Bizarre entering and leaving France tale.

[mjcoon]

I think you'll find its all electronic these days - the stamp gives a quick and easy way of a cursory check, but the 'real' info is on the computer.........

Which is probably why we had a long wait queuing to get into Greece a fortnight ago when half the planeload had made it past passport control but the computer system went down. Babies in arms, and all...

 

[st599]

scanning passports to log entries in and out of Schengen is firmly up and running, and done at present by the douaniers. The passport stamp is not the primary record, but obviously provides evidence for both the passenger and the border force if they don’t have a handy scanner on their person during an inspection.

the system due to be rolled out is a ‘self-service‘ scanning tool which is due to be in marina offices.

Not so, I'm afraid. Each Schengen state currently has a compliant system, but they aren't joined up yet. They're meant to start operating later this year and until then the stamps are needed as you could exit from a different state from which you entered.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Wouldn't it be good if people just got on with their life's .

 

[TiggerToo]

I’m writing this just south of Saint Catherine‘s point on the Isle of Wight as we approach the UK on our daughters Pandora. We had to leave the boat in Cherbourg a week or so ago because of the weather and we’ve been back overnight last night to collect it and bring it home. The ferry overnight from Portsmouth was a delight and we arrived at 8 o’clock as advertised. As for the passengers we all got on the bus and stopped at the customs immigration post where the officer came on and took all our passports away. He came back on the bus and handed them back out to us and we found that none of them had been stamped with an entry stamp. I’ve planned it be to go straight to the PAFW stamped out again but we couldn’t work out whether they’ve been scanned electronically or he just had failed to stamp them. So I asked the Brittany ferries helpdesk and they made a phone call and Clare did have to drive us back round to get them stamped. We were taken by a young lady in one of the staff cars through into the restricted port area again and waited at the customs point. We waited and waited and she made various calls on the radio to be told eventually that no one was going to come and stamp our passports and no one was available and we were free to go. We were taken to the terminal building again and made our way to the marina by taxi and left. But I do wonder what is going to happen to the other foot passengers when they go to leave France and find there’s no entry stamp in their passport!

Another one for the "Joys of B"

 

[st599]

Wouldn't it be good if people just got on with their life's .

Wish I could, but I now have to juggle my time and be carful for work because of this.

 

[Fantasie 19]

I’m writing this just south of Saint Catherine‘s point on the Isle of Wight as we approach the UK on our daughters Pandora.

Ignoring all the previous - my hat's off for your successful cross channel trip in a Pandora though! How long did it take?

 

[john_morris_uk]

Ignoring all the previous - my hat's off for your successful cross channel trip in a Pandora though! How long did it take?

14 hours plus or minus. No problem but I forgot how much a little boat gets chucked about compared to the 11 tonnes of our Westerly Sealord.

 

[Fantasie 19]

14 hours plus or minus. No problem but I forgot how much a little boat gets chucked about compared to the 11 tonnes of our Westerly Sealord.

I sail a Hurley 20 so I'm well aware of the chucking about quotient hence the hats off! Seriously... well done to you and daughter..

 

[sailaboutvic]

14 hours plus or minus. No problem but I forgot how much a little boat gets chucked about compared to the 11 tonnes of our Westerly Sealord.

Yes we also notice the different from our old Moody 42 14 TONS to our latest Bene 36 which I doubt it weight a third of the Moody.