Canadians Cruising to / through the USA

[farotherside]

Hey folks,

I would like to leave Canada late this summer on an extended cruise, heading south from Vancouver BC down the coast towards Costa Rica.

Has anyone here done this? I am looking for information about obtaining a cruiser's permit, and sailing through US waters. I understand that the best thing to do is to get a Nexus pass, but I'm not sure I am eligible.

I am greatly interested in hearing the experiences of Canadians cruising the waters of the west coast of the USA - or tips towards blogs of that sort of thing...

[skipmac]

Haven't sailed there yet but have been researching west coast cruising. Seems like it can be challenging. Very few harbors on the whole coast. Harbors in the US NW are mostly rivers where crossing the bar into the river can be quite nasty in a strong onshore wind.

SF Bay looks like fun and lot more places to stay.

I think a lot of it will depend on your schedule and budget. If you are flush and plan on paying marina bills there are a lot more options than if you plan to anchor or moor.

Sorry I can't help at all with the paperword side of things.

I think it will be a great trip and hope I get to do it myself some day.

Good luck.

[Livia]

A Nexus seems to be overkill - they are great to have if you are regularly entering and exiting the US but from what I understand of your plan you are only going to have to clear into the US once - when you first touch land in the US after leaving Canada. As long as you can arrange to touch land at a customs clearance (Port Angeles on the way out?) then you are fine. At your first customs clearance you will have to buy a decal (cruising permit basically) that is good for the calendar year and if you stay across a calendar year you will have to get the next years (they are $40 I think). Otherwise, you only need a passport and boat docs.