Sailing to the Indians

I was wondering if it is possible/allowed to stop off at the Indians while we are sailing down the east side of St John for a quick stop and snorkel? Would we have to clear customs?

Unfortunately yes you need to clear customs.

It seems so simple and harmless but nevertheless it’s part of the BVI

BVI enforcement vessels often hang in the Bight and watch for Exactly your trip to the Indians - they are closed currently and I suspect more vigilant than ever with the Huge Cocaine, 2.4 Tons, seizure last week.

Ok...good to know!! Thank you

Not sure if you saw the reports of vessels being impounded and a $20,000 fine on the BVI board but that should solidify the decision not to cross into BVI waters. While the details of that event are not totally clear, there is currently a question about innocent passage across the border while transiting the east side of St. John.

While it is technically allowed by maritime law and I would normally tack across the boundary under sail without concern, I'm questioning whether that's even worth the risk for my upcoming December trip. No way I would risk a visit to the Indians. I'm just not sure I trust the BVI CBP right now in the current state of the pandemic.

We were warned on our charter last week to not cross over the line. We were actually told not to sail after Maho and to motor so we would not accidently crossover.

Here is our track from Nov. 8th. It can be done. Of course the assumption is that the little black line on the chart plotter is correctly drawn. We did turn early the first few tacks to make sure the patrol boat saw our intentions. Btw, new helmsman and she liked going fast vs. making head way.
Happy Thanksgiving!

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