So much for Border Farce

[xyachtdave]

Someone please In lightning me what the problem is .

There's a debate about poncing about with paperwork to visit the EU rather than just coming and going as you please which was our preferred option. A French bloke appears to have not bothered with these formalities in Bradwell.

Daydream Believer appears to be on the authorities $hit list for reasons not yet understood, although he has blamed the crew for starting the trouble with the gun.

 

[TwoFish]

Someone please In lightning me what the problem is .

And some of us believe that a proper way to greet a visiting sailor might be to invite him aboard for a G&T, or maybe take him to the pub. Others are straight on the phone to report him to the authorities. Having seen the tone, I'm almost surprised that a citizen's arrest wasn't made.

 

[sailaboutvic]

There's a debate about poncing about with paperwork to visit the EU rather than just coming and going as you please which was our preferred option. A French bloke appears to have not bothered with these formalities in Bradwell.

Daydream Believer appears to be on the authorities $hit list for reasons not yet understood, although he has blamed the crew for starting the trouble with the gun.

Thanks Dave .
Shame people can't just mind their own business.
On the cruising circuit we go out of our way to help each other .

 

[sailaboutvic]

And some of us believe that a proper way to greet a visiting sailor might be to invite him aboard for a G&T, or maybe take him to the pub. Others are straight on the phone to report him to the authorities. Having seen the tone, I'm almost surprised that a citizen's arrest wasn't made.

It's all about keeping a stiff upper lip and doing the right thing . Till someone does it to them .
You know what they say , what goes around comes around .

 

[Sybarite]

During my last visit to Boulogne I had been there 20 minutes when 4 officers decended on me & spent 1 hour 5 mins searching my yacht. My bedding included. r

To search the sleeping cabins French customs require a warrant. Not many of them know or would profess to know this.

 

[Pye_End]

Is it working?

Clearly you don't think so, but I fail to see how having a far more limited number of ports of entry will solve what you see as a problem. As people on these fora comment - it is pretty irritating when trying to check in to France at the moment, and still puts many if not most people off.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Clearly you don't think so, but I fail to see how having a far more limited number of ports of entry will solve what you see as a problem. As people on these fora comment - it is pretty irritating when trying to check in to France at the moment, and still puts many if not most people off.

I had no problem 6 weeks ago , sailed into Calais, stuck up the Q flag , picked up a buoy , told Port control I was there , in the morning sailed out of Calais to the Netherlands took Qflag down .
Netherlands put up Q flag , contact custom who ask me where I was coming from , said France , told to remove Q flag and they hope I enjoy my stay .
So far very nice indeed.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

It is only a matter of time before the UK make changes to reverts back to normality that existed up to recently and therefore unite with our fellow Europeans and able to go freely sail cross the channel without the nonsense in recent years.
There is a massive exodus every summer from the UK to France/Europe, not the other way round. However, even now, the French Border Force does not seem to bother the myriad of UK yachts that cross over to France summer time before the need to come back because of the 90 day madness. Under the circumstances, we should consider ourselves lucky.

 

[Daydream believer]

It's all about keeping a stiff upper lip and doing the right thing . Till someone does it to them .
You know what they say , what goes around comes around .

Which is the reason I reported them- To complete the circle

 

[Pye_End]

I had no problem 6 weeks ago , sailed into Calais, stuck up the Q flag , picked up a buoy , told Port control I was there , in the morning sailed out of Calais to the Netherlands took Qflag down .
Netherlands put up Q flag , contact custom who ask me where I was coming from , said France , told to remove Q flag and they hope I enjoy my stay .
So far very nice indeed.

From UK?

If that is all you did, it doesn't sound as though you cleared in.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Fram UK?

If that is all you did, it doesn't sound as though you cleared in.

Oh dear , maybe best DD don't read this

 

[Birdseye]

It's up to the individual to play by the rules and complete entry/ exit formalities, this skipper obviously didn't care about that.

The UK border force / customs don't track everyone entering and leaving, in just the same way that the French don't.
Various areas in france now just require you to email a form to the relevant authorities, and not bother with passport stamps as it's too much hassle. But I doubt the marinas care if you bother or not. Probably the same in Ostende.

