Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Guest wrote: September 20, 2023, 12:29 pm I remember the Captain always having a bottle out for the Customs visit usually Crown Royal!

If only they were still that cool...

I remember the Captain always having a bottle out for the Customs visit usually Crown Royal!

And they usually set up their shop in the dining area so they got a free meal....And if you want to have a good time try being a U.S. citizen on a Canadian boat....they loved that one.

I've sailed into Canada over a 100 times and think that I've seen their customs agents maybe twice. On the other hand, every stinking time we come back to the US customs is waiting to board the ship. All the crew members have to present themselves to the agents with their passport if it is the first time leaving the country for the year. A real pain if you are off watch and sleeping. If that weren't bad enough there is a service charge of over a 1000 dollars US every time they come aboard. Don't even get me started on the paperwork.

Each time a Canadian boat entered a US port they had to submit a crew declaration for Customs and an updated crew list which had to be in alphabetical order.

i wouldnt call it customs in spection more than immigation inspection. and yes crew members can swing over board to handel the mooring lies similar to the soo locks.

Do lake freighters undergo a custom inspection when arriving in a foreign port to load or unload? For example, do US and Canadian flagged lakers undergo a full customs inspection when they load or unload on opposite sides of the border? Is each member of the crew examined or only those that would actually be leaving the vessel to handle lines, etc.? How is this handled in locations like the various stone yards along the St. Clair River?