Suspicious-looking email. "Pleasure Craft Report Service."

[Sea Devil]

I spent an hour or so on something like Zoom with them and was really surprised how little they appeared to know about small boats from the questions they asked... they had big problems with the concept that coming across the channel I might not know in advance exactly which port I might enter in for example the Solent or even just Portsmouth Harbour or Lymington... They appeared not to want names of places or marinas, anchorages rather were keen I put in the lat long... I expressed the opinion it would be a pain to work out the lat long of a possible UK arrival place... It appeared they were trying to create a system that would allow 'border force' to be arriving at a certain exact place at a certain time in order to meet me!!!
I also got the feeling that they had already created a system based on Aircraft/ships and were trying to integrate small pleasure craft into it.. What they were suggesting was far far more complicated when before the EU I used to arrive back from France and I think either use the VHF oir possibly go ashore and find a telephone then wait for 2 hours to see if they arrived... As 2 hours was the time it took to 'put the boat to bed' it was not overly onerous. Talking to them I really wondered why they had not got a small boat person on board at the early planning stage rather than when the scheme was already almost finished. - And I thought the email was a scam at first...

 

[NorthRising]

Given that the law changes on a daily basis at the moment I consider it entirely unreasonable to expect 66M people to read the news every day in order to comply. If a deal gets signed today we'll all need to learn 2000 pages by new year so I agree - act reasonably and be polite but try not to dwell too much on their nonsense or you'll have no time for sailing.

I assume this service is designed to let you self flag for a VAT doc check on your way home? Can't see many other reasons they'd be interested...

It is acceptable, allegedly, to break the law in a specific and limited way, there is an opportunity to break the system by just ignoring protocol and doing what we want to do in a specific and limited way.

 

[Stemar]

It is acceptable, allegedly, to break the law in a specific and limited way, there is an opportunity to break the system by just ignoring protocol and doing what we want to do in a specific and limited way.

Yes, as long as it's also acceptable to pay the appropriate fine when HMRC or whoever gets fed up with people doing it. In just the same way as it's acceptable to be doing 40 in a 30 limit in a lot of places, as long as you pay up when Plod has a purge.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that the fines for non-compliance with immigration rules may be a bit more than a speeding ticket because those who don't comply will set off questions like, "Just how many illegal immigrants did you bring in?"

 

[st599]

I spent an hour or so on something like Zoom with them and was really surprised how little they appeared to know about small boats from the questions they asked... they had big problems with the concept that coming across the channel I might not know in advance exactly which port I might enter in for example the Solent or even just Portsmouth Harbour or Lymington... They appeared not to want names of places or marinas, anchorages rather were keen I put in the lat long... I expressed the opinion it would be a pain to work out the lat long of a possible UK arrival place... It appeared they were trying to create a system that would allow 'border force' to be arriving at a certain exact place at a certain time in order to meet me!!!
I also got the feeling that they had already created a system based on Aircraft/ships and were trying to integrate small pleasure craft into it.. What they were suggesting was far far more complicated when before the EU I used to arrive back from France and I think either use the VHF oir possibly go ashore and find a telephone then wait for 2 hours to see if they arrived... As 2 hours was the time it took to 'put the boat to bed' it was not overly onerous. Talking to them I really wondered why they had not got a small boat person on board at the early planning stage rather than when the scheme was already almost finished. - And I thought the email was a scam at first...

There does seem to be something of a disconnect between the demos the RYA described seeing in June and the later beta tests. The announcements in the press today that yachts will be able to use the green lane at customs suggests they have no idea how it works.

Any idea how to get put on to the beta testing list?

 

[NorthRising]

Yes, as long as it's also acceptable to pay the appropriate fine when HMRC or whoever gets fed up with people doing it. In just the same way as it's acceptable to be doing 40 in a 30 limit in a lot of places, as long as you pay up when Plod has a purge.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that the fines for non-compliance with immigration rules may be a bit more than a speeding ticket because those who don't comply will set off questions like, "Just how many illegal immigrants did you bring in?"

Sense of humour failure on your part.

 

[Sea Devil]

There does seem to be something of a disconnect between the demos the RYA described
Any idea how to get put on to the beta testing list?

They contacted me - I think because I am EU based but likely to enter UK ports regularly. They put out another general request for info but when I said I was not UK based dropped me... Seem to have binned the emails so I can't give you a link.. sorry.

 

[DJE]

Any idea how to get put on to the beta testing list?

See the email link in post #17.

 

[SaltyC]

I too have received the invite. I haven't yet registered - not sure I can as it asks for Passport numbers and mine has expired so may not accept! Renewal is on the to do list!

It was my intention to use genuine trips from old log books which include return to point of departure, arrival at a different destination (usually weather related change) late arrival eta was 2000 arrival at 0230 and to see if system copes. A departure from UK and a return 6 hours later may cause them to jump to very wrong conclusions.

It was my opinion also that the Government / Civil Service do not understand small boats and the vagaries of arrivals, as with MCA's recent Guidance notes and the ongoing Red Diesel fiasco.

They have been 'promising' e borders for 4 years it appears they have now realised they need them from Friday OOOOPPPS!!! We need to do something quick, this is something!!

 

[st599]

I skipper club and charity boats where there'll be crew changes, sometimes even skipper changes (if that's still allowed TBC).
Would be interesting to put the software through its paces.
I did laugh at yesterday's presser from HMRC - apparently the app will give you permission to use the green lane through customs when you arrive back at the boatyard.

 

[NorthRising]

I too have received the invite. I haven't yet registered - not sure I can as it asks for Passport numbers and mine has expired so may not accept! Renewal is on the to do list!

It was my intention to use genuine trips from old log books which include return to point of departure, arrival at a different destination (usually weather related change) late arrival eta was 2000 arrival at 0230 and to see if system copes. A departure from UK and a return 6 hours later may cause them to jump to very wrong conclusions.

It was my opinion also that the Government / Civil Service do not understand small boats and the vagaries of arrivals, as with MCA's recent Guidance notes and the ongoing Red Diesel fiasco.

They have been 'promising' e borders for 4 years it appears they have now realised they need them from Friday OOOOPPPS!!! We need to do something quick, this is something!!

They (the UK Government) really are complete and utter roasters.