Weapons on Board - French Islands

For the third time in eight years the French authorities boarded Bay Pelican and searched for weapons (and cocaine I assume). Three members of the boarder patrol (Douane) spent 90 minutes going over every storage area (and books) on Bay Pelican. While they did miss a couple of my hiding spots, they would have found a weapon if I had had one because they covered all the areas I would have put a weapon.

Suggestion, if you are coming to one of the French Islands, leave the weapons home, or declare them on entry.

This is not meant to be a discussion of weapons on board so please don't hijack the thread.

French law does not allow you to take a photo of a Douane officer without covering his face, so here is a picture of their boat tied to Bay Pelican.

Marty, can we hijack it and turn it into a discussion about the French?

Greetings,
Mr. CK. "...a discussion about the French?". How about a visit to Liberty Island in New York harbor first?

I'd rather discuss their food, especially their pastries. Unless that's now considered cultural appropriation.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. CK. "...a discussion about the French?". How about a visit to Liberty Island in New York harbor first?

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Better get there and read the inscription by Emma Lazurus while you can. There's a big political movement to refute it.

To get back to the OP, it is a very good idea to know the laws and declare your weapons almost anywhere (though you don't declare them in New York, know the laws), as soon as you can, the French Islands among them.

If it were not for the French, we would still be a British colony.

So if you declare them.....what happens?

Also, if they find weapons on your boat that you have not declared...... what happens?

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. CK. "...a discussion about the French?". How about a visit to Liberty Island in New York harbor first?

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Would this somehow make them less arrogant?

Marin said:

Also, if they find weapons on your boat that you have not declared...... what happens?

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Have you not seen Papillon?

Northern Spy said:

Have you not seen Papillon?

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No, actually.

PS--- I sort of recall reading a book by that name a long time ago. I just looked the movie up on Google and read the plot, and if I did read the book I don't remember anything about it.

And it's not just the French. We've been seriously inspected after having been boarded at least 12 times by Customs/CG/Navy/Marines and other agencies from different countries. The boarding personnel have all been professionals but they would love to find something on your boat and then I think things would change a bit.

They know where to look. When we stopped in Aruba we had 5 personnel on the boat plus a dog. One guy spent 20 minutes in the engine alone. They pretty found all of my hidey holes although they were empty.

Suggestion, if you are coming to one of the French Islands, leave the weapons home, or declare them on entry.

Last time I was in the Carib , and walked 1/2 mile up hill to the Gendarme station with a crew list ,

and told the officer we had a shotgun on board, the response was,,,,,,,,,,,"BON"

Not like the old British islands that still fear their citizens will revolt.

200 miles from Bermuda , they can pick you out on radar and start calling to get a list of weapons on board!!!

In Cuba last year. Their entry form has a box to check if you are declaring a weapon. Just check the box if you have a weapon. No problem.

Moonstruck said:

If it were not for the French, we would still be a British colony.

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And if it were not for the USA, the French would be Germans.

Cervelo said:

So if you declare them.....what happens?

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So any chance of getting a serious answer to the question or point me in the right direction....a thread, book or heck even a diffrent fourm where you know you could get some useful information

Cervelo: In Cuba they asked that it be kept under lock and key during our stay and not to leave the vessel with it. I am sure most all countries are different. In D.R. they will have you surrender the weapon to the harbor master until your departure.

Larry M said:

They know where to look.

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Precisely. This is their JOB. There isn't anyplace that you can hide something, that they haven't already seen it before. I really have to laugh at the extraordinary self-delusion when I see people posting about how they have a hiding place for this or that, that NOBODY could ever find. Yeah. Sure. Keep tellin' yourself that.

Greetings,
Mr. C. Perhaps the best source for specific and current information regarding firearms aboard will be the actual government of the country you anticipate visiting. I suspect a quick e-mail to the tourist bureau should net you, either redirection to the appropriate officials or an actual answer. You'll have the official answer in writing then.

How about up a mast in a radar reflector? Just a thought. Some look large enough for a 1911.

Have tried to get a straight answer to what happens here in Martinique if you declare a weapon, but can't get one. Base of that problem is that check in (clearance) is now done in restaurants and grocery stores and the personnel manning the computers have no idea of what the rules are.