Bureaucracy

Cruising is filled with bureaucracy. Where ever one goes, one has to sail to an official port of entry. The captain goes ashore, most of the time with the entire crew. It is the first thing one does when the vessel is secured. At immigration, it is paper work that gets filled out, and then it’s to customs. In some places it is the same person for both, in others it is two people and the buildings next door.

Each island has its regulations and processes. They each have their own prices. Boat papers, last port of clearance, passport and your wallet. Yes, in most of the islands it is pay. In the Grenadines for example, it was the most expensive so far. You pay for the boat to enter, then you pay per person, per day. It was EC$2.5 per person, per day. We were getting no change out of US$20 bills. In all the clearing in and clearing out, we have spent about US$150. The only place that did not charge was Martinique. The process was quick, easy and cheap. I guess they make it up on what one spends there.

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