When will US Canada Borders open?

Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
Any news on when or how the border will open?

Lady Lillie goes in the water 3 May. We will be on her in the Lake Erie Islands weekly after that. But when will we be able to return to Pelee and Leamington? Is either country considering proof of vaccine for entry?
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
We too are anxious to hear as we are planning a trip to the Canadian Maritimes this summer (it was supposed to be last summer :huh:).

Pure speculation, however the earliest I expect the border to open is late June. This will a month after there will enough vaccines for all adult US residents. I do expect some proof of vaccine will be necessary to cross in either direction. Better relations between the two governments will help open the borders too.

Of course, if too many people don't get vaccinate and too many people don't follow mask and social distancing guidelines, then there is a good chance the virus won't be under control and the borders will remain closed.
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
we are planning a trip to the Canadian Maritimes this summer (it was supposed to be last summer :huh:).
Hopefully I will be going to the Canadian Maritimes also this summer. They wouldn't even let us Ontarioans in last year.
The Canadian government has screwed the pooch on acquiring vaccines, we may not have everyone vaccinated until September at this rate.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Hopefully I will be going to the Canadian Maritimes also this summer. They wouldn't even let us Ontarioans in last year.
The Canadian government has screwed the pooch on acquiring vaccines, we may not have everyone vaccinated until September at this rate.
Let's hope things get straightened around by summer. Perhaps we'll cross paths, be fun to share a beer.
 
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DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Let's hope things get straightened around by summer. Perhaps we'll cross paths, be fun to share a beer.
Absolutely, if we both make it out East at the same time it would be great to meet up.
 
Jul 8, 2005
512
Jeanneau 389 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
if the boarder opens, heading to the north channel/georgian bay, greatest sailing on the globe :cool:

30,000 islands
We have never been there yet....had our Beneteau 321 on Lake St Clair and only left the lake twice in 20 years.
Now our Jenneau 389 is ready to find the north channel!
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
been there quite a few times. it is the best cruising on the globe. i go into every nook and cranny. i sail every where. if all day into the wind, great. i'm like a pinball up there. i do love it so.

enjoy! :cool:
 
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dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
if the boarder opens, heading to the north channel/georgian bay, greatest sailing on the globe :cool:

30,000 islands
I've been in the georgian bay, but not the North Channel yet. Definitely on my wanna go list!

Godspeed!

dj
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Any news on when or how the border will open?

Lady Lillie goes in the water 3 May. We will be on her in the Lake Erie Islands weekly after that. But when will we be able to return to Pelee and Leamington? Is either country considering proof of vaccine for entry?
I'm really wondering how that is going to work. I know thet are developing 'vax passports', but how is the actual injection(s) validated? The CDC card? An anti-vaxer (or someone in a hurry) will find a way around that. Looking at my CDC card, that thing is the worst thing possible if they plan to use it as some sort of vaccination 'proof' for a passport. I could forge one in a couple of hours.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I'm really wondering how that is going to work. I know thet are developing 'vax passports', but how is the actual injection(s) validated? The CDC card? An anti-vaxer (or someone in a hurry) will find a way around that. Looking at my CDC card, that thing is the worst thing possible if they plan to use it as some sort of vaccination 'proof' for a passport. I could forge one in a couple of hours.
Because all the injections are billed back to the Feds, there is a record of who got what shot when. The Vax Apps being developed will have access to the data base to verify the vaccines were administered and will simply display a yes/no QR code. At least that is how NY plans to do it. The app will be used to gain entrance to concerts and other events. Perhaps there will be some international standard.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Because all the injections are billed back to the Feds, there is a record of who got what shot when. The Vax Apps being developed will have access to the data base to verify the vaccines were administered and will simply display a yes/no QR code. At least that is how NY plans to do it. The app will be used to gain entrance to concerts and other events. Perhaps there will be some international standard.
I hope that’s the case, and they’re keeping good track of that. Because there’s nothing on my card that is attributable to me, no numbers, ID, certification or anything. At my clinic they asked me for my name, and my address. I gave them the one that the tribe had on file just to make things easy. No ID check.
They wrote that on the card and we are ready to go!
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The clinic, a pharmacy, billed medicare directly for my shot. Even though I have a Medicare Advantage plan, they wanted the Medicare Number. I've long since lost my card, so I had to go online and jump some hoops to get the number.
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I wouldn’t bet on the border being open this summer. The news last night was that Ontario was experiencing a surge related to the UK strain of the virus. Its difficult to say whether some sort of proof of vaccination would be credible to allow sailers to move into and out of Canadian waters.
 

DaveJ

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Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Maybe I am over simplifying things, but both governments know a lot about us, and I assume that many things are imbedded into our passports. They are electronically scanned at the border, whether land crossing or at airports, or at the video booths when entering a port. The gov knows when we have been vaccinated, as per post #13 above, the only reliable way I can think of to track travelers is to include this info on the passport. If I cross the border twice in one day, that border guard knows this and sometimes would ask the question, this tells me that the passport is updated in real time. This of course has nothing to do with going to a concert or any other daily activity, but you can't cross a border without a passport.
As for when the border may open, probably not this summer, but info from the gov seems, squirrel, to change all the time.

Cheers
dj
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
but you can't cross a border without a passport.
I think I understand your intent, but this is not entirely true.

Canada has permitted citizens of the US to cross the border with an enhanced drivers license.

Europe established the EuroZone so that citizens of the listed countries did not need a passport to travel inside the EuroZone.

And listening to the news passports appear to be unnecessary to come into the US along our southern borders.

With all the changes we may be going retro and passports will again take on a higher level of importance. Or... Maybe we just micro chip everyone in the next Vaccine booster shot....:yikes:
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Maybe I am over simplifying things, but both governments know a lot about us, and I assume that many things are imbedded into our passports. They are electronically scanned at the border, whether land crossing or at airports, or at the video booths when entering a port. The gov knows when we have been vaccinated, as per post #13 above, the only reliable way I can think of to track travelers is to include this info on the passport. If I cross the border twice in one day, that border guard knows this and sometimes would ask the question, this tells me that the passport is updated in real time. This of course has nothing to do with going to a concert or any other daily activity, but you can't cross a border without a passport.
As for when the border may open, probably not this summer, but info from the gov seems, squirrel, to change all the time.

Cheers
dj
Dave, don't you have a NEXUS card? Living that close to border having a card makes sense.

While we often think of the Government as one entity, many of the departments are siloed. Medicare knows I got the vaccine because they paid for it, but I doubt the State Department (folks who issue Passports) know what Medicare knows and until I actually use the passport/nexus card/Enhanced License, Homeland security doesn't know where I've been or what I've done.
 
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