The invasion of BC has begun

[Crossroads]

Yes

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Did you put down the marina address for where you checked in?

We did too.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Almost felt like this:

 

[w8n4sun]

Thanks for the quick answers, looking forward to entering next week.

ASD, did you have to pay extra for that level of service?!?!

 

[C lectric]

Lagoon Cove ranks near the top of my BC experiences (maybe right after Barb's Buns in Ganges) I can only hope they are continuing their nightly shrimp feed/potluck. I deeply regret that we only spent one night there in 2018. It was the best example I've experienced of our collective community of cruisers.

BTDT, got the coffee mug.

We were there, Lagoon OCove, in June on the way up and down from the Broughtons. Yes they were still catching the prawns for the happy hour.

First time was quite quiet with about 6 0r 7 boats. On the way home the marina was close to full.

 

[AlaskaProf]

BTW: Best coffee mug I've ever owned. Very heavy heat-retaining ceramic one-finger. Just like the ones my Dad used to "borrow" from the CPO mess.

Lepke would recognize it immediately.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Thanks for the quick answers, looking forward to entering next week.

ASD, did you have to pay extra for that level of service?!?!

Nope. But when they saw my scotch he was surprised. I told him it was going to be a long run. He [emoji28]

 

[Leo Reise]

May be old news to some but the postings on AGLCA over the last couple of days suggest that an American flagged pleasure vessel may be denied entry when trying to return to US waters.

 

[Larry M]

I’m in Vermont for the summer visiting family. We just got back from Derby Line which has 2 border crossings. No US citizens have been denied entry into the US according to Customs and Border personnel.

Edit: Could there be a difference for land re-entry?

 

[AlaskaProf]

It is the official policy of the US govt that no US citizen or documented permanent resident can be denied entry.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. AP. I think it's the same for Canadian citizens returning to Canada. There may be some quarantine necessities, but not sure.

 

[DDW]

In the news today: The US has extended the boarder closure for both Canada and Mexico until at least Sept 21.

 

[Crossroads]

In further news, Canadian entry screening personal today continued their efficient and gracious customer facing service.��

 

[w8n4sun]

In further news, Canadian entry screening personal today continued their efficient and gracious customer facing service.��

Was there a lineup of boats floating near the customs dock waiting their turns?

 

[sunchaser]

Cleared Customs in Prince Rupert today. No issues and did it all by phone. The Arrive Canada app with pictures of passports and vaccine cards were needed. The 72 hour test was done in Ketchikan.

The Customs guy was very proficient. He said enjoy Canada. ?

 

[Crossroads]

We cleared this am by phone at the reporting station. One other boat at the dock. No line on the water, but I was on hold for 5 min or so. Dinner out tonight in Ganges

 

[w8n4sun]

That’s great. Enjoy!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Evidently the COVID risk is HIGH in Canada. As compared to what?


https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-3/coronavirus-canada

 

[soin2la]

Evidently the COVID risk is HIGH in Canada. As compared to what?

Yes; WTF, RTF?
I would have thought there might be interstate advisories ahead of cross border.

https://globalnews.ca/news/8153571/us-canada-travel-advisory/

 

[Northern Spy]

Greetings,
Evidently the COVID risk is HIGH in Canada. As compared to what?


https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-3/coronavirus-canada

Ummm. Not the United States.

"Over the past week, more than 21,000 cases have been reported in Canada, national data on Monday showed. Meanwhile, more than 900,000 cases were recorded last week in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

Statistically, it is safer to go to Canada than remain in the US.

Please don't.

 

[dhays]

Ummm. Not the United States.

"Over the past week, more than 21,000 cases have been reported in Canada, national data on Monday showed. Meanwhile, more than 900,000 cases were recorded last week in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

Statistically, it is safer to go to Canada than remain in the US.

Please don't.

Location, location, location…..

I think it depends a lot on where you are. The US and Canada have about the same land area. I think the population of the US is about 9 times that of Canada. So population density on a national scale would much less in Canada which would make it safer.

