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Thread: Around the World from West coast?

  1. #361
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    So I had to transfer paperwork to me when I bought Double Espresso. No biggie, CA registered title transfer, a bunch of forms (signed by both parties) and voila: my boat, my MMSI, my EPIRB, my VHF, etc.

    The problem I have with CaB (Changabang) is that (from what I gathered here and there):

    1. I'm not a US citizen (Can't USCG document CaB);
    2. CA will require the boat to be CA registered after 3 months;
    3. France will not allow you to transfer an MMSI obtained from the French government to a non-French flagged boat;
    4. Hardware manufacturer sometimes only allow you to set the MMSI once yourself (after it's dealer intervention);
    5. The same applies to the EPIRB identification (I think that the first 3 digits represent the country, which is where the response center will go for details about the boat).

    I think my plan will be:

    0. Radiate Cab from France;
    1. Register CaB with CA DMV;
    2. Confirm where to update hardware;
    3. Get new MMSI and identifiers where required.

    I think the above will allow me to use the existing AIS transponder. I'm not sure about the other satellite-based emergency devices.

    I do have a "Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit" from the FCC. I do not think I require more for the type of VHF I will have aboard CaB.

    I think the above will still allow emergency services to operate as they should.

    As usual, I'm a newbie, trying to make a plan. Feel free to course correct :-)

    Thinking of it ... There may be another plan ... right before leaving I switch the flag back to France ... and voila all is good :-)

    P.S.: the radar was replaced for the Route du Rhum but I guess not updated with French authorities (good catch :-)

  2. #362
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay Area
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    380

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    PJ, I would guess you have already considered registering/documenting the boat and getting the radio station license in the country of your citizenship (Belgium?). It’s something to seriously consider.

    One of your future challenges is that the State of California is going to want to collect taxes: “Use Tax” @ ~9.5% of the purchase price. And if the boat is still in California on January 1st, 2021 you will be hit up for Property Taxes. When you get the boat to San Diego you might want to just go to Ensenada, Mexico to do your preparations.

    Otherwise, your plan to do CA DMV registration and FCC Ship Station License could work (for new MMSI). You got my curiosity enough to look at the FCC website and I did not see anything about citizenship related to a Ship Station License, but I certainly could have missed that.

    To be clear, the “Ship Station” needs to be licensed (in your case) AND the operator needs to have the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit that you already have.
    Last edited by Dazzler; 01-14-2020 at 11:12 PM.
    Tom P.

  3. #363
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    San Francisco Bay Area
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    2,095

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    Philippe, this may have been mentioned earlier in the thread, but the Sugar Dock in Richmond might be a good place to berth Changabang, if you're going to have her in California. Bob and I sailed up there on Saturday and there's 40 feet of water all the way up the channel...or as far as we went anyway, which was about 200 yards from the dock. It's a bit tight in there, you'll be motoring in and out.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  4. #364
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    Jul 2016
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    Bodfish, CA
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    It seems there is no lack of suggestions and I will add another. Between purchase and importing considerations, California sales tax and personal property tax, registrations for safety notifications, ownership and protection of the boat value, and future plans (keep or sell), a discussion with a maritime attorney may be useful. There are implications that extend past CA or US jurisdictions.

    The only maritime attorney I know was also the first female solo sailor from CA to Japan and quite active with the SSS in the 80's and 90's. I am not sure if she is actively practicing, but if you have an interest, I can check with her.

    Ants

  5. #365
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzler View Post
    PJ, I would guess you have already considered registering/documenting the boat and getting the radio station license in the country of your citizenship (Belgium?). It’s something to seriously consider.
    I think the starting point for all options is that I cannot USCG document CaB and that CA requires that I register the boat within 120 days. It also dawned on me that CaB weighs less than 5 net tons, which is the other pre-req for USCG documentation :-)

    Next is that I don't think I can wear two flags (i.e. French and CA DMV).

    I just tried to register the EPIRB on NOAA and:

    Beacon ID Error:Only USA-coded beacons may be registered with NOAA. Please check the first 3 characters of your beacon ID. If the ID you entered is the correct ID for the beacon, please stop the registration process and contact the NOAA Beacon Registration Database team via phone or email (see “Contact Us” at the bottom of this page).

