BurnitBlue
Well-Known Member
The following actually happened to me last month.
I travelled to the Mediterranean coast of France to view a bargain boat. The boat had just been sailed from the Caribbean in May where it had spent over ten years. I asked about import and RCD issues and was assured by the seller that it had been taken care off but he had no documents.
I had my laptop and wifi dongle with me so I googled the name of the yacht and surprise surprise I got half a dozen hits. One of the hits was information that the boat was bought a few month earlier for half the present asking price in US dollars in Trinidad. The other hits were from a blog and contained a potted history of the yacht from its initial arrival in the Caribbean to the sale to the present owner.
What concerned me was the statement that the yacht had spent three years on the hard in Trinidad and re-launched in January 2009.
It occured to me at the time that this information that the yacht had spent the last three years outside the EU immobilised on the hard, was also available to any customs man who could google the name of the yacht. Of course, the present asking price was also on Google.
I passed on the yacht despite being a bargain for the documentation and other issues.
What do you think? If plod can use YouTube then surely customs plod can also use Google for a yacht's honest history.
I travelled to the Mediterranean coast of France to view a bargain boat. The boat had just been sailed from the Caribbean in May where it had spent over ten years. I asked about import and RCD issues and was assured by the seller that it had been taken care off but he had no documents.
I had my laptop and wifi dongle with me so I googled the name of the yacht and surprise surprise I got half a dozen hits. One of the hits was information that the boat was bought a few month earlier for half the present asking price in US dollars in Trinidad. The other hits were from a blog and contained a potted history of the yacht from its initial arrival in the Caribbean to the sale to the present owner.
What concerned me was the statement that the yacht had spent three years on the hard in Trinidad and re-launched in January 2009.
It occured to me at the time that this information that the yacht had spent the last three years outside the EU immobilised on the hard, was also available to any customs man who could google the name of the yacht. Of course, the present asking price was also on Google.
I passed on the yacht despite being a bargain for the documentation and other issues.
What do you think? If plod can use YouTube then surely customs plod can also use Google for a yacht's honest history.
