Part 1 or Part 3 register for world cruising?

[KompetentKrew]

Thanks for your reply. Where would you suggest going for information about finding a surveyor? The boat is currently in Sardinia.

I had started writing that the most affordable way to get a part 1 survey is using the RYA's service - you send them a cheque and tell them where the boat will be lying, then they give you the surveyor's contact details.

Then I read again and realised your sunny Mediterranean location.

Perhaps my comment can be helpful after all, by informing you that there are tonnage surveyors in Gibraltar, Malta, Mallorca on the RYA's list - PDF

 

[Irish Rover]

Thanks for your reply. Where would you suggest going for information about finding a surveyor? The boat is currently in Sardinia.

There are quite a few authorised organisations such as the YDSA and a quick look at their website shows at least one approved surveyor in Italy
Home

 

[roaringgirl]

So far, SSR has been fine for:
Spain, Portugal, St Lucia, St Vincent, Antigua, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Curacao, Colombia and Panama. I don't know about Tahiti (French Polynesia) but ask me again in April.

Expecting local officials on the other side of the planet to know or care about the difference between part1 and part3 is absurd (I don't) - they just want you to fill in their forms.

 

[roaringgirl]

SSR is just a pdf that you print at home! No more laminated cards.
I find there is a stack if information that many EU marinas require and expect to be on the registration document in addition to a home port.
Beam, draft, displacement, owners contact details, engine type and power and probably more.
I resorted to printing this on a separate sheet that I have taped onto the (home laminated) SSR as I got tired of the questions.
Having said that, the typical procedure for checking into Spanish marinas is that you are asked for the ships registration, insurance and passports which are photocopied. You are then given a form that requires all this information to be hand written again (sometimes two forms, one for marina and one for some other official purpose), which is then typed into a computer system while the check-in queue grows ever longer. It has taken me over 30 minutes to get checked in, not including the wait to get to the front of the queue.

Our checkin process in Bonaire involved multiple visits to the office over consecutive days. For the final completion, they had to call the airport and get someone to drive to the port with the keys for the safe in which the stamp was kept. None of this had anything to do with the fact we only have SSR registration, and it was totally worth it, we loved our stay there.

 

[doug748]

Thanks for your reply. Do you have experience using Part 3 documentation in Paraguay or Tahiti? I have not cleared in in Paraguay but I have cleared in in Brazil and it is a long and nerve wracking process. You do not want to have any doubts about the quality of your documentation.

If you want maximum bang for your buck maybe consider another Red Ensign Group state registration:

Who we are

Guernsey in particular still offer the Blue Book which is a hardbound, fold out, registration document which will knock their eyes out. If you are UK based you also dodge your UK Insurance Premium Tax and registration is valid for 10 years rather than the more usual 5.

Part I of the Register - Guernsey Harbours


.

 

[westward]

So far, SSR has been fine for:
Spain, Portugal, St Lucia, St Vincent, Antigua, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Curacao, Colombia and Panama. I don't know about Tahiti (French Polynesia) but ask me again in April.

Expecting local officials on the other side of the planet to know or care about the difference between part1 and part3 is absurd (I don't) - they just want you to fill in their forms.

Thanks. That is very useful.

 

[westward]

So far, SSR has been fine for:
Spain, Portugal, St Lucia, St Vincent, Antigua, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Curacao, Colombia and Panama. I don't know about Tahiti (French Polynesia) but ask me again in April.

Expecting local officials on the other side of the planet to know or care about the difference between part1 and part3 is absurd (I don't) - they just want you to fill in their forms.

When I cleared in in French Polynesia in the Marquesas, I was resident in France and had a French registered boat so it was painless. New Zealand friends had a less happy time having to hand over a large amount of money as a bond which they didn't get back immediately they left French Polynesia. I have never had problems with my French registration anywhere despite it being all in French with no concessions to non-French speakers. I tend to agree that the customs, immigration, police, harbour master etc. etc. probably don't much care about your boat registration but it is nice to hear from someone who has actually been there and done it.

 

[westward]

I had started writing that the most affordable way to get a part 1 survey is using the RYA's service - you send them a cheque and tell them where the boat will be lying, then they give you the surveyor's contact details.

Then I read again and realised your sunny Mediterranean location.

Perhaps my comment can be helpful after all, by informing you that there are tonnage surveyors in Gibraltar, Malta, Mallorca on the RYA's list - PDF

Thanks. I'll look there.

