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Subject: [worldcruising] Ships Stamps
From: A0884958, Dave (wdr@XXX.XXX)
Date: Mon Jan 22 2001 - 10:31:23 EST
Jim, I will try and answer to the best of my ability.
As to the other forms that require filling in, I am reduced to a ball
point pen and pressing extra hard to get through all the copies. In
Grenada I make sure and have two pens at hand. The Reverend George who
mans the Immigration desk in Prickly charges to loan you a pen. The
Reverend is famous to those who visit Grenada.
Interesting commentary on Latin countries. I think one of the most
advanced I have visited recently is Spain. All the customs clearances,
in and out, are done simply and efficiently in the local Club Nautico
(yacht club). It was a breeze. I suspect your reference is more towards
Latin America. The sad part seems to be a direct correlation between the
inability of the country to afford the bureaucracy and the shear burden
of the battle of the forms. I have visited countries who can't afford the
carbon paper but still want the forms in quadruplicate. Maybe it is just
their way of contributing to full employment.
A friend of mine who is a Brit says the worst are the former colonial
countries of Britain, Spain and France. Their instructions or manuals
were written a hundred years ago and they haven't updated them since. The
officials scrupulously follow the 100 year old tomes.
We are registered in the BVI (British Virgin Islands). We did this only
after hiring a lawyer in the US at considerable expense to give us a legal
opinion. Bottom line, there is no downside other than the 1 year cruising
permit, renewable adinfinitum, at a cost of $10 which you must get from
the USCG. On initial entry into the US it is also not the simple sticker
a US registered vessel must have but then again no worse than any other
country and better than many. We selected the BVI due to:
1. a lower cost than most British havens such as Guernsey or Jersey.
2. an excellent reputation for maintaining high standards of audit (several
of the channel islands and Caribbean Islands are under investigation for
money laundering and tax avoidance). There are in fact a couple which you
might want to avoid as the US IRS sees these as a tax dodge. Grand Caymans
comes to mind.
3. you don't need to hold the annual meeting on the island
4. no taxes as an offshore corporation
5. British standard law and Lloyds are recognized
6. no death tax or inheritance tax
7. no requirement to be a British Citizen
Please don't take this the wrong way (if you are a US Citizen as you must be
to
have a US limited corporation) but you will also be sailing under the
British Red Duster and not the US Stars and Stripes. In many countries of
the world sadly that is a positive. Although my wife who is a US Citizen
doesn't feel great about it.
The downside is the boat can only be in the BVI 29 days, 23 hours, 59
minutes per
calendar year.
Captain Bob Sahla is the Road Harbour register of ships. Officer Guy Malone
runs
the Department of Communications and handles all the coms permits.
I also have VHF, SSB, Inmarsat etc. operators permits, station licenses and
so
on from the BVI. One stop shopping. You might also want to become a member
of the
Royal BVI Yacht Club. It has reciprocal privileges with most of the other
yacht
clubs world wide including many of the other "Royals".
It cost us about $1600 US to register and a further $300 per year
maintenance. It
is a big bill but still half of what the channel islands would have been.
We have already saved that much by buying in the US and other islands tax
and duty
free as the goods were going to a foreign country.
A women named Jan Painter who owns ASAP Yacht Documentation did the whole
thing
for us. She can be reached at 137 SE 2nd Avenue, Dania Beach, Florida
33004
United States of America. Her phone number is (954) 926-2387 and fax is
(954) 920-2145
Jan and my lawyer recommended the BVI but she handles anything you specify.
I can't comment on the likelihood or not of being boarded by the USCG. It
is however,
likely you will be boarded by the tax police in Martinique. They are
diligently trying
to track down VAT evaders. When France became a member of the EU and tore
down their
border crossing stations it put tens of thousands of tax police out of work.
Rather
than lay them off France seems to have sent them all to Martinique.
If I can provide any further information let me know.
Regards
Dave Richardson
wdr@XXX.XXX
-----Original Message-----
From: MorningStar@XXX.XXX
[mailto:MorningStar@XXX.XXX]
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 3:04 PM
To: worldcruising@XXX.XXX
Subject: [worldcruising] re: Ships Stamps
Dear David,
I just read your reply to Lex on the list. I would be interested in
obtaining a copy of your computerized information required on a crew
list if you would be so kind as to send me one. Do you have a typewriter
that you use for the other required forms, or do you hand write them?
All Latin countries love stamps, seals, flowerly signatures and the
like. The more the better. Yet I'm sure they know gringos don't normally
use such trappings. For example, in Mexico it is the Notary that has the
power, or the ability to make a document "official." Lawyers hold a
second place. They can write what they want but unless it gets stamped
it's not official. I think it goes back to the power of the King or
Queen days. Without the power and blessings of the rulers it mattered
not what the desires of the masses are/were.
I currently have my vessel held as a US Corporation. However, one of the
first things I want to do is to form an offshore Corp to put our ship
into. May I ask what country you have yours registered in, or what
countries you'd suggest as to safety, ease and fairness of the
government? Also what are the costs associated with the formation of an
offshore Corp for this purpose?
Another reason for non US Corporation. I just sailed down to Fl from VA
offshore with a retired attorney. He's put on over 100,000 sea miles
under his boat's keel. He said that he has been boarded 17 times by the
Coast Guard "under force". Twice he and his teenage crew were made to
lay face down on the deck by young M-16 wielding Coasties. This is a
mild mannered intelligent person. Minding his own business at sea. In my
opinion this is not a good use of "my" tax money despite any cries to
the contrary. Where is probable cause? There isn't any.
I'm told that while the Coast Guard can board a foreign vessel, they do
so less often and I'm told they need more "just cause" to do so, not
just the "we're doing a safety inspection routine" in some other
county's waters.
In any case any assistance or suggestions on the above will be
appreciated.
Jim
SV-MorningStar
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