For any Canadians reading this and wondering, Canadians don't check in with Canadian Customs when leaving Canada to enter the US but rather we checkin with US Customs and Immigration officials as we cross the border, regardless of whether we are crossing by air, land or sea. In the case outlined below, it would have been the US immigration officials that decided not stamp the traveller's passport upon entry to the US. Not uncommon though, esp on land crossings, for them to not stamp the passport.
Twanger said:
Calling in often works. The number we call is 877-529-6840.
Turns out this gets you someone in the customs office Puerto Rico, not Culebra.
BTW, if you're wanting to stay at Culebrita, don't wait to call from Tortuga Bay, because the high hills surrounding it cut off cell service. We call when we're about two miles east.
Last August we had some highly suspicious foreigners aboard (Canadians!) and US Customs made us come into Dewey and prepare to be boarded (at 4:15 pm, LOL). So we called their bluff and dropped a hook in Dewey. When we called them they said it wouldn't be necessary, after all, for them to come and check us out. (Probably too close to quitting time.) So we beat feet back to Culebrita, but this detour costed us 2 hours of afternoon beach time.
So it turned out that our Canadians had driven across the border to the US and then flew to the USVI. Canadian border patrol failed to mark their passports, so there was no record of them crossing the border into the US. This caused a little bit of grief...