    And the French say: must be French-flagged ... Stuck I am ... I've reached out to Larry Payne who had written an article about EPIRBs in Latitude 38: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic...have-an-epirb/

  6. #366
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    May 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntsUiga View Post
    The only maritime attorney I know was also the first female solo sailor from CA to Japan and quite active with the SSS in the 80's and 90's. I am not sure if she is actively practicing, but if you have an interest, I can check with her.

    Ants
    Thanks! Wouldn't hurt :-) If she's open to chat please let me know.

  7. #367
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alameda CA
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    494

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    Quote Originally Posted by jamottep View Post
    I think the starting point for all options is that I cannot USCG document CaB and that CA requires that I register the boat within 120 days. It also dawned on me that CaB weighs less than 5 net tons, which is the other pre-req for USCG documentation :-)

    [/url]
    The Net Tonnage the CG is looking for is not a weight, but a volume calculation... generally speaking most vessels over 25-30' measure over 5 net tons so far as the USCG is concerned.
    DH

  8. #368
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    Documentation is not an option for non-citizens. The below was written by a maritime lawyer in Marlin Magazine in 2017. I do not vouch for its accuracy. I've seen more than a few vessels in this situation "fly under the radar." Some get busted, some don't. I'm not advocating doing anything illegal.

    Permit to Proceed
    One misconception is that *noncitizens can get around the strict rules of Coast Guard documentation by simply state titling and registering their boats. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. To avoid confusion, a noncitizen’s vessel can be titled/*registered in most states, but the vessel will not have freedom of movement. United States Customs treats vessels based on their nationality. A state *registered/titled vessel does not have a “flag” or nationality, so if a vessel is not foreign flagged or documented with the Coast Guard (U.S. flagged), then it assumes the nationality of its beneficial owner. Hence, a noncitizen’s boat, if titled and registered in Florida, is considered to be a foreign vessel, and is thus treated as such. In this case, a vessel must obtain something called a “Permit to Proceed” from U.S. Customs in order to move from port to port. Failure to follow these regulations can result in fines or even seizure of the vessel itself. As such, foreign citizens typically choose to register their boats in other jurisdictions to avoid customs formalities by obtaining a U.S. cruising license.

    The details are fairly basic, but this provides some insight into the complexities of vessel ownership by foreign citizens in the U.S. Every noncitizen should become familiar with the regulations prior to taking ownership of a vessel, and more often than not, the best option for a foreign citizen is to register their vessel outside the United States.
    Last edited by sleddog; 01-15-2020 at 01:23 PM.

  9. #369
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    907

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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveH View Post
    The Net Tonnage the CG is looking for is not a weight, but a volume calculation... generally speaking most vessels over 25-30' measure over 5 net tons so far as the USCG is concerned.
    DH
    Thanks for clarifying. Thanks Skip for sharing that info as well.

  10. #370
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

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    Based on this (and others):

    http://www.allyachtregistries.com/Cruising-permits.aspx

    So ... when I bought Double Espresso ... the boat automatically became Belgian flagged: a Belgian boat won the SHTP.

    And I should have filed Form 1300 when I bought her, told the San Francisco port jurisdiction that I was leaving, and declared myself when I re-entered in Hawaii waters.
    Or something like that ... Under the radar then.

    I suspect other SHTP finishers fall under the same category :-)

    At least one lawyer wants to charge me $3000 minimum ... More research is due ... This is what I understand so far:

    1. Being a CA resident I must register the boat in CA within 120 days of the donation;
    2. I'm being told that the above requires that I first remove the French flag;
    3. Being that I cannot document the boat with USCG (I'm not a US citizen), the boat would automatically get my citizenship, i.e. Belgian, even though the boat is NOT documented with Belgium (i.e. is it undocumented then?);
    4. To move from port to port in the US I need a cruising license or similar, which I would need to renew yearly.

    For now I'm going to try to transfer the French MMSI to me, as the mandated skipper of the boat. When the boat is imported in San Diego I suspect a cruising permit will be obtained but I shall confirm. That may give me a year to figure things out.

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