Visiting France

[Captn Haddock]

A lot discussion and posts are on this derogation for customs entry, but does anyone have past experience using the 'standard' ports? I'm thinking of coming into Cherbourg (ETA from around 10AM based on tides) and leaving from St Malo a few days later, after a visiting a few other places in France.

• As I'm arriving during normal working hours, I fly Q, grab a berth and then I just rock up in the capitanerie to fill in the forms and visit immigration in Cherbourg with the passports? When back on board I take the Q flag down, have a glass of red and I'm sorted.
• Or do I still have to email a form in advance which everyone is getting a bit excited about when they discuss the 'derogation marinas'?
• And in St Malo the reverse procedure, maybe with an extra glass of red for good measure ....

Or have I got this totally wrong?

 

[Mudisox]

Cherbourg has "visits " from the police to check in and out at 0900 and 1800 FST. They are pretty "loose" about the formality. But do email previously to arriving. St Malo similar.

 

[Captn Haddock]

Thanks
I'll email the form ahead, can't do any harm.

 

[tetleys]

emailing ahead is most definitely recommended, we find an acknowledgement and appointment
with customs is often received within a couple of hours of sending , Carteret, Granville, Roscoff , and St Malo
dont usually bother replying so having emailed just present yourself to the office at ferry terminal at shown on
the ports websites

enjoy France

cheers Tetley’s

 

[ashtead]

When emailing keep a paper copy maybe an idea. You don’t get an acknowledgement. Does no harm to email it even if dates might change perhaps on ETA etc. Just be careful if you do manage to stamp in to work out where you will stamp out though. It seems when returning to UK the fashion of flying the Q flag is returning maybe others know more details on this process though but you can then enjoy another glass of red you have brought in from Cherbourg etc.

 

[tetleys]

When returning to the UK a call to Yachtline is also needed and a pre posted arrival form which I understood last year was going digital.

 

[Shifty]

When emailing keep a paper copy maybe an idea. You don’t get an acknowledgement. Does no harm to email it even if dates might change perhaps on ETA etc. Just be careful if you do manage to stamp in to work out where you will stamp out though. It seems when returning to UK the fashion of flying the Q flag is returning maybe others know more details on this process though but you can then enjoy another glass of red you have brought in from Cherbourg etc.

We arrived in France via Roscoff a couple of weeks ago, emailed ahead the day before, certainly got an acknowledgment and an appointed time to go to the Customs to get our passports stamped.

 

[tetleys]

Hi Shifty was that you in convey with another Atlantic in Loctudy ? I was next to you in blue Targa 50

cheers
Tetleys

 

[Shifty]

Ha, yes it was, moved on to Vannes now, are you in Port Louis?

 

[Captn Haddock]

When returning to the UK a call to Yachtline is also needed and a pre posted arrival form which I understood last year was going digital.

Yes, the UK part is now digital

Tell Border Force and HMRC you are sailing to or from the UK in a pleasure craft

You set up the boat and your crew with the usual API information (just as when flying) as part of your account set up. That info is saved and then you just create your passage plan, picking your ports and crew from the drop down lists and save it as a draft. You can change any time until you submit. I think submit is supposed to be 2-24 hrs before departure. I've got an outward journey in draft mode. When you come back, you submit another passage plan and ring them when you get into British waters, ie when you get a phone signal. It does say 'ring, unless you have already received clearance to enter the UK', so maybe you could get clearance by email as well?

Whether you hoist Q before you ring them (as it says you should) I would leave to your level conscience. Hoisting a Q flag miles away from shore to then take it down again, once you've done the call, reminds me strongly of the 'motoring cone' ....

The website was simple & straightforward; easier than easyjet website that's for sure! It looks like, that you can still access old passage plans; maybe you can even go back and modify an old one?

 

[tetleys]

Ha, yes it was, moved on to Vannes now, are you in Port Louis?

After Port Louis we went to Port Haliguen and now up the river at La Roche Bernard until Tuesday .
my good lady flies home Monday and a couple of pals join me for a 10 day trip back to Jersey

cheers
Tetleys