Has anyone ever been boarded by Border Force?

[richardbrennan]

I have not been boarded by Border Force, but was boarded in the Western Solent by the plod some years ago. Apparently they were doing an exercise looking for escaped prisoners, presumably from Parkhurst. The main problem was that Mr Plod still had hid size 12 boots on, but to give him his due, he did remove them when I complained.

My only other experience was with an American warship that was heading into Portsmouth. He called us up and asked where we were headed, and seem to have great difficulty understanding that we were just out for a sail!

 

[STATUE]

The Boarder Force Chief Honcho sent out a couple of years ago a request asking for cruiser skippers to help in their serveillance.
I responded with a 'you must be joking' response having experienced the rude behaviour of their cutter crews.
This drew an invitation to an interview at Portcullis House in the Port of Poole.
Clearly from other posts here, they must have been listening!

 

[Blue Sunray]

The Boarder Force Chief Honcho sent out a couple of years ago a request asking for cruiser skippers to help in their serveillance.
I responded with a 'you must be joking' response having experienced the rude behaviour of their cutter crews.
This drew an invitation to an interview at Portcullis House in the Port of Poole.
Clearly from other posts here, they must have been listening!

Or you were imagining it.

 

[Iliade]

C&E came over once when I was locking in to enquire as to whether I had been making mid-channel rendezvous with someone else they had on radar. I hadn't and they went away happy. They didn't search at all but I must have passed the attitude test.

More recently the French helicopter has buzzed us very closely a couple of times, but nothing further ensued, apart from the boat going a bit faster for a few minutes ;0)

 

[LadyInBed]

I can't recall ever being boarded by UKBF, but lots of times by Spanish when at anchor and in marinas. Once boarded by French in Cherbourg in 1995 and was buzzed by their helicopter three or four years back on my approach to Cherbourg. I then realised that I hadn't got my ensign up, I put it up, gave them a wave and they flew away.

 

[Thistle]

Not our Border Force but once by gun-toting uniforms just out of Biarritz. One kept chatting to us - with a firearm at the ready - in the cockpit while two had a quick rummage below. Turned out they were looking for Spanish cigarettes; they departed empty handed.

 

[Beelzebub]

Many years ago, I was delivering a 40' ketch from Guernsey to Gosport, where the boat was being purchased. A prior arrangement had been made with Customs (as they were then) to meet and resolve VAT issues as the boat was ex-VAT. Our anticipated arrival time was 17.00.

Passing Bembridge we observed a Customs launch lurking close to the shore. We then saw a RIB being launched and it made a beeline for us.

The time being after 1500, we continued on our route toward Gosport in order to make our rendezvous with Customs.

Halfway towards us, the RIB broke down and not wishing to miss our pre-arranged meeting in Gosport, put out a VHF call to "the Customs vessel off Bembridge", informing them that their launch had broken down and that we didn't have time to assist due to our Customs appointment in Gosport.

Silence from said launch and no activity. Eventually the crew on the RIB got it going again and intercepted us, boarding us and complaining about us giving their position away.

They then split the two of us (one on top, the other below) and grilled us about provenance, destination, length of stay, illegal goods etc).

Only after about twenty minutes did they agree to contact Customs in Gosport in order to corroborate our matching accounts.

They left in a huff.

 

[chrishscorp]

Can anyone confirm this? What happens if boarded by Border Force and you don't have your passport?

There is no law requiring a UK citizen to carry any form of ID on them in the UK, which means they have the ability to confirm your identity from the questions they ask you

 

[fisherman]

Local electronics people had a visit.
“What is your association with xxx name?”
“No idea.”
“Explain this then” brandishing a photo of him helping load a transit van outside the shop. After some head scratching records were found of a sale of various stuff, subsequently used on a boat for a drug smuggling enterprise. Shouldn’t have taken so much working out, or drama, but does show they were ahead of the game.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Boarded on the pontoon at Imuijden after a night passage. Wife very seasick below so the appearance was of a single handed male arriving. Demanded papers immediately and refused when I asked for 5minutes to get said wife comfortable. I got the feeling it was more of a training exercise, they didn’t do any searching.
Barmy really, I mean, who smuggles drugs into Holland?

