American Boaters going to Canada, Be Advised...

I spent a week in Cloyne Canada last week. We flew then drove so no boating issues but friggin beer was $119 for 2 cases. Holy crap. I'll never ***** about $17 for an 18 pack again!
 
I have boated to Pelee each year over the last 3 years. The only difference is that we stay at Scudder Marina and check in via phone there. No one in the group of people we normally boat with at Pelee have ever been harassed by local CBSA agents. I would definitely file a complaint with them. The guy that effectively fleeced you was out of line and had no authority to do what he did.
 
And here I thought the Canadians were such nice humble people....:lol:

I drove into BC to go Snowboarding years back, I remember the border agent being a real @$$hole.

Sorry, you had to deal with that kind of non-sense.
 
We cleared Canadian customs July 2nd by calling the CAN PASS # and the agent couldn't have been nicer to us.... We got our # posted it in the dockside window and never heard another peep. On returning to the US we called the # for I-68 SVR, this was our first time. I didn't realize I was supposed to file a float plan in advance, but the US agent said she see what she could do and we got an override and didn't have to report to customs dock @ Roche Harbor where we have been treated rudely by a portly female agent there...
 
Call your credit card company and dispute the charge. Explain to them you were under duress and and the charge was against your will.
 
I spent a week in Cloyne Canada last week. We flew then drove so no boating issues but friggin beer was $119 for 2 cases. Holy crap. I'll never ***** about $17 for an 18 pack again!

Tell me about it! We can go to the US and buy the same Canadian brands down there for cheaper than we can buy it here at home. Welcome to socialism and the high taxes that come with it.

Wait a second.... how can you be paying $60 a case for beer? Are you sure you didn't do your currency exchange backwards? Basic brands are about CAD$38 for 24, and premium brands a bit more. I guess tall cans of imported beer like Corona are close to CAD$60 for 24 so maybe that is it.
 
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Call your credit card company and dispute the charge. Explain to them you were under duress and and the charge was against your will.

That is an option, but I would advise against it. You would more than likely never get into Canada again and possibly have arrest warrant out in your name. File the complaint and go down that rabbit hole... IMHO
 
We're supposed to go to Victoria on the 5th. We should have our Nexus card by then but either way we all have Global Entry in addition to I-68s. When we went to Canada last year on the boat we had no issues. We called in from the customs dock in Poet's Cove (Bedwell Harbor) and we were never boarded. Upon returning to the US we were floating outside of Port Townsend and I called into US Customs. I told them where we had visited and that we had global entry. They just said "welcome home" and we didn't even have to stop the boat to clear customs. Your situation sounds pretty unusual but I agree with Mark - don't dispute the charge with your credit card company. I would file a complaint and follow proper channels since it seems as though you were railroaded. After you receive a customs clearance number I'm surprised that the agent continued to harass you.

Best of luck,

Sandy
 
Don't let it go. That's no way to treat a visitor from any country.
We had a similar incident here about 5 years ago. My second son, about 19 or 20 at the time, set out for a weekend down the St. Croix River. It's the demarcation point for part of the border between New Brunswick Canada & Maine in the US.
8 young lads, never even a hint of trouble from any of them & yes I know all the parents. Good kids.
4 canoes with enough gear & supplies for a long weekend. My son & most others are well seasoned paddlers.
River was high & rough in a couple expected spots, heavy rain coming down all day.
One canoe gets tipped & they all head for the closest shore. Couple hours later they found all the gear & bags. Everyone was wearing PFDs.
Of course, this is the one day they forgot to check-in with US Customs & the same day a new recruit wanted some action.
Long story short they were found soaking wet, hand-cuffed & spent the night in the jailhouse !
I retrieved the boys next morning & got everyone home. Cooled down for a couple days & I started calling the US Customs Dept. in Calais, Maine.
Supervisor was very apologetic & attributed it to an un-experienced employee.
Supervisor would have given the boys a few minutes to pack up camp & get across the river.

Give some guys a little authority & strange things can happen.
No real harm done but one heck of a story for the boys to tell in a few years.
 
Obviously the agent's conduct was egregious and warrants a formal complaint, BUT... As I read your story, I wondered why/how you were given a reporting number at anchor without all passengers holding I-68's or Nexus passes. It was my understanding that in absence of those, you had to touch land to report first, and then anchor.
This is my understanding also, the OP was not pre-approved via Nexus or Canpass and should have actually went to the West End dock which is a TRS/marine(telephone reporting site/marine). I believe he would have been correct had he not set foot on land.

We went into Thunder Bay, ON over the July holiday. It was a first by boat into CA for us. We arrived at Prince Arthur's Landing which was a TRS/marine location. Our cellphone wasn't working and couldn't raise anyone on VHF. We approached the dock and tied up. This was also the fuel dock so we just stayed on board until someone came down, although as Captain I think I could have walked up to the office. They let us use their cellphone to call the Canadian Customs and Border Patrol, a couple minutes and a few questions and done.
 
I am truly sorry and embarrassed by your experience Strypes. We boat in the Thousand Islands and visit the US almost every week. We have had nothing but courtesy and friendship dealing with the US Customs and Border Protection. Generally, our CBSA is polite but we do have the odd jerk on a power trip. There known issues with Camadian reporting procedures for US boaters which are trying to be resolved by local politicians, and the system is not "user friendly". I would contact the local Canadian member of Parliament (= state senator) and the local mayor/politician...Let them know of your experience. It is probably the only way to get satisfaction out of the customs beauracracy.
 
what's the status of this? did you file a complaint? they are very quick to respond.
 
Hello, all!

Thank you for the replies, advice and apologies.

Sorry for the delay on updates and responses, we are on vacation and getting a data connection has been difficult &/or impossible to say the least...

Anyway, we have several people and organizations helping us resolve and better understand the issue at hand!

As soon as we have resolution or any new reports, I will post up any and all new information.

Thanks again, everyone!

Cheers
 
I wondered why/how you were given a reporting number at anchor without all passengers holding I-68's or Nexus passes. It was my understanding that in absence of those, you had to touch land to report first, and then anchor.

I-68 is a US document and has no value in Canada. Without Nexus I agree that the proper method is to touch land to report and then anchor. However, if the Canadian phone agent asked your location, you truthfully answered that you were at anchor, and still issued a report number, then you should be legal.
 

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