Sending a zodiac to port in foreign countries.

[ScienceSailor]

Let's assume I do everything by the book up to the point where I am about to enter the 24nm line, at which point I leave the boat behind with a skipper on board.

I then board a zodiac and comply by ALL rules and regulation of the country I'm about to enter. Passport with valid visa (when required), Port Clearance certificate, etc.

Would i need to provide the following :

Boat Registration certificate
Boat insurance policy
“Free Pratique”
Ship’s stamp (in some countries)
MMSI number, and proof of AIS (where required)

... For the boat or for the zodiac? Either or both? If both, what is the exact legal requirement for forming a virtual 'tether' between the boat and the zodiac? Is it about MY legal status as a person and owner of the ship? What if i sent someone else instead of me? (say, on a supply run)

The question IS relevant in the context of small atolls that have complex, if not nearly infinite sets of rules and regulations because they are not interdependent but obey usually laws descending from old colonial rules.

Thank you.

[Sun and Moon]

Seems like a guaranteed way to piss off all the officials of the country you are trying to enter. Likely they will tear apart the mother ship looking for drugs or contraband and probably take your zodiac away too.

[jordanbigel]

Originally Posted by ScienceSailor

Let's assume I do everything by the book up to the point where I am about to enter the 24nm line, at which point I leave the boat behind with a skipper on board.

I then board a zodiac and comply by ALL rules and regulation of the country I'm about to enter. Passport with valid visa (when required), Port Clearance certificate, etc.

Would i need to provide the following :

Boat Registration certificate
Boat insurance policy
“Free Pratique”
Ship’s stamp (in some countries)
MMSI number, and proof of AIS (where required)

... For the boat or for the zodiac? Either or both? If both, what is the exact legal requirement for forming a virtual 'tether' between the boat and the zodiac? Is it about MY legal status as a person and owner of the ship? What if i sent someone else instead of me? (say, on a supply run)

The question IS relevant in the context of small atolls that have complex, if not nearly infinite sets of rules and regulations because they are not interdependent but obey usually laws descending from old colonial rules.

Thank you.

Can you give an example of such an atoll?

You statement about why the question is relevant seems a bit vague to me.

It seems to me that unless your inflatable dinghy has its own registration number/documentation from her country of origin, I don't see how you can clear into a country without bringing the mothership into the discussion, at which point you may as well just sail up and anchor at the atoll in question.

I've visited many atolls and islands and I can't really imagine why you feel this would be needed. Ever. Please, clarify!

[StuM]

In that extremely implausible situation, the only vessel involved is the zodiac, so that will have to be properly documented itself with all necessary paperwork for entry.

The fact that the zodiac was transported in international waters on another vessel is irrelevant.

As long as the skipper and main vessel stay outside of territorial waters, its presence is immaterial.

There is no such thing as a "virtual tether" between vessels. There are specific provisions concerning the use of tenders in most jurisdictions (markings, size of motor, distance it is permitted to operate from the mother ship, distance from shore that it can be operated, what it can be used for, etc).

[psk125]

Watch out if there's a requirement for holding tanks and you don't have one on your RIB. If the rules and regulations are infinitely complex and vary from atoll to atoll based on colonial history, you had best check with each atoll rather than asking here if you want the correct answer.

[ScienceSailor]

Originally Posted by Sun and Moon

Seems like a guaranteed way to piss off all the officials of the country you are trying to enter. Likely they will tear apart the mother ship looking for drugs or contraband and probably take your zodiac away too.

They can enter past 48nm and take over your ship because you wanted to do a supply run with RIB? Please explain the legality of this and why it's so upsetting to the authorities. I don't see how what I'm considering is in the least bit illegal or 'upsetting'.

[ScienceSailor]

Originally Posted by StuM

There is no such thing as a "virtual tether" between vessels. There are specific provisions concerning the use of tenders in most jurisdictions (markings, size of motor, distance it is permitted to operate from the mother ship, distance from shore that it can be operated, what it can be used for, etc).

Wonderful! thank you for your answer. Sounds like it's perfectly doable then! Thank you!

[Fore and Aft]

Science Sailor to me it sounds like you're looking for a loophole to run drugs? I imagine you turning up at the dock and the customs guys saying straight up what's up on the mother ship that you are to scared to bring it into port for us to inspect? As I am writing this I just clicked it's not drugs but people/sex trafficking and your running low on supplies. So some schmuck (you definitely said not you) takes the tender in while you wait and sees if he comes back with the supplies. Remember most customs are not like the airport where they are just sitting at the dock waiting for boats to turn up and be all cleared in 5 minutes. Your schmuck will also have to clear out as well. If you're a smart criminal I imagine the schmuck in the dinghy will have a pre programmed message in the Iridium warning you that he's been arrested and you can hightail out of there. The other scenario is swallowed drugs. The dinghy guy turns up for a loaf of bread, gets let into the country drops the drugs and heads back for another load. With the best coke retailing for 40,000 it's not going to take long to pay for your boat.
Cheers

[sailingharry]

I'm still having a tremendously difficult time understanding the specific desired result or intent. But I can sort of see one.

