American Boaters going to Canada, Be Advised...

There is no watch list for what happened so no worries there. Also this does work both ways. US agents can be equally as rude to Cdns as the other way around. But in reality that fella was overstepping and not very Cdn in my opinion. Don't let one moron stop you from seeing the unprecedented North channel, if you have that available to you. We are not all like him and, in fact, most of us are quite nice.

So glad you were refunded but scars were left none the less. Sorry to hear that you were treated so poorly here in Canada.
 
Thank you!

My friend and I were placed on the watch list, for a period of 6 years. I have a letter from the Prime Minister of Public Safety that says that I have been removed. My friend did not pursue the issue at hand and has returned to Pelee Island since then and when called in from a designated check in point has been told to sit tight until an inspector can personally inspect him and his boat because he is still on the watch list. When my wife and I flew to Baltimore from Detroit I was pulled aside by the NSA to be scrutinezed and asked what my story was because my name came up on their list. Hopefully it won't happen again, but I personally feel that once you make the list, you'll always be on it wheter or not I have a letter that says otherwise. Time will tell.

I will stay in this beautiful country where I have the right and freedom to choose where, when and how I would like to travel without question &/or harassment from authority. There are plenty of places in the US that I haven't discovered or traveled to!

Cheers
 
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.........When my wife and I flew to Baltimore from Detroit I was pulled aside by the NSA to be scrutinezed and asked what my story was because my name came up on their list......

I will stay in this beautiful country where I have the right and freedom to choose where, when and how I would like to travel without question &/or harassment from authority.......

??????? I'm a little confused by your post..... your second paragraph seems to describe exactly what happened to you in the first paragraph??????
 
I was on a watch list. Supposedly I am not now. I never have been on any list before I went to Canada that day. I should be able to move about the country(USA) freely again if I am not on a list. If not, in America, I'm not going to get arrested or have my boat seized &/or be fined for trying to have a good time with my friends and family. Innocent until proven guilty here, not visa versa. I am not going to argue with anyone about this. If you don't like what you are reading/seeing, move on. Let's put this thread back to rest, please.

Thanks!
 
Happy and surprised you got your money back. I was in Goderich Ont. on a trip and had a huge hassle on the phone with Canadian Customs. Got past that. Then I went to pay for my dock. The lady there charged my credit card $8600. instead of $86. for my dock. No problem.....wrong. She did not have the authorization to credit my card. ( She had the authorization to charge me $8600 but not to issue a credit) It took over 2 hrs. to get it done. I then needed a bag of ice. I couldn't believe it but she charged me for it. I shook my head and walked away.
 
That's about all you can do!
 
I do appreciate the update though. Planning on heading across to Toronto for a couple of concerts, and maybe a halfway trip up the Trent Severn.

Maybe your purpose was to serve as warning to me. If that's the case, thanks :)
 
I do appreciate the update though. Planning on heading across to Toronto for a couple of concerts, and maybe a halfway trip up the Trent Severn.

Maybe your purpose was to serve as warning to me. If that's the case, thanks :)

Good luck! Please, please make sure you know exactly what you have to do before proceeding into Canada.

My main objective for this thread was originally to warn other boaters to make sure they had all of their eggs in a basket so what happened to us, would hopefully not happen to anyone else.

Travel safe!

Cheers
 
Yep, I totally get that. What sucks is that it seemed like you had it all handled. You actually jumped through more hoops than I did coming through The Welland 2 months ago.
 
The easiest way to enter is to get a NEXUS card. you can call into CANPASS with the required info on hand like boat size, registration, and the usual cross border questions. Everyone on board must hold a Nexus to use this though. Then proceed to an official port of entry for customs. They are listed online. If a border agent is there to greet you then he or she will do whatever they need to do. If there isn't one waiting for you then you are good to go because you have the canpass number that they gave you on the phone.

If you choose to only use your passport then you must still enter a recognized port of entry, go to a border video phone if available with just the Captain. Then they will ask you to bring everyone else. Be sure they all have passports for ID.

If you only use a passport and go to a port of entry without a customs video phone then you must stay on your boat and call canpass. You may have to wait for a customs agent to come but do not get off your boat or anyone else that came with you until the customs guys get there and give you permission.

This is the same system for any Canadian going to the US as well.