Of course both countries are too big for national statistics to mean much. The US has huge internal regional differences in Covid rates base on population density and cultural factors. I would imagine that it is likely the same in Canada.

I would guess that rates in the city of Vancouver is likely to be a different than some of the less urbanized areas of Alberta.

Even so, I’m surprised that Canada has opened the border at all to US visitors. We seem to have a hard enough time complying with our own nations requests/orders for pandemic mitigation. I don’t think US citizens will be any better when we travel outside our country.

 

[Northern Spy]

Understand what you are saying Dave, but 42 times the number with 9 times the population and the same area still doesn't work out. Even if you break it down State by State and Province by Province by population, statistically the US has always had a higher rate.

Canada's worst rates have been historically mixed in with the United State's best rates. This chart is update daily on a running 7 day average and has for well over a year. It's a reflection of the perspective about how each country judges what is "acceptable".

PS: Alberta has been anchorman for quite a while...

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coron...vinces-rank-against-american-states-1.5051033

 

[BruceK]

Great discussion for now, but.......

 

[psneeld]

Covid has always been a local or at best a regional issue.

Herd immunity is not necessarily in the short term a global or national problem...it is much more regional or local in my estimation....and so far my predictions have blown the experts away.

Yes, long term we all might have it at some point, but how you perceive that concept and how it fits your life is the issue....

So following anything above regional or local case, hospitalization or death numbers hasn't worked since day 1.

 

[sunchaser]

Back to the topic - passing through BC following the current Arrive Canada app and 72 hour test seems to be working great. The stops we are making in BC shows great enthusiasm for the return of all boaters by marina owners. But, the marinas are not very busy given the ongoing protocols, especially the paucity of 72 hour testing locations in Washington that are boater centric.

 

[soin2la]

The stops we are making in BC shows great enthusiasm for the return of all boaters by marina owners. But, the marinas are not very busy…

The number of AK to WA boats through August has been rather surprising and raises the question; how/when did these boats travel north?

Added to that, most make a fairly hasty transit, bypassing those enthusiastic operators, raising more questions; why? Is it mostly unvaccinated, nondiscretionary travel?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. S2. "Is it mostly unvaccinated, nondiscretionary travel?" That's for the authorities to figure out IMO. One can only hope that the "wrong" persons don't show up at the wrong place at the wrong time.


Given the state of flux with this 4th wave I expect regulations to possibly change on a fairly frequent basis. It seems that the TF members who have posted have been acting in a responsible manner so....We wait....

 

[soin2la]

That's for the authorities to figure out IMO.

It seems that the TF members who have posted have been acting in a responsible manner…

I agree with both comments. The first being the reason for my pondering; did the authorities at the northern border deem many to be inadmissible for recreational purposes and therefore compelled to directly transit through? The second that most are not TF members.

 

[tiltrider1]

I know a lot of boaters who transited through to Alaska for the summer. They all had been vaccinated fully. Now they are transitioning straight back because they don’t want to deal with the paperwork and tests to formally enter Canada.

On the other hand I am currently sitting in the Gulf Islands with several USA boats. All of us crossed after Aug 9 and went through the ArriveCan app. We are all fully vaccinated and were tested negative before we arrived.

What I am seeing is 3/4 filled marinas but all the 60’ and up slips are now filled with newly arrived USA boats. The marinas are super happy to have us. The restaurants are supper happy to have us.

Not everyone is happy to see us. Why, I don’t know?

 

[soin2la]

Now they are transitioning straight back because they don’t want to deal with the paperwork and tests to formally enter Canada.

That seems to contradict ASD, Sunchaser and several others when they described a simple courteous and uncomplicated process. Will those same folks who snub a country gracious enough to allow safe passage, be the first to complain when the mom and pop marine stops are gone from lack of business?

I am currently sitting in the Gulf Islands with several USA boats. What I am seeing is 3/4 filled marinas. The marinas are super happy to have us. The restaurants are supper happy to have us.

Ganges and Montague are not typical of current BC coast operations as noted by Sunchaser and I’m not sure that ¾ filled marinas means anything, unless you know where those boats are from.