 

[KellysEye]

We were saiilng from Lymington to Burnham--on-Crouch where were were goingt to base the boat. Off the Kent coast we were boarded by the Border Force and all they asked was where had come from. What I found strange was that there were two of them, one was by the cocpit and asked the question, the other was standig half way to the mast.

 

[zoidberg]

Some years ago I was sailing gently west across the entrance to Milford Haven, on a sunny Easter Sunday morning. No-one else was about - only a black RIB charging about, seemingly aimlessly, further in. It then made a beeline for us, with two characters in black drysuits. They shouted "Police! We're coming aboard...!" I held up my hand in a 'Stop' indication, and shouted "Warrant cards!"

There was some evident consternation, they stopped, and there was some hurried unzipping and fumbling, before brandishing an unreadable card each. At that, we grinned and helped the bigger one, a sergeant, on board. I took lines fore and aft, and helped the other, much younger constable over the rail and down into the cockpit.

They seemed a bit uncertain, so we helped out - "What do you want with us? Why have you stopped us...?"

Now, one of us was an ex-RN officer type - and enjoyed projecting that image. Another was a hefty ex-Royal Marine, wearing their distinctive green RM fleece, and also looking the part. Then there was me, and a more disreputable trio they couldn't have imagined.....

They didn't want to 'rummage', but wanted to fill out forms for each of us, listed 'Where from? Name and address and contact.... Where was the boat registered and who owned her...?' and so on.
They swiftly relaxed once the kettle had been put on and 5 mugs put on the table, with a packet of choccy biscuits, and had accepted we were - probably - who we said we were. We were happy to be co-operative, and asked - out of interest- why they stopped us and what powers they were using. "Oh, the normal 'Stop and Search' stuff. This RIB has just been delivered to us and we're the first 'marine unit' in our Force, so we thought to give it a spin this morning.... and you were the only boat around, so we thought to try an intercept..... We haven't got any identification on the boat, or our drysuits, yet. You caught us by surprise when you demanded 'Warrant cards', so that's something we'll have to change."

They were quite content with the tea and biscs, and with the photos we took ( which we forwarded later ), so all went happily on our ways......

 

[pagoda]

Only time I can recall was on the way up Lough Swilly, west side of Malin Head. Irish Customs Cutter cruised past us going to sea. Ten minutes later a RIB dropped of the stern with two officers and came alongside. Asked the usual "where how, with what etc" then left. Perfect gentlemen in their manner.
My wife was more concerned by having visitors with her "smalls" pinned on the rails to dry!

Never had any official interest while sailing Germany/Denmark/Sweden/Norway....

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

We were almost rammed up the chuff by a large German coastguard cutter, because we didn't have the motoring cone hoisted. The flared bows were literally above the yacht's stern, with a furious kaporal, armed with a Schmeisser, barking guttural commands through a megaphone. Quite amusing, like something from a war film, including jackboots etc. Definite frustrated nazis.

In Norway we were plinking at some dead jellyfish with an air rifle, and somebody called it in ( we heard later) as a terrorist mass shooting.. so three vanloads of excited SWAT teams screeched to a halt by my yacht and fanned out, weapons aimed at me. They were baffled by our laughter at their antics, and furious they had wasted their time. They took my trusty .177 and zoomed off, tw@ts.

 

[LadyInBed]

I'm not sure why you would want to carry an air rifle on a yacht, do tell.

 

[LittleSister]

I'm not sure why you would want to carry an air rifle on a yacht, do tell.

What else would you use to shoot dead jellyfish?

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

I'm not sure why you would want to carry an air rifle on a yacht, do tell.

The subject is bit off topic on this great discussion, but it could make a fascinating thread if someone starts it..

 

[RichardS]

What else would you use to shoot dead jellyfish?

Why would you want to shoot dead jellyfish?

Richard

 

[KellysEye]

We were sailing from Lymington to Burnham-On-Crouuch where w were going to keep the boat. Off the Kent coast we were boarded by two Border Force people and and all we asked was where we had left from.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Why would you want to shoot dead jellyfish?

Richard

That's a thread for The Lounge I think. Why don't you go and start it?