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Clearing Customs in St John #52275
04/28/2015 09:56 PM
04/28/2015 09:56 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 86
Central Mass
Shauneen Offline OP
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Shauneen  Offline OP
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 86
Central Mass
7 days to Wheels up! Two of our crew will be leaving early. Our plan is to drop them off in Cruz Bay (to minimize the ferry drama) without clearing in the full boat and crew. The boat and crew will return to BVI waters without disembarking.
Will this present any issues to them clearing in? We have only done it clearing in the boat and crew. Will they need any info regarding the boat to clear customs?

As always thanks for your help!
Shauneen

BVI Sponsors
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: Shauneen] #52276
04/28/2015 10:22 PM
04/28/2015 10:22 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
GeorgeC1 Offline
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GeorgeC1  Offline
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Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
You will have to clear out of the BVI and into the USVI then back into the BVI. I would just put them on the ferry at West End. Much easier and usually not a big hassle.
G

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: GeorgeC1] #52277
04/29/2015 07:02 AM
04/29/2015 07:02 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
maytrix Offline
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maytrix  Offline
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Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
As George said, you can't do what you want to do. It presents a problem for all of you. If you were already willing to make the trip over, clear out of BVI, clear in at St John and enjoy some time there.


Matt
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: maytrix] #52278
04/29/2015 08:22 AM
04/29/2015 08:22 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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Posts: 381
General question, but do you have to checkout of the USVI too? For a short (2-3 days), I understand you can checkout and checkin from the BVI at the same time, sail to Cruz, and then checkin on the US side. Once you're ready to go back to the BVI side, do you have to checkout from the US side? I think the answer is no. Can anyone confirm?

Here's what I'd like to do. I am doing the loop CCW. I'd like to checkout/checkin at Jost, sail to Cruz, checkin, spend a night at Maho, sail to Coral, spend the night at Coral Bay, then go straight to Norman from there. If I had to go all the way back to Cruz to checkout, I'd just skip Coral because of the hastle.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52279
04/29/2015 08:46 AM
04/29/2015 08:46 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
sail2wind Offline
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sail2wind  Offline
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GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
no, you do not need to clear out of USVI, my only suggestion is skip Coral Bay and stay in Salt Pond or Lamshure, much nicer and you can swim and snorkel.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: sail2wind] #52280
04/29/2015 09:14 AM
04/29/2015 09:14 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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Posts: 381
I will look those up. One of the people on the trip is very artsy. That is what put Coral on the radar. We'll already be spending a fair amount of time at Trellis, so that may be enough for her. Is Coral a pretty interesting place to visit? My friend that sails hasn't been on the US side since 911 changed how you go between the two sides and so doesn't have any current info. He described it from back in the mid 80's as a place where people went when they found Key West too restrictive. It doesn't seem like it's that way anymore, but wasn't sure about the whole experience. We will have kids on the trips.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: sail2wind] #52281
04/29/2015 09:17 AM
04/29/2015 09:17 AM
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 164
SouthEastern Pennsylvania
W
WayneC Offline
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WayneC  Offline
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Posts: 164
SouthEastern Pennsylvania
We did it last year went from Sopers Hole to St. John for an overnight stay. We had to check out of BVI and into USVI than check in again to BVI but didn't have to check out of USVI. If I remember correctly there was a small fee to get into BVI again but I can't remember that for sure.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: WayneC] #52282
04/29/2015 09:31 AM
04/29/2015 09:31 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
maytrix Offline
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maytrix  Offline
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Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
I'm not sure you can check out and back in at the same time. When visiting the BVI from the USVI for a short visit, you can check in and out at the same time, but I've never heard of out/in altogether.

I'd agree Coral Bay is not a great spot to snorkel/swim. It is an ok overnight though - we stayed last November - did dinner at Skinny Legs and watch some of the Patriots game. It is a decent spot to walk around - a prior trip we made a day stop there and walked from the dinghy dock all the way around to the other side of the bay.


Matt
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: maytrix] #52283
04/29/2015 09:35 AM
04/29/2015 09:35 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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Posts: 381
I had previously (maybe a month ago) asked about fees etc, and was told you could checkout and in the BVI all at the same time. I believe I independently verified that as well, but the trip details are all running together. I'll check on that again.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52284
04/29/2015 10:00 AM
04/29/2015 10:00 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
maytrix Offline
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maytrix  Offline
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Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
That would be interesting to know as I've never heard of that as an option. Certainly the other way is possible and we did that once on a day trip from ST. John.