Oh yes the French do . As soon as you sign in a French marina you are entered into a national computer system. Whether they follow this up with a physical check is not 100% and depends on industrial relations etc. Last time I went I got checked by police, gendamerie and customs.

As for the British side, I've never bothered with any of the forms even coming from outside the EU - its one thing to get on the wrong side of a French official and another issue altogether with a british one.

But the OP is misunderstanding the realtionship anyway. We left and naively expect to be treated as friends and in a practical common sense way. The leaving process itself should show that this was unrealistic.

 

[Daydream believer]

To search the sleeping cabins French customs require a warrant. Not many of them know or would profess to know this.

The engine is in the cabin area which would make that somewhat dubious. I have had customs officials check the engine No. regularly. So often, in fact it seems to be standard practice. To do that, they have to enter the aft cabin. I normally end up giving it to them from my log, because it is almost impossible to see.

If you were correct one could argue that they could search none of the cabins because there are 2 bunks in the main saloon & 2 each in the bow & stern
The only place left would be the heads & aft lockers. (which they have searched). If I objected, I am jolly sure that they would be back with the warrant in a flash.

 

[Daydream believer]

But the OP is misunderstanding the realtionship anyway. We left and naively expect to be treated as friends and in a practical common sense way. The leaving process itself should show that this was unrealistic.

It is not somuch the hassle of entering an eu zone that I am complaining about. I fully understand the reasoning behind the new procedures. They do seem to be very inflexible, but I would expect things to improve in the next 3-4 years. If it does then there is no issue.
What I really do object to, is having to fill in intrusive forms when leaving & arriving the UK & then finding that someone from the EU does not have to follow that procedure. Or, if they are supposed to, it is clear that they have no idea & that we, on this side of the border do nothing to enforce it. Hence it seems that in general ( yes I know about a couple of headline incidents) a French flagged yacht can stick 2 fingers up at authority. What's more they can sail back into France, without any form filling in spite of having been to a third country.
Whilst I mention France, it could equally be another EU country.

 

[steve yates]

Which is the reason I reported them- To complete the circle

Did you really? What a petty, pointless and spiteful action if you did.

 

[Crispan]

If this is a wind-up, i've taken the bait...

"Why are they getting away with this"

They ??

That speaks volumes about the so-called 'british' society!

 

[sailaboutvic]

If this is a wind-up, i've taken the bait...

"Why are they getting away with this"

They ??

That speaks volumes about the so-called 'british' society!

It's no wind up .
as a long term cruiser I'm disgusted by the post , that anyone want to shop another fellow sailor for what's being talked about here .

 

[Frogmogman]

Oh yes the French do . As soon as you sign in a French marina you are entered into a national computer system. Whether they follow this up with a physical check is not 100% and depends on industrial relations etc. Last time I went I got checked by police, gendamerie and customs.

As for the British side, I've never bothered with any of the forms even coming from outside the EU - its one thing to get on the wrong side of a French official and another issue altogether with a british one.

But the OP is misunderstanding the realtionship anyway. We left and naively expect to be treated as friends and in a practical common sense way. The leaving process itself should show that this was unrealistic.

I have overheard one of the ladies in the capitainerie at St Quay calling French customs and immigration to notify departure on behalf of a visiting UK yacht. Certainly the marinas seem to be doing all they can to make visitors welcome.

From what I’ve seen, the usual French pragmatism seems to be what is happening on this side of the channel.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I had no problem 6 weeks ago , sailed into Calais, stuck up the Q flag , picked up a buoy , told Port control I was there , in the morning sailed out of Calais to the Netherlands took Qflag down .
Netherlands put up Q flag , contact custom who ask me where I was coming from , said France , told to remove Q flag and they hope I enjoy my stay .
So far very nice indeed.

I think the will have thought that you registered your presence in the EU in France, it seems that you didn't. ?

 

[Pye_End]

We have been asked to report anything suspicious. I can see why reporting a foreign vessel for not complying with the border requirements could be rational - are they doing it because they couldn't be bothered, or because they are gun running/drug smuggling/people smuggling? Suspect British boats entering France in the same manner will be under similar suspicions, and if caught will be under a rather more scrutiny than usual.

What none of us know is - now that French vessel mentioned by the OP is on the radar of Border Force, what action have they taken/will take? For all we know Border Force caught up with them somewhere, and/or have put them on a 'red flag' list.