Yacht stamp

[belizesailor]

Ive used a corporate stamp in Central America (of the corp that owns the boat) the officials love their stamps here and an official corporate stamp is required on some documents. These are documents for commercial purposes not normal recreation clearance docs, but I bet they would love that too.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Jannie Radiance

I have to make an official yacht stamp as our cruise will start shortly. ......


.......

What else??

Never actually had one to use but one of these years...

Slight drift, but generally speaking I've found having pleasant experience checking in can be assisted by being very polite, treating officials like there are a friend of your brother or something like that, make a special effort to be in a cheerful good mood even if everyone around you is grumpy!
Another little trick which I've seen change the whole atmosphere of an office is find out if their country won the cricket/football the day before and sneak that into the conversation -"You guys did well against Isla Bonita yesterday", big smiles all round
Stamp!


Having something with a bit of ink might help was well, but a smile first can work wonders.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Ive used a corporate stamp in Central America (of the corp that owns the boat) the officials love their stamps here and an official corporate stamp is required on some documents. These are documents for commercial purposes not normal recreation clearance docs, but I bet they would love that too.

That's much different than the Boat Stamp though. Corporate stamps are common and often required. They represent legal entities.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by BandB

That's much different than the Boat Stamp though. Corporate stamps are common and often required. They represent legal entities.

Yes, just commenting because it was boat related, though not a boat stamp per se...which I dont think you will find much use for, other than just for fun.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by conachair

Never actually had one to use but one of these years...

Slight drift, but generally speaking I've found having pleasant experience checking in can be assisted by being very polite, treating officials like there are a friend of your brother or something like that, make a special effort to be in a cheerful good mood even if everyone around you is grumpy!
Another little trick which I've seen change the whole atmosphere of an office is find out if their country won the cricket/football the day before and sneak that into the conversation -"You guys did well against Isla Bonita yesterday", big smiles all round
Stamp!


Having something with a bit of ink might help was well, but a smile first can work wonders.

Smiles, polite conversation. Do not try jokes. And one thing we've found helps considerably is desserts. Some cake or brownies can do wonders to get things started.

We've always had pleasant experiences.

When my employer had facilities years ago in Puerto Rico there was one custom followed by some of the old timers there. It was to never start a phone conversation with business. Always some personal exchange first. Sounds silly and insignificant but it changes the entire tone of communications. My wife has often reminded me and I've learned from her. So, now, I'll call someone to complain because their accounting is so screwed up and they're billing me for some service I don't have or something. But first when they answer and give their name, "Hello Sylvia. How are you doing today?" Amazing what that one brief question can do. It impacts her attitude and mine. We're likely to get through the entire conversation better.

[hellosailor]

""Hello Sylvia. How are you doing today?""
A cultural thing. Trust me, when an Indian or Philippino customer abuse person gets on the phone with a New Yorker...the last thing we want to discuss is how their son-in-law was doing in the spelling bee. And wasting time with that fake personal interest, does not earn any merit points.
In other places, especially when it might mean "I remember you" instead of being totally faked...it can mean more.

www.rubberstamps.com are one of many places in the US. They're my go-to resource because they will turn ANY artwork you want into a custom rubber stamp, very reasonable, fast, wide range of sizes and readymades as well. If you can draw it on a computer, you can upload anything to them and get a good fast stamp coming back.

They can actually make it FUN to play with stamps.

[JPA Cate]

We haven't used our boat stamp much, after leaving Mexico and heading west. B&B may get a kick out of this, but when we started out, there was no such thing as Kindles, and we used to stamp the books we loaned out that we wanted to come back.

Boat cards, now, we use a lot. Currently, we make our own, with our names, contact details, and a photograph of the boat. We print them on photographic paper, and Jim cuts them out.

[puffcard]

Boat cards are a must.

My dad had a boat stamp, traveled all over. I joked him at first, but said that officials loved it and were impressed. That was +30 years ago. He also had hats made up and gave them out, another big hit. Much cheaper than a carton of cigarettes.

[a64pilot]

I have exported new aircraft all over Central and South America.
Anything official looking helps, a stamp is OK, but what is impressive is an embossing stamp, that is stamped onto a piece of gold foil on the paper. That HAS to be official is the belief.

When leaving the US I had to have a “general declaration” form, everywhere I went they wanted copies of the gendec.
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/fi...orm%207507.pdf
It was stamped by an embossing stamp by CBP.

I have a friend who has exported aircraft for decades, he never checks out with CBP and gets a general declaration form, he has a coin that he places under the paper and rubs it, I have seen one, it does look official.

So get yourself a silver dollar and buy blank pieces of paper with the gold foil seal on it, type anything you like and place the coin under the paper and emboss it by rubbing the coin. I almost guarantee any official in any of the banana Republics will be impressed

Not being the “ugly American” is what really gets you by though. I even one year left Costa Rica without having an entry stamp in my passport by just being nice and apologetic.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

.....

So get yourself a silver dollar and buy blank pieces of paper with the gold foil seal on it, type anything you like and place the coin under the paper and emboss it by rubbing the coin. I almost guarantee any official in any of the banana Republics will be impressed

......

It's not just Banana Republics that like stamps. I had to give a crew member an official letter stating they were leaving as a crew member in a few days on the vessel so that they could get same day service in getting added pages to their US passport. Nothing like a nice stamp and a bold signiture to enhance a letter's authenticity.

[Seymore]

In many parts of the world, China and Central America for example, people can't read or write, yet they are very successful business men. They carry a signature stamp or 'chop' to sign documents, which the banks accept and which they guard very carefully. Customs and other officials brighten right up when they see a boat stamp because it's a system they're familiar with.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We haven't used our boat stamp much, after leaving Mexico and heading west. B&B may get a kick out of this, but when we started out, there was no such thing as Kindles, and we used to stamp the books we loaned out that we wanted to come back.

Boat cards, now, we use a lot. Currently, we make our own, with our names, contact details, and a photograph of the boat. We print them on photographic paper, and Jim cuts them out.

Wifey B: I grew up spending every moment I could in the library to avoid being home. I'd just say I was kept after school. I read books I checked out at home in my room. Snuck them in.

Now, Kindle all the way.

[aberglas]

I am looking into this now.


Someone says that if the boat faces left it is from the Southern Hemisphere, right Northern.

[wholybee]

Only place I ever needed my stamp was Indonesia. When offered, other places accepted it.

I learned the reason for the boat stamp is for officials to prove that they actually saw you. They otherwise could just forge a signature and check you in without actually seeing you. If you don't have a boat stamp, they need to go to your boat, and get a picture of them, with you, on your boat. This happened to a buddy boat that didn't have a stamp.

I also used it to stamp the passports of crew members. Illegal, but it's a common practice so hitchhikers can have a souvenir of where all they have been.

Never heard the left/right thing.

[mikereed100]

I have never been asked for a boat stamp, but when offered, it was happily accepted in Asia and Latin America. I found that a flamboyant signature is also appreciated as well. I worked hard on mine and it evolved into something of a contest with the port captains in Chile, where I was often bested. It's all in the shoulders.