Are boat cards still a thing?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Maybe there is a reason if you're a beach cat sailor...

What the heck? You been drinking and are confused or something and tying unclear posts?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Montanan

So I had to look up what a boat stamp is, never heard nor seen one before.

Reference link:

Boat Stamp: Impress the Country Officials

https://sailingeurybia.com/boat-stam...just%20stamped.


A ship’s stamp is greatly appreciated in many countries where, for some strange reason, a rubber stamp has a certain authority.



What goes on a Boat Stamp?
For US Coast Guard registered boats the stamp text and graphics should include the ship name, hailing port, and US Coast Guard number, plus the owners’ names. The empty area in the middle is to sign and date whatever document you just stamped. The boat profile in the background is mostly decorative but I suppose it could help identify which boat in the harbor is us.

How to Use Your Boat Stamp with Officials

Anything that you are asked to sign, if the official permits, can first be stamped, then signed over the stamp. This does make your signing in more unique and formal. What else might you be required to provide? Here is the list of paperwork that Noonsite says is frequently or sometimes required when clearing in:

Ship’s registration papers (this is a requirement by International Maritime Law)
Crew list (with full details of passports, date of birth etc).
Radio license for the boat and an operator’s license for at least one of the crew
Passports and vaccination certificates
Visas (if required)
Clearance papers (zarpe) from the last country visited
VAT paid or VAT exempt certificate (when in the EU)
Other documents may be required including the Ship’s Log, pet importation paperwork, and the like.



So now I know the rest of the story.

Do not forget. If your boat is registered in a port in the northern hemisphere, and has a sailboat on the stamp, the boat must be sailing from port to starboard. If you are registeret in the southern hemisphere, the boat should sail from starboard to port

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by wholybee

Not worth the work, IMO. Vistaprint is only $18 for a box of cards, and the design online takes only a couple minutes. Much less work, and probably no more expensive than buying cardstock and doing it yourself.

That depends on ...

• How good you are with Publisher. Very fast.
• You get the design you want.
• Whether you have card stock. A ream will last a lifetime, and mine is probably 30 years old.
• Ease of changing numbers, images, etc. I have about 5 cards I keep current. Several consulting businesses, several writing lines, and boat cards. Every year or so it take me 10 minutes to update all of them.

Why do we sail, when a car or plane is so much faster, easier, and cheaper?

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Do not forget. If your boat is registered in a port in the northern hemisphere, and has a sailboat on the stamp, the boat must be sailing from port to starboard. If you are registered in the southern hemisphere, the boat should sail from starboard to port

Gentlemen and gentlewomen do not sail toward weather.

But how about sailing from north to south, or south towards north.

Or perhaps an image of a capsized or sinking boat.

[Love and Luck]

Originally Posted by Chotu

You could even get divorced and remarried and your new spouse would be on there ha ha ha. Joking.

Ha! Not going to happen, but good to know!

[slugsgomoo]

Originally Posted by Love and Luck

Thanks everyone! I was sort of excited about boat cards, so I’m glad they are still used.

The QR code is a great idea. I’ll use one for our web site which has links to all of our social and email. I wasn’t planning to include a phone number since I still haven’t figured out how that all works in the Caribbean. That’s still on my list to research.

If you want to put a number on, set up a google voice number, and forward it to whatever number you have at the time, or just use it as VOIP, then it doesn't matter what the number is on your SIM card. That said, it is a great reason to leverage a QR, since you can have it go right to a contact page that you keep updated

[SailFastTri]

You can also use a QR code for a contact card. I printed contact info on our card with a photo of the boat, and a footnote that says “QR Code on back” the code is a contact card that can be added to your phone as a new contact.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

+1 for still using boat cards - we do and most folks do that we have met in the Sea of Cortez.

I will add that besides the usual info, the best one we encountered had a spot on the back with the intro that read "We met at______________", which allowed the recipients to write in where they met the particular folks.

[sailorboy1]

I have never gotten a boat card with a QR code

[SV Coronado]

Just ordered a new box after we ran out!

Add your social media info (Facebook, Instagram) to your boat card. We follow most of our cruising friends via social media. It's nice to see what they're up to after we've parted ways. It also makes it easy to get back together when you realize you're both sailing to the same destination.

[sailorboy1]

I don't really want everyone i give a boat card to to follow me

[slugsgomoo]

My solution for that has been filing people in lists and then having a data access control strategy- the more personal/family-oriented the post, the smaller the audience. I'm not a big poster on social media, though, in the first place, so it's probably less odious than it would be for someone posting more frequently.

[CapeDory28]

I just ordered a card. I would upload it, but it’s so difficult to upload a photo. Maybe someone should make it a little bit easier. Have had no problem doing it on other forum’s .

[Simi 60]

In our previous life we had to deal with people daily and had business cards.

Had enough

We came out here to get away from people.
And life got so much simpler.