| Immigration laws need some logic |
Last summer, a small, old wooden American yacht took on board a female British citizen in Bermuda for the sail to Portland , Maine . The weather in May was absolutely brutal. I was about 75 miles south of them cooling my heels as I watched the center of the second low go right across the Gulf Stream . They were right in the center of the action. A perfect bull's eye.
This boat and crew were pretty banged up when they arrived in Portland – only to find that they could not clear in with a British citizen because of an exception to visa rules.
The United States gives automatic tourist visas to citizens from a whole list of countries. Basically, if they show up on an airplane or at the border with a valid passport, they are admitted to the United States and given a visa.
The exception to the automatic visa is if that very same person shows up on a boat, then no visa is given and entry into the United States is denied. This exception is not well publicized and people who are unaware are getting caught in this Catch-22 trap.
In the case of this U.S.-flagged vessel, it was refused entry to the United States with the British lady on board. With no fuel, low food, miserable and soaking wet, they were ordered to return to Bermuda . A pretty hostile situation, really stupid and dangerous.
As he passed Portland Head Light outward bound, it dawned on the dazed owner that he was in for an additional 1,500 miles in an ill-prepared boat and he turned toward Canada . There, he had a positive reception. The lady was welcomed and he only added 450 miserable miles to his 727-mile trip.
While it was unprofessional to not know laws, the owner was not a professional. He was just a very tired recreational sailor without the resources to even know to have his antenna up on this issue. I am not sure what I would have done in his shoes. It would have been amusing to watch me try to get a different answer.
I submit that there needs to be a more sensible and equally professional alternative available to immigration to deal with this type of rare, rare situation. At least a notice should be posted at the yacht reporting center in St. Georges to warn of the problem.
Phin Sprague
Portland Yacht Services
‘Tool Leash' keeps electronics out of the water
In reference to your photo gallery survey last month of yacht crew and their use of two-way radios, Mate Bruce Chee (formerly of M/Y Sacajawea ) wanted a bungee cord to save the radio (or cell phone) from going for a swim.
I have used West Marine # 3761251 "Tool Leash" for a year. Dropping one new radio and one 2-week-old cell phone in the water convinced me. It's about $10 at any West Marine.
Capt. Craig Jones
M/Y Carry-On
Stay ‘in the loop' with The Triton
I was recently in Ft. Lauderdale for an STCW course and picked up your publication. Suitably impressed with the amount of diversified information, I will be signing up for a subscription.
Until I read your paper, I thought the only way to get this kind of information was through the grapevine in the crew bars and along the dock. If you bumped into the right person, you might hear their version of incidents such as the Legacy and Princess GiGi , and then only what they had heard.
But it is unlikely you would hear about the more boring, but important issues that affect us such as Homeland Security requirements and continually changing maritime regulations.
I am based in New England and have been missing out on a lot of the goings on in the industry. If, like me, you rarely have the opportunity or inclination to hang out in a crew bar, then you miss out altogether. I look forward to being "in the loop."
Capt. John Cleverly
S/Y Angel
Immigration seminar a plus
Thank you for organizing the very interesting meeting with the immigration and customs people [Connection event March 14, Miami Beach . See story page A1]. We learned a lot, but there are still a few gray areas, such as what is happening with regards to homeports.
Thanks again for your positive input and help in the yachting community.
Captains Yves and Martha Verhoustraete
Hatteras warranty envelope is back
Most of my professional life has involved running and keeping a variety of Hatteras motor yachts. Over the years, one of the positive aspects of buying a Hatteras has been the warranty envelope offered to back up the product. Factory support is a very strong part of what Hatteras has been about.
Having just been through a Hatteras 80-foot motoryacht new build, many visits to New Bern and two months on site, several issues became clear. Hatteras is a production boat builder of more than 60 boats 50 to 100 feet. Big numbers, big boats.
It appears irresistible to offer custom changes, lots of them. The 80-foot motoryacht has sold well as a result, and many good custom changes have been developed.
But a production yacht manufacturer must keep the line moving. The pressure to do so is enormous. That's where warranty service comes in, big time.
We took delivery in June 2005. Our efforts to fix and finish were not going well until Mr. Pat O'Neal, director of quality and customer service, and his team came on board. I am pleased to report that Pat and his team have turned the warranty issue around and Hatteras Warranty is back on track. If we have a warranty issue, we call Pat and he and his team deal with the problem, because customer service – strong customer service – sells boats. Period.
Capt. William W. Low
M/Y Dani
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