USA to Australia

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by southace

The boats I was looking at is selling for around $200k AU in the states I would have to pay $20k GST and then I guess 20k for the rest of costs including spares,flights,survey,fuel and supplies. The way I'm thinking now is that I can get a well set up Australian registered Jeanneau 43 DS with 20 k still in my kitty for some cruising perhaps over to Fiji or New Caledonia ! Sail Airbus rather than Boeing!

Not a bad idea, and remember, cash is king so haggle the price down too!

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

We'd probably be the most recent arrival here, December 2013, and we decided to come in through Brisbane.

Thanks for the info. We are aiming for Brisbane taking roughly the same route as you.

Care to comment for on how they valued your boat, duties paid and how much time you had to register the boat in Queensland?

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by svseachange

Thanks for the info. We are aiming for Brisbane taking roughly the same route as you.

Care to comment for on how they valued your boat, duties paid and how much time you had to register the boat in Queensland?

There is a bit of a saga here.
We are Aussie citizens and an Aussie registered vessel. We emailed from Fiji asking for whatever documentation/status we needed to be able to transit Aus, given that we have a boat that has no market in Aus and will sell it eventually in the USA or Europe most likely.
Their response was that we would have to "complete the importation, pay duty and gst etc. This argument continued through New Caledonia, and we left there having submitted new substantiation for our claim that we were not importing, just transiting, with the boat to only ever spend less than a year here.
When we got to Brisbane we were immediately restricted to the Brisbane Port control area, and given the option to pay up or leave Australia within 30 days.

These options were impossible because we would have to re-export in 30 days in cyclone season, making the only possible destination New Zealand.
Qld-NZ after November is the dangerous time according to Cornell, so they were going to have to change the options anyway.

After many phone calls and emails to Canberra I discovered a tiny niche we could slot ourselves into that would allow the box tickers to give us what we wanted and still tick their boxes.
We could get a temporary importation if we were Aussie citizens with overseas residency, to be verified with o/s rental leases, o/s utility bills etc. We had none of that, but they eventually accepted the fact that if we have no home in Australia, it must mean we reside outside Australia. We had to lodge a bond equal to an estimate of the gst and duty, to be refunded to us if the boat leaves within 12 months.
Because we will be getting the money back, they were prepared to accept our purchase price even though more than 12 months old and not a new valuation here.

It was nail biting stuff for a while.

Vic

[Gerrycooper56]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Puerto Amistad. The marina has been set up by an American national. Really good guy. It's up a river and they will send out a pilot to guide you in. He's a local fisherman. There are sand bars all over the place so you do need him, but it's no drama. We draw 6'6" so needed a high tide.
If you draw more email them and see what they say.

The marina has no slips, just front and back moorings in the river. It is cheap, totally safe and secure. Cruisers leave their boats there and go off to explore South America for a month or two at a time.

The locals are friendly happy people. We provisioned at the market with excellent quality fruit and veg, for $20! I got the bottom cleaned by 2 scuba divers for $40, and had diesel delivered into my tanks for $1.25/gal.

We would go back there in a flash.

Puerto Amistad Restarurant and Marina

We had battled to make headway from Panama to Galapagos, so decided to go to Ecuador. It meant we were closer to the trades when we got going again. We picked them up at abut 10* south and passed well below Galapagos.

Vic

Many thanks for the info. Yes panama Galapagos can be a pain. 10 days for 1000 miles not particularly good given Galapagos to Nuku Hiva was 21 days for 3100 miles

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

After many phone calls and emails to Canberra I discovered a tiny niche we could slot ourselves into that would allow the box tickers to give us what we wanted and still tick their boxes.

Thanks for the account. Good info.

I am surprised they impounded your vessel because I had heard people had up to 12 months to pay the GST and duty. Don't see why they could not let you go while the details were hashed out. After all you are citizens and could have easily been found if you stayed more then 12 months.

More wood than the Amazon. Funny.