N Wales to Ireland formalities - or not?

Supertramp

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I plan to cross the Irish Sea from Pwllheli to Ireland in two weeks time, and again later in the summer.

Left to my own devices I would plan to arrive and anchor rather than enter a marina but perhaps call at Greystones or Dublin during the visit.

I have checked gov.uk and RYA and the whole thing just got complicated. So I hope someone has done this recently and can make it simple again!

Questions:

1. Do I need to go to a port of entry or can I anchor/moor anywhere? Same question applies on return. Being singlehanded I might well pull in to an anchorage for 6/12/24 hrs for rest and exact itenary depends on weather and tides.

2. Do I need to complete form C1331 before departure each way? If waiting for a weather window do you just keep sending updated forms (online) or will an original one do even if the date is different?

3. Is simply notifying the coastguard on departure and arrival enough?

4. And finally do you have to fly a Q flag until cleared by customs at the Ireland and UK ends? Is this done by phone or via a port of entry?

Guidance welcome.
 
went in May, arrived in Kinsale, discovered that I didn’t have a Q flag aboard, I thought I had, no big deal, some customs guys eventually came to get some details after we had been there a day and half and they managed to find us aboard and not ashore. One of the crew had forgotten his passport but it was never asked for. That’s about it, cruised around the southwest coast for a couple of weeks and no problems, didn’t bother with any online stuff just went and returned.
I’ve probably been a naughty boy but have yet to lose any sleep over it
 
Do what you like with form 1331 etc., for departure and return, over here no one gives a s#/+. There has been free movement between Ireland and the UK for 100 years, since Ireland removed itself from that entity. It's the reason why neither country became part of Shengen.
I intend visiting the UK soon without bothering with any of that bureaucracy, to see what will happen.
Edit this afternoon :
Oops! That last glass of Ardbeg seems to have made me a little grumpy:(
I will of course comply with the UK bureacracy in as far as I can, but, in common with most boats over here, mine is not on any register, as we have nothing like the SSR, just a Register of Shipping, which is both expensive and onerous to join.
Technically registration is not required for RoI boats arriving in UK (and vice versa), it just makes things go smoother.
The link below contains some answers for the OP:
Boats and Brexit
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the link. I think that as you both said you can just do it and make contact on arrival in a harbour.

Reassured.
 
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