Now it would seem to me that the US and Ft Lauderdale in particular is starting to suffer from a rather unfair reputation as a bit of a difficult yachting destination in view of the rules and regulations that are in force here. I have spoken with several crew recently who had seen numerous forum posts and headlines that seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill.
There are undoubtedly some very specific rules with regard to immigration and cruising in US waters for foreigners and foreign flagged vessels. However, for most these rules rate in complication terms somewhere between booking a hotel room online and using Google earth to find your house. Just not that difficult!
There always plenty of hurdles to overcome and hoops to get through when travelling to any foreign destination. Try taking a yacht to the Ukraine if you want difficulty. Even the Bahamas is notorious for changing the cruising and fishing rules and these affect most that go there in yachts unless you go there to do something other than cruising and fishing.
If you read the yachting press you would be forgiven that the US is a place preoccupied with security where crew are routinely turned away from the airport by special forces agents with a ‘top gun’ fixation, Stars and Stripes boxer shorts and very shiny black boots. But in fact if you come here for genuine reasons with the standard paperwork and visas, you have nothing to fear from the authorities who are doing more than their job requires them to do.
So I am starting a campaign to promote Ft Lauderdale and I would like to hear from any of the many thousands of people who come during their yachting endeavours and find it a pretty straight forward place to do business. Just a few of the attributes I am aware of are listed below I would like to hear of more.
It is easy and relatively cheap to live, eat, drink and shop. It has numerous recreation opportunities including parks, beaches, casinos and very big shops where they accept the dollar which is worth a lot less than the Euro.
Every golf course has golf carts. The weather is generally pretty good. The keys are close by and so too are some of the world’s best amusement parks which are just a few miles north. There are plenty of supplies and suppliers where you can get pretty much anything that is needed to make a yacht work and shine. The place is crawling with subcontractors who are always keen in these times to find work and make a deal, meaning that it is great value because of course you can use the dollar.
As the season turns in the next couple of months and boats start to head south, Ft Lauderdale becomes a strategic staging post which is why it was and is an important stopping off point for yachts.
Don’t be put off by the few who have fallen foul of the rules the vast majority continue to recognize that Lauderdale is a very easy place to do business and excellent value. See you there!
There are undoubtedly some very specific rules with regard to immigration and cruising in US waters for foreigners and foreign flagged vessels. However, for most these rules rate in complication terms somewhere between booking a hotel room online and using Google earth to find your house. Just not that difficult!
There always plenty of hurdles to overcome and hoops to get through when travelling to any foreign destination. Try taking a yacht to the Ukraine if you want difficulty. Even the Bahamas is notorious for changing the cruising and fishing rules and these affect most that go there in yachts unless you go there to do something other than cruising and fishing.
If you read the yachting press you would be forgiven that the US is a place preoccupied with security where crew are routinely turned away from the airport by special forces agents with a ‘top gun’ fixation, Stars and Stripes boxer shorts and very shiny black boots. But in fact if you come here for genuine reasons with the standard paperwork and visas, you have nothing to fear from the authorities who are doing more than their job requires them to do.
So I am starting a campaign to promote Ft Lauderdale and I would like to hear from any of the many thousands of people who come during their yachting endeavours and find it a pretty straight forward place to do business. Just a few of the attributes I am aware of are listed below I would like to hear of more.
It is easy and relatively cheap to live, eat, drink and shop. It has numerous recreation opportunities including parks, beaches, casinos and very big shops where they accept the dollar which is worth a lot less than the Euro.
Every golf course has golf carts. The weather is generally pretty good. The keys are close by and so too are some of the world’s best amusement parks which are just a few miles north. There are plenty of supplies and suppliers where you can get pretty much anything that is needed to make a yacht work and shine. The place is crawling with subcontractors who are always keen in these times to find work and make a deal, meaning that it is great value because of course you can use the dollar.
As the season turns in the next couple of months and boats start to head south, Ft Lauderdale becomes a strategic staging post which is why it was and is an important stopping off point for yachts.
Don’t be put off by the few who have fallen foul of the rules the vast majority continue to recognize that Lauderdale is a very easy place to do business and excellent value. See you there!
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