New Zealand Immigration Officer Making Wild Claims

[bobconnie]

Ahh heck, Yall should come to Louisiana when yall come to the US. They have a temp fishing Lic that just costs 5 dollars US, Just for you folks from far away !! And we have a bunch of Hurrycane holes ya can use for free LOL !! Come on down and we will take ya fishing ! In the best fishing in the USA

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by shanedennis

Don't get me wrong, I love the USA and I understand how it works and why it works the way it does. I am just making the point it is at least equally hard for Aussies and Kiwis to comply with US regulations as it is for US citizens to comply with Aussie and Kiwi regulations.

Sailors are often a bit resentful of international boats not having to comply with a lot of local saftey regulations.
There is added difficulty that in those countries with tough regulations it not unusual for someone to register their boat in a different country even when it essentially a local boat.
This creates pressure on governments to enforce these regulations on everyone.

Sailors that cruise long distance tend to have a very different view. They soon realise that they will want to visit many countries each with its own, different, set of regulations. Even if the boat is compliant (which is unlikely) the cost and hassle of inspections is considerable. We should use what little influence we have to stop this occurring.

This is difficult for NZ sailors to accept. I can understand the apparent injustice when a local boat needs to pass the tough cat 1 inspection to leave the country, but international boats do not have to meet the same requirment (for now). However I would encourage them too look at the larger picture and consider if that supporting enforcement of local safety regulations on international boats will mean that other countries will adopt the same principals.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Delfin

Maybe I lead a sheltered life, but I just haven't experienced that. I pay a state excise tax once a year, which in my state is how they pay the bills because we don't have a state income tax. I've been boarded by the Coast Guard a few times, but mostly in the winter when they are bored and want something to do. I don't need a license of any kind, and like I said, other than basic safety equipment (including fire extinguishers, which I forgot), you're treated quite deferentially by the odd official you run into. I really just can't think of any imposition I've encountered in 30 years of being on the water most of the time.

Obviously we have very different ideas on what an imposition is . I guess it kinda shows how things become accepted as "normal" (and unquestioned) from the passage of time.

I thought having enough guns to take over a small country was meant to prevent stuff like this .

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Kiwi399

NIMROD? NIMBUS was his boat I thought, if I remember rightly? Maybe he got a new boat. I read about it years ago so could be wrong.
Absolutely not putting Bill in this guy's catergory, not even close.

you are quite correct!,nimbus!
however i was sitting in the departures lounge of bristol airport from 7pm- 2 am last night with jets taking off every half hour overhead posting that message!
so somewhere the synapses made the link to britains first jet fighter the "nimrod"!

i met bill the first time in cape town in 1989,then later in st lucia in 92' then again in noumea in 94 after they had emigrated to nz,still sailing the engineless nimbus,not many people who can make a living scrimshawing whales teeth!
i belive he even made one for the "Queen of england"!

[seandepagnier]

For all of you saying immigration is covering costs. This is not true, don't worry about your taxes, it is the work of a handful of note-able individuals that has made this possible, not customs and immigration.. it may not happen this way to the next person.

So the rudder is repaired, and it is significantly better than when it was brand new. Insisting on this practice is hard for me to disagree with as a better rudder is better. I estimate without this upgrade based on the wear from before and the miles sailed, I probably would have had another 10000 miles without doing anything before having issues, but now it will never be an issue.

My tri-color is installed and works, so everything is done and I should launch after 3 days of work.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

For all of you saying immigration is covering costs. This is not true, don't worry about your taxes, it is the work of a handful of note-able individuals that has made this possible, not customs and immigration.. it may not happen this way to the next person.

So the rudder is repaired, and it is significantly better than when it was brand new. Insisting on this practice is hard for me to disagree with as a better rudder is better. I estimate without this upgrade based on the wear from before and the miles sailed, I probably would have had another 10000 miles without doing anything before having issues, but now it will never be an issue.

My tri-color is installed and works, so everything is done and I should launch after 3 days of work.

whatever you do
don't even think about sinking once you leave!
you will be surprised how many people are out there who want to see you suceed!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

The link is:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ost-93384.html

Pete has just reached Darwin.

thanks!

could this be the end of low budget yachting as we know it?

a new era of "checkbook" sailors set the rule'$$

[NoTies]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

For all of you saying immigration is covering costs. This is not true, don't worry about your taxes, it is the work of a handful of note-able individuals that has made this possible, not customs and immigration.. it may not happen this way to the next person.

So the rudder is repaired, and it is significantly better than when it was brand new. Insisting on this practice is hard for me to disagree with as a better rudder is better. I estimate without this upgrade based on the wear from before and the miles sailed, I probably would have had another 10000 miles without doing anything before having issues, but now it will never be an issue.

My tri-color is installed and works, so everything is done and I should launch after 3 days of work.

Have you thanked NZ immigration for being so lenient and not incarcerating you after you knowingly broke the laws?

[pdf27]

I have to say this thread is a pretty impressive advert for the people of New Zealand.

In most countries the response to a visa-overstayer in a dodgy looking boat would be to arrest them and throw them out of the country. Instead, they've worked to make sure the boat is safe and had a whip-around to pay for it!