 

[dansaskip]

When I cleared in in French Polynesia in the Marquesas, I was resident in France and had a French registered boat so it was painless. New Zealand friends had a less happy time having to hand over a large amount of money as a bond which they didn't get back immediately they left French Polynesia.

I think that the New Zealand friends had a problem because of the rules of all but EU members having to post bonds. When I was there with British passport and Part 1 I had no problems and didn't have to post a bond. In fact the police in the Marqueses were visibly relieved as it meant much less paperwork and fuss for them. But there again that word that we are not supposed to mentioned hadn't happened then, we were still in the EU. It will all be different now and we would have to post a bond to visit French Polynesia. Ah B****** the gift that keeps on giving! Actually I would recommend getting Part 1 - a nice limited document and I had some photocopies too. Just a tip is to take a photo of it and save it as a pdf then you can save it on your phone, tablet, laptop etc as a backup.

 

[roaringgirl]

I think that the New Zealand friends had a problem because of the rules of all but EU members having to post bonds. When I was there with British passport and Part 1 I had no problems and didn't have to post a bond. In fact the police in the Marqueses were visibly relieved as it meant much less paperwork and fuss for them. But there again that word that we are not supposed to mentioned hadn't happened then, we were still in the EU. It will all be different now and we would have to post a bond to visit French Polynesia. Ah B****** the gift that keeps on giving! Actually I would recommend getting Part 1 - a nice limited document and I had some photocopies too. Just a tip is to take a photo of it and save it as a pdf then you can save it on your phone, tablet, laptop etc as a backup.

When I cleared in in French Polynesia in the Marquesas, I was resident in France and had a French registered boat so it was painless. New Zealand friends had a less happy time having to hand over a large amount of money as a bond which they didn't get back immediately they left French Polynesia. I have never had problems with my French registration anywhere despite it being all in French with no concessions to non-French speakers. I tend to agree that the customs, immigration, police, harbour master etc. etc. probably don't much care about your boat registration but it is nice to hear from someone who has actually been there and done it.

I have been there, but it was a long time ago. The checkin at the local police station in Hiva Oa was so trivial that I can't remember anything about it. Bear in mind that it's technically possible for a boat to be registered in any country recognised by the UN. Expecting a local official on a miniscule island to be up to date with all the ins and outs of each country's rules and documents is absurd.

The anecdotes above about bonds relate to the checking in of _people_ not boats. Since brexit, a UK resident either needs to post a bond, or arrive with proof of onward travel. This does not apply if you have already obtained a long-stay visa, but I digress.

 

[westward]

I have been there, but it was a long time ago. The checkin at the local police station in Hiva Oa was so trivial that I can't remember anything about it. Bear in mind that it's technically possible for a boat to be registered in any country recognised by the UN. Expecting a local official on a miniscule island to be up to date with all the ins and outs of each country's rules and documents is absurd.

The anecdotes above about bonds relate to the checking in of _people_ not boats. Since brexit, a UK resident either needs to post a bond, or arrive with proof of onward travel. This does not apply if you have already obtained a long-stay visa, but I digress.

Huh. Thought it was a bond on the boat. Thanks for the info.

 

[geem]

There seems to be no difficulty in recognition - the difficulty is getting it in the first place if you are not resident/established, and perhaps more importantly renewing it after 5 years if you are no longer established (according to the SSR rules) in the UK. There have been many reports on forums of people unable to renew when off cruising. The SSR rules have been tightened and more rigorously enforced in recent years, hence the advice to register on Part 1 if you intend to go world cruising.

The SSR has been abused in so many ways over the years it is hardly surprising that MCA are now operating it in the way that it was originally intended.

The requirements for SSR are to be ' ordinarily resident' this can be proved with evidence of bank account in the UK, a property registered in your name and a statement from a solicitor that you are off sailing and having a good time but you normally reside in the UK.
I replaced my SSR in Boca's Del Toro, Panama a few years back. I was told by MCA that since I was abroad I would have to replace my SSR with Part 1. Took them on legally and won.
Never had any problems with using an SSR in Caribbean islands, Bahamas, USA, Panama, Colombia, Cuba or Venezuela. Friends have an SSR and they are in Guatemala. They have also visited Mexico, and Belize without issue.
I really can't see an issue with the use of SSR worldwide