advice about papers for my yacht

[Tranona]

What I object to about the RYA is that they have a vested interest in seeing legislation introduce to make "qualifications" mandatory because they get a hell of a lot of revenue from all those sailing qualifications & courses they run?
It is similar it seems to me to those marine conservation zones where many "conservationists" benefit financially (not mentioning any names) or their careers flourish as a result.
The rest of us just get screwed.I really hope that I am not being unreasonable here.It just seems to me that bureaucracy is taking over & before long we will require a permit to scratch our arse.

Yes you are being unreasonable as you are accusing an organisation you clearly know nothing about of doing exactly the opposite of what it actually does.

In this country you need NOTHING official to go boating. All the requirements you are complaining about are required of you by other countries if you want to boat in their territorial waters. All the RYA and MCA are doing is providing you with the means of meeting those requirements should you need to.

[toad_oftoadhall]

I don't know why some others state that the RYA cannot find the law

I have now received a detailed response that the RYA got by employing a French Lawyer <snip> British vessel navigating outside UK territorial waters need not be registered but it must be in a position to produce proof of its nationality.[1]

Classic!



[1]http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265219

[Sybarite]

It does seem to me that a passport & half decent bill of sale would prove Nationality much more accurately but who am I to argue
Bureaucracy gone mad.

You could say the same thing for a car. Would you take your car abroad without papers?

[toad_oftoadhall]

What's this about flying the Nationality flag? I have no intention of flying any flags on the basis that I don't do so in this Country & would rather not go to all the trouble & expense of buying one plus a flag pole just for the sake of a few miles to exit Belgium waters.

I spent all my university years racing back and forth across the Channel. We never once flew a British ensign and had no problems whatsoever. I'd be amazed if it was required, and even more amazed if it was enforced.

A friend there has told me that he has never been stopped for any of those things & clearly dos'nt see it as a problem. I appreciate your link & attempt to help me but I do wonder how much of this is our contempt for all things EEC & a sort of all pervasive brain washing. I met nothing but friendliness on my visit over there & was very impressed by their friendliness & quality of life.

Ditto. I have a huge range of sailing friends and Family not one of whom has had the slightest problem in Europe. (Nor do I know anyone who remembers the year it became compulsory to carry an original SSR - imagine that - one season in the early 80's there was suddenly a £25 tax on sailing to France and NO OUTCRY? NO PUBLICITY? Seems implausible to me.)

IMHO all these scare stories are just Daily Mail types trying to convince others of their own predjudice against "foreigners". (Look at the language they use: the marine bobbies to nip across a bag a few hapless visitors before breakfast)

Also bear in mind there hasn't been a single verifiable example of a British Boat being prosecuted.

[toad_oftoadhall]

Look at the RYA website and it states its Art 410 and the range of possible fine

Now that is new information.

If this can be confirmed, we should take another look at what Art 410 requires in case there's something we're missing. [1]

[1] As we all know Art 410 says: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affich...Texte=20110209 I doubt any Uk vessel would have problem complying with this. Indeed I can't see how a UK boat could fail to comply with it! Short of invading France and taking over their legal system!

[toad_oftoadhall]

Why have they made an exception for the Italians & not us?

Occams razor would indicate that France have made no exception because the law simply doesn't require people to carry original reg docs.

The alternative is that France changed it's legislation for the boats of one nation, but not any of the other nations who don't provide registration for small boats. Which would be odd since NOBODY can find the legislation. (Art 410 mentions no exception. )

[toad_oftoadhall]

It is not just the French. You will find that all countries require documentation from visitors.

Passports maybe. But depending where you start from there are countries you don't need a passport to visit.

It is NOT the case that every country requires a Reg doc.

[toad_oftoadhall]

You could say the same thing for a car. Would you take your car abroad without papers?

If you're not going to take it on the Road you can. You can take a Bicycle.

Is a boat more like an off road car or a bicycle, or is it more like a road going car?

I know what I think.

Anyway, why do you need to use that example? You claim to know what the rules say. Wouldn't simply posting the rules solve this argument faster than an obvious Fallacy of Faulty Comparison?

[toad_oftoadhall]

PS What I would do. If you have to pass by a French port I would take the initiative to contact the Douane and say that you have just been informed that it is necessary to have an SSR which you hadn't realized because it is not a requirement in the UK. I think in this case they would be cooperative.

Credit where credit's due. This is a great idea, and like you I'm pretty sure they'd be in no way obstructive.

[Tranona]

Passports maybe. But depending where you start from there are countries you don't need a passport to visit.

It is NOT the case that every country requires a Reg doc.

You really should try travelling around the Med in a boat rather than pontificating here.

Do you really think their is some kind of conspiracy that leads all the sources on advice to boaters that say you need documents when you do not. Do you think all the people who are required on a daily basis to present documents are doing something that is unnecessary - or they are liars?

Why is it only you that has this amazing insight - or are you just so blind to what goes on that you cannot see?

Your barrage of rubbish becomes more and more bizarre by the day.