[scoobert]

indeed, 4 month overstay is pretty massive.

[Kiwi303]

Originally Posted by atoll

britains first jet fighter the "nimrod"!

You in a Different arrivals or departure lounge now? I think you mean the Meteor as first jet fighter, or maybe the first Jet AIRLINER the Nimrod. Later turned into a maritime patrol plane after the first square windows caused a few fatigue related crashes and the civilians didn't want them but the british govt refused to let the factories close. Still being built only a few years ago until the DOD ran out of cash and had to scrap their newest anti-sub planes while they were still being assembled.

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Obviously we have very different ideas on what an imposition is . I guess it kinda shows how things become accepted as "normal" (and unquestioned) from the passage of time.

I thought having enough guns to take over a small country was meant to prevent stuff like this .

The tax burden for individuals in the U.S. is still less than it is in many other countries. The excise tax I pay on the boat pays for some of the nicest marine state parks, only accessible by boats, you can imagine. It also pays for mooring buoys, and while I think that 50% of the government employees in this country could be let go tomorrow with little impact, I don't mind paying for what I use. You feel differently?

Regarding seeing boarding by the Coasties as an infringement, I suggest you watch the program "Deadliest Catch", then make your complaint. These guys rescue a lot of people in ridiculous weather and conditions, so a friendly visit to safety inspect a vessel they may be called upon to risk their lives to rescue doesn't seem like an undue burden to me. When we dragged a 74 year old man out of 58 degree water that had fallen off his son's boat and was clinging to a fender, it took the Coasties about 15 minutes to travel the 13 miles or so to meet us to provide emergency medical care. Then they found the son just to find out exactly how someone loses grandpa without noticing for a hour or two (he did). Seemed like a reasonable response, don't you thing?

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by shanedennis

Some examples of inconvenience?
1. Missing a great weather window and waiting another week because a CBP office requested I register with SVRS before departing to another US port. (A made up requirement because SVRS is supposed to be voluntary and we were not leaving and returning to US waters.)
2. Getting stopped by CBP officers three times in twenty four hours.
3. Not knowing how the law is going to be applied from one day to the next is a major inconvenience.
4. Finding places to buy the fishing licenses is an inconvenience. Paying for them is also inconvenient.

I have no doubt our freedom to move around the US would be curtailed if we were anything less than respectful and compliant when dealing with federal and state law enforcement.

And I am totally OK with that - this is your country. Similarly, the OP needs to be respectful and compliant when dealing with Kiwi officials.

Don't get me wrong, I love the USA and I understand how it works and why it works the way it does. I am just making the point it is at least equally hard for Aussies and Kiwis to comply with US regulations as it is for US citizens to comply with Aussie and Kiwi regulations.

I will certainly grant you that since 9/11 and subsequent attempts to slaughter innocents by Islamic whack jobs, our Customs and Border Protection service can be a pain. They spawn a program, then abandon it or don't communicate it to the field. My experience is that if you approach them as people trying to do their jobs and treat them with respect they tend to bend over to accommodate since the world is full of other people who think the universe revolves around them, and they appreciate it when folks are reasonable.

By the way, how does one go about getting stopped by CBP 3 times? I know they have a few boats, but they seem mostly pretty busy clearing ferries and receiving flights at the airport. With the Coast Guard, if you've been boarded for a safety inspection, unless there is something hinky they record your vessel and captain info and leave you alone for a couple of years.

Best of luck on your fishing, and do try to stay away from the Fish and Game guys. They take preservation of the fauna seriously and I've heard have no sense of humor at all.....

[nimblemotors]

There are kind and generous people everywhere, boaters in particularly I've found to be most friendly and helpful. These people vastly outnumber the mean, hateful, lying, accusational, and judgmental people, some of those who post here.

The issue is when one of these is a government official, you can't just put them on ignore, and if they have the law on their side, nothing else you can do.

btw, I didn't notice anyone saying the USA is better than NZ,
only those wanting to claim NZ is better.

And finally, NZ officials DO care if people will not come to visit.

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by Delfin

By the way, how does one go about getting stopped by CBP 3 times? I know they have a few boats, but they seem mostly pretty busy clearing ferries and receiving flights at the airport. With the Coast Guard, if you've been boarded for a safety inspection, unless there is something hinky they record your vessel and captain info and leave you alone for a couple of years.

Best of luck on your fishing, and do try to stay away from the Fish and Game guys. They take preservation of the fauna seriously and I've heard have no sense of humor at all.....

Apparently the CBP has a lake patrol and a separate river patrol. The lake patrol stopped us on the way in, the river patrol stopped us on the river then the lake patrol came back because they had forgotten something. Mind you we had not left US waters. They are always very friendly and professional, but they don't seem to communicate between departments.

The USCGS has only stopped us once. We occaisionally will stop by and ask nav and procedural questions about a new area. Always helpful and professional.

We have been stopped by multiple states water police asking to see our state registration. Again friendly and professional.

I've got no beef with them, just making the point foreign sailors in the US have a burden of compliance as well.