Patrick:
I'm 99% certain we will wind up an US flagged. I have a lawyer exploring options, and may re-evaluate based on his final recommendation, but I think I already know the conclusion.
There are many reasons I've already stated as to why foreign registration is a major nuisance. In addition, I recently received an email from another Nordhavn owner who talked about his experiences with having an internationally flagged vessel. He said that prior to 9/11 it was simple to get a US cruising permit, but that since that time our borders have become much more secure. Now, bringing an internationally flagged vessel in or out of the country, which we tend to do often here in the Pacific NW, involves a lot of paperwork and clearing with customs. In Alaska, this Nordhavn owner said he was required to call the Coast Guard 72 hours before moving the boat between ports.
On our Nordhavn 62 we were US Flagged, Coast Guard Documented, and registered in the state of Washington. Essentially all of our cruising was outside the US, so I didn't bother to renew the Washington registration from year to year. The vessel never returned to the US, so I don't know if they would have asked me to pay back registration fees. I doubt it. The problem is that I paid a large six-digit number in registration fees on our 62 for a boat that was only in the state a couple of summers. Our new boat may only be in Washington a few months before it goes out of the country, and then once we start our circumnavigation, the boat may not be in Washington again for ten years or longer. Paying a huge sales tax (use tax) for this short period seems unfair - but, I don't know a way around it - short of keeping my boat out of Washington this summer.
My guess is I'll kick and scream, and grumble a lot, and pay the tax.
-Ken W | Williams, Ken |
2007-03-24 17:32:41
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