Tired of US immigration, next year shall I bother?

Hi,

I read your post with interest.

Differing interpretations of the same rules and regulations does not just happen when dealing with the INS.

It is a favourite of the Classification Societies and MCA as well!!

Don't assume it will be all beer and skittles relocating to Europe.

Is your boat setup to take 50Hz shore power?


It's an entirely different area to cruise, you will always be going to new ports/locations where you might not speak the language the locals do. This can sometimes add frustration and tension to what seems to you like the simplest of requests.

Also get ready for the very different prices of fuel/stores/dockage and repairs over on this side of the pond.

Carry as much as yopu can in way of deck stores/consumables etc when leaving the US, apply the same to your spares especially electrical things if your boat is a 110/220v 60 Hz one.

If you want a heads up on this drop me a PM with your vessel details/equipment list and I will try to knock up a list of what I would bring based on my previous experiences with US Electrical System boats here in Europe.

K1W1,
Some very good points there regarding cruising in Europe.
Chris, your last statement should stand out to anyone in Broward: "So sorry Broward, the next few million is going elsewhere"
Those in Broward should help the process by streamlining and cutting thru some of the red tape with the feds to promote a smooth customs and checking in process when returning to the states. Broward is in danger of losing it's title of the yachting capitol as more developers buy up yards for condos and there are less and less slips available for mid to large sized yachts. Other cities on the eastern seaboard, like Charleston, are making themselves more attractive to yachts and yachting and may one day be the place to be and be seen.
Capt Tom

Hi,

" The biggest issues may be with domestic items, washer, dryer, TV's etc"

It was the laundry, TV's and flourescant lights that I was thinking of when I wrote that bit above. If you have a frequency converter you should be in good shape, your next big headache will be the cost of the plugs over here and the fact that they seem to be different in every port sometimes being different in different parts of the same marina.

Remember even though it was built in Italy, the TV's might only be NTSC which kinda limits what you can watch in the Med. The laundry equipment might have been especially imported from the US for the original customer.

Look at the starters etc for your pumps, the coils that hold the contactors in are often either 50 or 60 Hz not dual,the style of many has changed in recent years and they are not all interchangeable between brands and models, the chokes and ballasts for your fluros are another thing that will be frequency specific.

Just rememember if your microwave, food processor, vacuum cleaner etc needs replacing you will probably be getting one out of the US as you will not find a 110V 60Hz unit easily in Europe if at all.