Sailing with pets

S

SeamanStaines

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 Sep 2009
Messages
454
Location
Somewhere in the Mediteranean
Visit site
Just collected the December copy of Yachting Monthly which has a letter in it regarding the UK regulations about taking out and bringing pets into the UK. In it they state 'you must use an approved route and a listed carrier company in both directions'.

As far as I know the 'approved route and carrier' regulations only apply when bringing a pet into the UK (and the other countries listed in the variation to the EU regulation namely Ireland, Malta and Sweden).

I downloaded and read again the regulations but unless I have missed something, providing the pet meets all the other passport requrements you can take them out of the UK on your own yacht to an EU country or any other in the Pet Passport scheme.

This nonsense with bringing them into the UK was supposed to have finished in June 2008, DEFRA managed to extend it initially to June 2010 and finally have managed to push it again until December 2011. Hopefully that will be an end to it and we will just be able to bring him back on the yacht with his passport.

The cost of bringing our Jack Russell back is just stupid. I have to take the yacht to Roscoff and get my daughter to drive over on the ferry from Plymouth to fetch him as they will not even although a dog with a foot passenger (maybe I can teach him to drive?) :)
 
I learnt the hard way on this. I knew that our Jack had to come back on an approved route so I assumed a ferry would be OK. We crossed Biscay and went into Brest and I started to arrange transport back.

My intention was to send Samantha back on the ferry with the 'muppet' and quickly learnt that you had to be in a car on the Roscoff ferry. Condor from St Malo where somewhat 'vague' about foot passengers with pets so I phoned them up and their sales line said it was OK. I then booked on-line and the web system let me book the dog on, even charging for him and printing out the ticket with him on it.

Samantha turned up at St Malo with the dog in his airline crate having travelled by train from Brest (he had a real ticket for the train as well) with about fifty euro in her pocket and no working bank card. Went to catch the ferry and was turned away, despite the documentation and told they could not board.

No help or assistance was offered or given and the staff, when she pointed out she had nowhere to stay said 'sleep on the beach then!'. By this time I was halfway across the Channel heading for Plymouth.

Many frantic calls later between her, me and Condor they finally admitted liability and arranged to rent a car for her and the dog to go over in. She was stuck there for three days as by the time the next ferry was in the tick treatment had 'expired' so it had to be done again.

Thank goodness for WesternUnion that enabled me to transfer some cash to her. Cost a fortune in the end after all of the extra hotel costs, although she was very gratefull for the hotel that let her check in without payment until the cash was transfered to her.

I still dont understand what the issue is with a dog and a foot passenger.

I cant believe that DEFRA are still delaying harmonising the regulations with the rest of Europe.
 
SeamanStaines said:
This nonsense with bringing them into the UK was supposed to have finished in June 2008, DEFRA managed to extend it initially to June 2010 and finally have managed to push it again until December 2011. Hopefully that will be an end to it and we will just be able to bring him back on the yacht with his passport.

The cost of bringing our Jack Russell back is just stupid. I have to take the yacht to Roscoff and get my daughter to drive over on the ferry from Plymouth to fetch him as they will not even although a dog with a foot passenger (maybe I can teach him to drive?) :)
Click to expand...

That's exactly what we did a few weeks back to get our 2 JRs back to Plymouth. Absolutely crazy but that's the system. Make sure the passport is completely up together otherwise you might not be catching the ferry........................
 
..

guys you should had done what many others do , just sailing back home . the law was made to be broken and many do just like when they bring in there new law re e borders . un till they bring in laws that are workable people will just brake then
 
sailaboutvic said:
guys you should had done what many others do , just sailing back home . the law was made to be broken and many do just like when they bring in there new law re e borders . un till they bring in laws that are workable people will just brake then
Click to expand...

Many do just that. Sod DEFRA. Bunch of do gooder pen pushing twats.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

W
Downsizing to your boat.
2
Replies
28
Views
730
Wansworth
W

Share this page

Top