Just know the rules. It's really quite easy.
 
FWIW, it really sounds like Strypes did his due diligence, but some official had an off day.

I'm doing my Global Entry interview tomorrow, and then will apply for NEXUS after that gets approved. Should make crossings and trips a LOT easier after that.
 
With NEXUS entering Canada you still need to go to a designated entry point at a set time. If no one there you can leave.
NEXUS works very well going into the US. Be very honest and know what food stuff you can take across either boarder. Declare all you have and all will be good. Entering Canada we have paid the duty on materials with a VISA without seeing an agent.
 
If using Nexus as mentioned previously, everyone aboard must have Nexus cards. If so the protocol on the St. Clair River and Lake Huron depends on which way you are traveling. When going to Canada, phone CANPASS between 30 minutes and 4 hours ahead of arrival in Ontario. I don't believe you have to go to a port of entry unless specifically directed to do so. CBSA (Canada Border Security Agency) will give you a reporting number and will say that an agent MAY be there.

When traveling to Michigan using Nexus, all members should have a B.R. number (boating registration) and phone in upon arrival, not necessarily at a port of entry although you may be directed to one. There are three different phone numbers depending on where you are landing in Michigan (south of Metro Beach; from there to Alpena; and north of Alpena, if memory serves correct). With the B.R. numbers, CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) knows exactly who is onboard and provides a reporting number. Pretty efficient.

Much easier if you have Nexus and play by the rules but you don't necessarily need to use a port of entry unless someone aboard doesn't have Nexus, only a passport or enhanced license. We have found in the past that it was the US customs that was a bit more difficult but that seems to have changed in the past year. We've observed that Canadian customs seem to have more of an attitude in 2016. Also be 110% sure of what can or CANNOT be brought into each country aboard your vessel. For example, Americans don't like meat importation while Canadians obsess about how much liquor you have onboard. (I actually keep a bar log and photograph the bottles. Overkill yes, but better to be safe.)

Hope that helps.
 
Sure, but have a look at that list of 'designated landing sites'. There are over THREE HUNDRED sites in Ontario alone. They include municipal docks, marinas, even taverns and trailer parks. Is there a publicly used dock in Ontario that's not a designated site? It seems that you can land almost anywhere in Ontario with Nexus because they are all included, as long as you follow protocol.

That article however also states that on either side of the border you must phone in between 30 minutes and four hours of arrival. I can tell you from experience in our area that Canada (CBSA) may accept this but CBP on the U.S. side doesn't. They want you to land and then call in. If you have passports you must land at specific ports; if everyone aboard has Nexus then you have the ability to land elsewhere. However I'm sure you would probably agree that there still remains a certain degree of confusion (and a bit of "fear") among boaters on the frontier. This is due to the inconsistent application of the rules by the agents themselves and I think this is how the whole discussion started.

Have you had any bad experiences?
 
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We've had a few interesting moments with US agents. I've had them board and flip everything for over an hour. They went through compartments and searched everywhere. They were neat about it and respectful. They have asked for just about every possible documentation we could have as a person and even asked our son questions away from us. He was about 9 at the time. The boat documentation is at our fingertips because we get asked for that mostly. We don't get upset about any searches or questions mainly because in reality both sides have the same idea. To keep our countries safe both together and singularly. We do have Nexus and follow protocol.

Yes just about every entry is a port of entry. That is mainly because most ports on the Great Lakes in Ontario are several miles apart and also for storm reasons. If you're out there during a storm we have the safe harbour etiquette. The big mistake is when you don't go to a port and come on land at "a spot" to go somewhere. That's when the proverbial hits the fan.

It's also been different at different ports. We are doing the Great Loop and have passed in and out of the US and Canada. There are a lot of port of entries that have interpreted the rules differently. So there have been times when we've been literally yelled at for not following protocol. Seems every agent has his or her own interpretation of the rules. Since we always have to call first that when we find out what they want for that port.

I think when each of us goes back to our own country the rules are lax a little. We haven't had much trouble with Canadian agents other than looking for all that alcohol that we supposedly buy. They like to find the taxes and duties on any purchases. When they ask about alcohol we always say we have bar stock. Sometimes they meet us at the port of entry and sometimes they don't show. It's always a guess.
 

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