Booze on board post brexit

laika

laika

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An upcoming problem for UK liveaboards which is presumably the same as it was pre-eu: before my boating days but presumably well within the experience of others here...

What did people do about their onboard booze when sailing to France? Disgorging several cases of wine and spirits and leaving them on the pontoon while away or multiple bus trips to storage aren't really an option. Mine is distributed about the boat and not in a conveniently bond-tapable locker. And what about coming home with stuff you took with you? Previous threads about C1331 and my own experience with the yachtline suggests that no-one ever comes directly back from the channel islands to find out about the latter case now.

So what used to happen in practice in the bad old days or did others not keep enough booze onboard to have to worry?
 
No worry in those days. All yachts just offered a G&T to the customs officer when he came aboard at Ramsgate. They didn't count 'opened' bottles.

The alcoholics ward at St Augustine's Hospital (now closed) was stuffed full of local customs officers.
 
A minor problem that is hardly warranted a moments thought in the great canvas that is Britain’s future painting of prosperity and international aclain on the world stage besides the voters from Scunthorpe or Wigan are now making the pace in new Britain’s thrusting horizon..
 
How times change. Good memory prompter! The things I learnt about sailing, discomfort, bravado and Ricard on those december weekend booze trips to St, Vaast ( Gosselin) and Cherbourg ( Guerin) for the heaps of duty free. And a run ashore.

And back at work on monday mornings feeling like you had been steamrollered and having bits of skin hanging off your fingers.

eee, they bred them tough in them days, none of yer fancy gadgets then. DR EP drink loads. Mans work. o_O
 
I would emphasise that I'm not asking about how to evade the excise people: I don't intend importing above my limit either way but not having a land-based home or a car, offloading my "normal" stores before crossing the channel would be problematic: a problem I believe any liveaboards pre-eu would also have faced.
 
Have any yachts actually had their alcohol checked in the UK or neighbouring countries, in living memory? Because you never ever hear of it happening and I don't think that will change, Brexit or not. Drugs and guns and a bit of paperwork is all they care about.
Why someone would be agonising about leaving their booze on the pontoon defeats me, I thought sailing was about free-spirited adventure rather than pro-actively hunting for rules and regulations to obey, and pre-emptive kowtowing to petty officialdom. Oh well each to their own.
 
You can certainly sail around the UK as a free spirited adventurer. The old 'I will do what I like' attitude. Good one.

But my friends, once you round Finnisterre and cross Biscay, there is a whole new world of pain about to open up for those that dont pro actively hunt out the rules and regulations to keep all them monkeys off your back. And be aware, the warmer the air and the bluer the seas, those monkeys can turn into a very annoyed Gorrilla!

Dont let it put you off though, just be one step ahead. (y)
 
capnsensible said:
btwThe very worst Ive encountered was actually the USA.
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The USA does seem to have a rather poor reputation generally :(
However I have a positive story for a change :)
We sailed into Newport, Rhode Island in May '87 and and the Immigration chap who cleared us was wonderful.
I returned again in May '95 and we had the same gentleman - he cleared us in while we were doing our laundry in the launderette.
By then his reputation had spread to the Caribbean - we met folk in Antigua, St Maarten and Bermuda who were initially planning on going to other ports of entry as their first port of call in the USA, but when they heard about how wonderful the gentleman in Newport was, in stark contrast to the (mostly horror) stories from other ports, everybody made a beeline for Newport instead.
 
Hardly petty, old chap. They have powers to make your life very complex. Tip. Sort your visa well in advance. Lots of horror stories coming out of the superyacht industry of visa problems for crew especially at renewal.

My own experiences of the USVI's and Miami have not been wonderful. Ultimately solved but for those who wish to live live at the rush, probably rather uncomfortable.
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
Have any yachts actually had their alcohol checked in the UK or neighbouring countries, in living memory? Because you never ever hear of it happening and I don't think that will change, Brexit or not. Drugs and guns and a bit of paperwork is all they care about.
Why someone would be agonising about leaving their booze on the pontoon defeats me, I thought sailing was about free-spirited adventure rather than pro-actively hunting for rules and regulations to obey, and pre-emptive kowtowing to petty officialdom. Oh well each to their own.
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We were pulled in Gib by customs after taking delivery on board of excess number of cigarettes from the bond warehouse. All they did was to make us put them in an empty locker which they sealed and told us not to open until we were in international waters. Due to the heat, the seal lasted about an hour before falling off:) My understanding (best check for yourself) is that a boat is allowed to carry duty free goods in a bond locker but there are restrictions on use and a log has to be kept.
 
Graham376 said:
Here's the customs manual - https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/customs/Aviation-and-Marine/ships-stores.pdf

Although issued by Dublin, it sets out the EU rules as they apply now.
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Thanks. I'm not sure this completely answers all the questions. If I'm not wrong, procedures for reporting vary between EU states and some of the systems for reporting outlined in this doc are revenue eire specific. Apparently i have to tell the Irish about all my booze before I depart but perhaps the french differ. Obviously it is also geared towards larger vessels with duty-free stores and presumably appropriate bond-lockers to contain them. That, combined with some apparent wiggle-room ("may") in the documented procedure doesn't necessarily indicate what will happen in the case of small yachts with their alcohol stashed under the sole boards.

As well as being irish rather than UK procedure, discussion there regarding returning craft is about "Ship's Stores" defined explicitly as:

Ship’s Stores - Dutiable goods delivered tax-free from a warehouse to ships, for use on voyages beyond State waters, and including such goods for use on oil and gas rigs or production platforms operating outside State waters.
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But for the return leg I'm concerned with uk-duty-paid stores.

Off-topic on the USVI front...over many trips to the US I have not come to expect a friendly welcome from US immigration staff but I've never encountered aggression and apropos-of-nothing abuse like we (3 respectable-ish and polite EU delivery crew with all visas and boat paperwork in hand and in order and maintaining our cool and politeness throughout) received in St. John.
 
capnsensible said:
How times change. Good memory prompter! The things I learnt about sailing, discomfort, bravado and Ricard on those december weekend booze trips to St, Vaast ( Gosselin) and Cherbourg ( Guerin) for the heaps of duty free. And a run ashore.

And back at work on monday mornings feeling like you had been steamrollered and having bits of skin hanging off your fingers.

eee, they bred them tough in them days, none of yer fancy gadgets then. DR EP drink loads. Mans work. o_O
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Ah yes. Monsieur Gosselin and his cave full of vintage calvados guaranteed to induce a splitting headache on the return trip. Happy days.
 
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