Many sailors carry weapons, many countries forbid them. Distance sailors can easily have large quantities of alcohol, some countries have extremely low allowable thresholds, on the order of a bottle of wine per person. Many countries allow marijuana, the US is in a transition stage but currently strongly forbids it at customs. And there is generally no concern about what sequence of vessels got you to port (there was just a post elsewhere on this form about a chap who provided the required "qualifications" to get a vessel out of port, and then transferred back to his own vessel to continue on).

Hypothetically, Science could be sailing across the Pacific, and discover he is running short on fresh fruit. He has a weapon or two, a couple of cases of beer and wine, and maybe a bit of weed. Going into port is potentially a significant hassle, or even arrestable, even for vessels not engaged in nefarious trade.

So, he heaves to, launches the RIB, motors an hour or two into port, waits a few hours for customs (which should be simple), buys a bag of fruit (and a couple gallons of gas!), clears out of customs, and motors an hour or two back to the mothership.

I don't see a fundamental problem with clearing into customs with a less than normal vessel. People have crossed the Atlantic in beach cats. People have crossed international bodies of water by swimming. If his RIB met all necessary safety and bureaucratic requirements for entering the port, it shouldn't be an issue.

I suspect most sailors who arrive at an atol with civilization (meaning a small town with a market) would want to stay for a couple of days before beginning the next leg across the Pacific. But if the sole intent here is to buy a couple of provisions, can't see why it wouldn't work.

[boatman61]

Why would anyone want to send a Zodiac 24/48nm to pick up a bag of fruit from an atoll.. which as I understand are irregularlly supplied and usually only produce coconuts as the soil is not really appropriate for orchards.
Now if he'd said 3nm it'd be more plausible but even then I'd raise an eyebrow.. as for the person who suggest the coupla gallons of fuel.. the Zodiac would chew that up in no time.
The only plausible reason for such a ridiculous speculation would be a medical emergency excluding broken bones, a compound fracture for example would be sheer hell for the patient on a high speed Zodiac on open waters..
Sounds like a wind up to me..

[ScienceSailor]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Science Sailor to me it sounds like you're looking for a loophole to run drugs?
Cheers

Wow that reply sounds straight of reddit, where bringing the subject of firearms on board (firearms that are legal to own and conceal in certain states in the US of A) led to my banning for quote 'incitation to murder and kill innocent civilians in international waters'. The hysteria has spread to private forums I see.

Yes, yes, You certainly got me. I registered with my real name and IP address to run drugs, and kill people wildly shooting my AK47 from the hip while dodging RPG shots from the US coast guard. That's the truth.

That, or maybe, just maybe, here in the real world on planet earth, I'm someone who seeks out to obtain autonomy at sea by de-residencing, something that's legal happens every day on land, and is not to keen to custom officers of certain countries to help themselves to 'souvenirs' or straight up ordering the crew to cook bacon (both are documented on various websites including this one).

Have a blessed day.

[leecea]

autonomy at sea by de-residencing

Does that mean your vessel is not registered to any country and not flying any flag?

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by leecea

Does that mean your vessel is not registered to any country and not flying any flag?

Perhaps a bigger problem, germane to the original post -- does that mean the owner/crew has no passport? That would make entering any coiuntry a problem! And assets (savings, etc) can be hidden in some places (mattresses, some countries, etc), but "investments" (ie, savings that can appreciate) are also challenging to hide.

[Chris Cringle]

This sounds suspicious to me. I can imagine how it would look to a ‘tooth sucking’ graft seeking, third world customs/immigration official to see a dinghy coming in from 20 miles offshore. If you try it, be prepared to spend a long time in jail while the whole thing gets sorted out.

[fxykty]

The hard border goes out 12nm from the coastline. For archipelagos, the 12nm gets approximated and smoothed so that it encompasses all the claimed land masses and islands and may be more than 12nm. There is an extended Exclusive Economic Zone border that goes out 200nm, generally less than that where it abuts to another country’s EEZ. Some countries monitor and track boats in their EEZ and most certainly within 12nm.

Check out innocent passage for exceptions.

12nm is 3 horizons away when sitting in a dinghy - it’s open ocean! That’s one heck of a provisioning run. Your dinghy needs to be bigger and more capable than normal, at which point, will it even fit on your boat? And how well do you trust the person you’re sending on the provisioning run? Or leaving with your boat?

Two issues with your proposal:

1) What is the actual problem with officials that you’re trying to solve? It’s only once you get to SE Asia that graft may become a problem, and even there it is officially discouraged and doesn’t need to be a problem. What specifically are you trying to avoid? And how does arriving in a smaller boat solve that?

2) You may not be a drug runner or smuggler, but your behaviour mimics one exactly. So rather than drawing less attention, you will by your very actions draw more attention!

If you’re not planning on interacting with locals or spending time in any particular country, why are you cruising?