Matt
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: maytrix] #52285
04/29/2015 10:22 AM
04/29/2015 10:22 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,951
St. John, USVI
RickG Offline
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RickG  Offline
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St. John, USVI
For artsy fun, check out Sloop Jones in Hansen Bay on the northeast side of Coral Bay. You can dinghy to the beach below Sloop's studio. He does workshops too if you want to paint up some art to wear.

http://www.sloopjones.com/

Hansen Bay has great swimming and snorkeling. We anchor off of the Hansen Bay Campground. Angels Rest floating bar usually stops there during the day and heads back to Coral Bay around sunset.

http://stjohn-beachguide.com/pelican-rock-east-end/

We stopped here in March, provisioned at the grocery in Coral Bay and then met cruising friends from s/v Mowzer and St. John friends. The St. John folks parked at the campground and I picked them up in the dinghy.

Cheers, RickG


S/V Echoes, 2003 Beneteau 423
Grenada
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52286
04/29/2015 11:06 AM
04/29/2015 11:06 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
GeorgeC1 Offline
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GeorgeC1  Offline
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Quote
dayhiker said:
I had previously (maybe a month ago) asked about fees etc, and was told you could checkout and in the BVI all at the same time. I believe I independently verified that as well, but the trip details are all running together. I'll check on that again.

I would love the option to check in and out of the BVI at the same time. If something has changed let us know. In the past all I got was very ugly stares from the customs guys when asking to do that.
G

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: maytrix] #52287
04/29/2015 11:26 AM
04/29/2015 11:26 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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Posts: 381
Now I'm not seeing where I got the info about checkout and in at the same time. I'll do some searches and report back.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52288
04/29/2015 11:55 AM
04/29/2015 11:55 AM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
GlennA Offline
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GlennA  Offline
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Macon, Georgia
In most cases, You can check IN and Out for a short stay but you can't check OUT and back IN for a short departure.


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: GlennA] #52289
04/29/2015 12:18 PM
04/29/2015 12:18 PM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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THanks. If that's the case, that rules out Coral, because I'm not going to want to go all the way back to Soper's.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52290
04/29/2015 12:30 PM
04/29/2015 12:30 PM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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I think I previously misread this link. It says the same thing Glenn does, you can check in and out at the same time, but not out and in. http://bvibound.com/sailing-from-the-usvi-to-the-bvi/

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52291
04/29/2015 04:39 PM
04/29/2015 04:39 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 162
Nova Scotia, Can
Prospector Offline
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Prospector  Offline
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Nova Scotia, Can
Glenn is right. We just did this at the end of March. We checked out at BVI customs in Great Harbour, JVD, for a $1 charge. Cleared in and out at Cruz Bay, St. John, free of charge and then a few days later cleared back in to the BVI at Soper's Hole, for a $10 charge. You cannot check out and in of the BVI's at the same time.


Kim
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52292
04/29/2015 04:40 PM
04/29/2015 04:40 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
Twanger Offline
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Twanger  Offline
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Maryland
Yes, you can check in and out, in that order, in the BVI.
As long as you pay for the days you will be there, all is good.
They probably don't mind if you leave early, but I would not stay for unpaid days.

We generally check in and out of the BVI for about a week, and for a group of 8 on a 40-foot cat this costs around $400.

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: Prospector] #52293
04/29/2015 04:48 PM
04/29/2015 04:48 PM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 381
dayhiker Offline
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dayhiker  Offline
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Quote
Prospector said:
Glenn is right. We just did this at the end of March. We checked out at BVI customs in Great Harbour, JVD, for a $1 charge. Cleared in and out at Cruz Bay, St. John, free of charge and then a few days later cleared back in to the BVI at Soper's Hole, for a $10 charge. You cannot check out and in of the BVI's at the same time.


Those prices are per person and not for the boat, correct?

tHOSE

Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: dayhiker] #52294
04/29/2015 09:40 PM
04/29/2015 09:40 PM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
GlennA Offline
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GlennA  Offline
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Macon, Georgia
That should be for the boat but after 20 years I still don't have a clue how they figure the fees. Besides the C&I personel being confused about the basic rules from time to time either the Ports Authority or Immegrations throw in things like the recent enforcement of the "harbor fee" then suspend it without telling the people who collect it.


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
Re: Clearing Customs in St John [Re: GlennA] #52295
04/29/2015 10:15 PM
04/29/2015 10:15 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
GeorgeC1 Offline
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GeorgeC1  Offline
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GA/NC
I have never paid the same amount twice. The fees have always been reasonable however with the exception of the time I brought a Sunsail boat up from St Martin for Sunsail. It was a French flagged boat and they charged us almost 500.00 dollars to clear in.
G


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