, to zip off to Monaco for the winter, or other exotic locale, like Pittsburg maybe or Toronto. Maddening if you want to carry passengers for hire, but take them easy route if you only need internationally recognized registration.