Trip to Europe (and back) begins
- Thread starter dLj
- Start date
I still have a long way to sail, I don't need stuff breaking mid-ocean. And the leg to the Chesapeake is not a simple one.Good luck with all your make and mends - sounds like you have quite a few.
dj
Definitely planning to stop in the Spanish Virgin Islands. Might hit another island or two. My new crew has two weeks and a lot of local knowledge. When he arrives Monday, we'll start making more concrete plans...
dj
I sailed in a squadron of Navy 44s from Annapolis to Bermuda and back in '93. The Gulf Stream on the return was dicey. While not the same as what you're doing, I agree 100% that it's not simple.
The route I'll take should see only a small amount of the Gulf Stream, way up near Cape Hatteras... I'm hoping for a smooth transition but.... as they say, hope for the best, plan for the worst...
I'll fill with fuel and water here as well as some simple provisions. Then I'll repeat in Puerto Rico but with a bigger provisions fill....
dj
I think you've got two different scenarios.
The first was having to drop my stuck anchor that runs all chain. That chain I had tied the bottom of the chain locker with a short length of rode just long enough to come out on deck when fully extended. That I did so if I ever had to drop hook and chain to leave ASAP when the chain was fully out, there would be a rope holding it in. Making sure your chain can't leave the boat is for the case where something were to happen and all chain comes out but not desired, it can't leave. In essence, still be anchored.
But if I were to have to drop that chain, in the current case, I could simply cut that rope to free myself. Much faster than trying to get down inside a anchor locker to undo some attachment. All anchor rode, chain or line, should be attached at the bottom of the anchor locker, or at least some hard point.
Having to drop anchor and chain to get out of a bad anchorage happened for my first time the other night.
The second scenario is my back up anchor. It is a rode and short chain attached to the anchor - currently that rode I consider too small of a line. That's the case where if that rode broke, I'd simply no longer be anchored. That was hypothetical. That did not happen. I pulled the anchor before anything undesirable occurred. That's the scenario you are now asking about. Sorry for the confusion... Have I clarified?
dj
Definitely a good point to remember to have a section of rope rode for cutting away. Was there any thought of trying to tie a fender or anything to the rode to make it recoverable, or was there just no time, or there wouldn’t be an opportunity to come back anyway?
We actually talked about that. But we were too remote, the weather was terrible. We talked about moving to an anchorage and coming back the next day but there was really nowhere. I knew we'd have to go to sea. Then from there easier to simply move on to the next island. No coming back. We would have needed scuba equipment and finding that would have been almost impossible.
dj
Maybe I'm being a bit thick but I don't understand how I'm not doing it right and to read the papers...
Anyway, it seems ludicrous as a US Coast Guard Registered boat, with a US citizen on board how I also have to have a special registration number that I have to pay for every year. It's only valid for one year while my USCG registration is valid for 3 years. That's just one of many regulations that just don't make sense to me.
dj
Dj, I think it was a political comment. I'm half a world away, and 50% of the US news I am unsuccessful in avoiding is pictures of the "authorities" in Texas helping folks wade out of the Rio Grande and get up the banks, thereby entering into the US.
They've moved into Marigot Bay:
It was interesting to watch the track as Musetta "hunted" at anchor.
It was interesting to watch the track as Musetta "hunted" at anchor.
Well, it does beg the question .... exactly what are the complications when bringing a non-US citizen into the country on board? I'm not understanding the "special registration number" either. Are you talking about state registrations or is there something else? If your boat comes from some location that doesn't require registration other than US Documentation, for instance, and you arrive in Virginia, is there something about it that's not acceptable? I mean, it's not really that big a nuisance to register, is it? Every country has a protocol of some sort, no?
The non US citizen would need to get a US Visa. To get the Visa you need to schedule an appointment at a US consulate, which could take weeks or months. Then another month for processing. There is a Visa waiver for many countries but that doesn’t apply to arrival by private vessel.
The registration number is probably the CBP decal that needs to be displayed on the vessel and renewed annually.
People visit this country from all over the world on vacation or for business all the time on a routine basis, so I'm still not understanding, except that arriving by private boat must be the issue. Still, I don't understand the issue when it seems like it would be routine. Why can't she just arrive, get processed and fly home?
It doesn't sound like a CBP decal is necessary when he can simply arrive and do the processing upon arrival. That seems like a decal for a boat that frequently leaves and enters to speed up the process that would get really tedious if entering the country frequently from somewhere else - like going back and forth from Canada or the Bahamas. Why get one for a one-time entry?
The DTOPS sticker for pleasure vessels only comes in a yearly version and is good for multiple entrances into the USA. A COMMERCIAL vessel can get a one time sticker, however. It seems ridiculous to me that I can't buy a one time sticker for my boat. The Admiral and I are aiming for the Bahamas this year and it's a bucket list thing and I will maybe fly if I ever go back. I've actually bought three stickers but life got in the way of two of them so fingers crossed that we make it this year.
Once we return, I plan to sail in my local waters only until I can't hoist the sails or winch up the anchor.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,330
I did not think it was a big deal. Every country visited had a fee to allow a registered vessel to enter, unless there were treaties with the country (i.e Canada)
From the US CBP website…
From the US CBP website…
The Decal Transponder Online Procurement System (DTOPS) is an easy way for commercial vehicles, private aircraft and private vessels (thirty feet and over) to purchase their annual user fee online. Commercial vehicle purchasers also have the ability to request replace transponders, transfer vehicles into their fleet and maintain their fleet inventory. For additional information, please visit the CBP DTOPS website.
Why not just pay at the border station?
Although it is possible to pay a crossing fee at a U.S. border station, paying for an annual or single crossing fee online decreases the amount of time that an individual needs to spend at the station, expediting their entry into the United States by automating the fee transaction process.
More questions… CBP DTOPS - Frequently Asked Questions
Reading thru the requirements, it sounds like it is required to purchase the decal even for just a one-time re-entry. I guess it just takes some planning ahead to acquire the decal prior to leaving so that you have it when you come back. It seems a little confusing to me still. What if you leave for a year (or you are gone during the expiration date at the end of the year). You can pay the fee on line - but does CBP mail a decal to you? So, you have to wait at some location while the mail arrives? Can't they simply provide the decal in a printable form so that you can recieve it on line? I must be completely out of touch because I really don't understand this process. Why is there a decal that has to be displayed when documentation is so easily stored as data that can be accessed from any location? 