For Folks In The PNW

What do the Folks that plan to spend the summer exploring the waters of British Columbia do about taking liquor with them to last the length of the trip? I know liquor is expensive so can you buy liquor at duty-free stores or pay duty tax when you check in at the border? Or hope you don't get caught.?

Thanks JD

Pieyed47 said:

What do the Folks that plan to spend the summer exploring the waters of British Columbia do about taking liquor with them to last the length of the trip? I know liquor is expensive so can you buy liquor at duty-free stores or pay duty tax when you check in at the border? Or hope you don't get caught.?

Thanks JD

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You can legally take in a limited amount of liquor, beer or wine. But why not buy in BC? No shortage of booze outlets there.

Take your legal limit, approximately 1/5 per person, then buy your beer and wine in B.C.

Alcohol and hand guns are just about the only things Canadian Customs seem to care about. You can load up in the US, try clearing through Bedwell Harbor, hope that there are no custom agents on duty so you can clear by phone. If the agents are there you can declare the alcohol pay the tax(of course you will already have paid us tax so now you paid more than if you bought it in BC)but if you mess things up you are now a smuggler, your contraband is confiscated, you get a big fine and entry to Canada could be refused. Tax savings is probably not worth all the risks.

Pieyed47 said:

What do the Folks that plan to spend the summer exploring the waters of British Columbia do about taking liquor with them to last the length of the trip? I know liquor is expensive so can you buy liquor at duty-free stores or pay duty tax when you check in at the border? Or hope you don't get caught.?

Thanks JD

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Here is one reference. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/atl-lat-eng.html

The limits are per-person. So you can bring 1 of the following per person:
1 bottle of liquor
2 bottles of wine
24 bottles/cans of beer.

So depending on how much you plan to drink and how long you are there, I would suggest just purchasing it in Canada.

There is no way I would hope to not get caught. Chances are you won’t be inspected on entry, but it can happen. I would not want to risk being barred from Canada because I intentionally flouted their laws.

Also, Canadians are nice folks. BC is a nice place to visit. I don’t mind buying fuel, beer, wine, liquor, food, etc... from BC establishments. It may cost me a bit more at times, but it supports the economy that is supporting my boating endeavors.

<<...chances are you won't get caught>>

Several years ago I noticed two guys with very long faces standing at the customs pier alongside their condo-yacht. Nearby was a couple uniformed guys with clipboards and handtrucks piled high with cartons of what I assumed was untaxed booze.

Support the Canadian economy, buy as you go.

I have found good craft beer hard to find, this year ill probably focus my exemption on Alaska Amber.

Booze and ANY guns are a problem, not just hand guns. ANY gun. Years ago when working on tugs that transited the IP without stopping, we had all manner of guns on the boat, knowing we weren't stopping till we got to AK. But one time one of the boats had to slide into Rupert for some reason, the boys in blue came down, found a .22 pistol, and promptly put the boat and crew under arrest for it. They were all let go soon enough but the pistol remained.

Good advice Dave and you have my thanks for supporting BC business.

I personally know of one case where the folks did not declare the correct amount of alcohol . Needless to say they were caught and the alcohol was taken. Now every time they cross the border they are searched .

I drove to Alaska in 2015 and took a 12 gauge with me. It's really not that big of deal as long as you declare it at the border. You can get the form off the internet, fill it out ahead of time, and present it at the border. There is also a fee. Hand guns are another story. Also remember to declare your bear spray. The canister must say bear spray on it otherwise is not legal to take.

You may think you made it through customs only to find yourself checked by the RCMP a few days later. One year I was checked 3 times. Twice while at marinas and once while anchored out.

The customs folks are experts at telling if someone is lying. It's not worth it.

Hand Guns and Assualt rifles are a no go. Hunting rifles and Shot guns are no big deal if you declare then.

Right. But you don't just show up at the border without paperwork for them and say, I'm off to AK. I know a guy who did that recently with a shotgun without paperwork in hand, they denied him entry with it so he surrendered it and was allowed in.

The problem is that the wine sold in BC is terrible! I don't mean the wine MADE in BC, the Okanagan has many great wines, but the wine sold in the government stores on the Gulf Islands is a joke. Weird Argentine Malbec blends and insipid Australian reds with funny names predominate along with the blandest of California megawineries. We looked on Salt Spring, in Nanaimo, and a couple of other towns with similar results, or lack thereof.....

The next year we broke down and imported a couple of cases from home and just paid the duty. At least then we could have a bottle at dinner worthy of the views out the salon windows and that did justice to the fresh seafood.

Let me rephrase the post, Has anyone brought in more liquor than the allowed amount but declared it at the border check and paid the tax, or has anyone waited to purchase liquor at a duty-free liquor store in BC?

One OK way of stretching your supply beyond the stated limits is to open several bottles of booze, drink a little from each before you leave US and declare them as “ship’s stores”. Never causes a problem according to reputable people who regularly cruise PNW Canadian waters and also lead cruise groups up there. Of course, they are not talking about cases of opened bottles. Be straight forward, honest and enjoy the fabulous scenery. Canadian customs officials are much friendlier than their US counterparts. Bedwell Harbor and it’s friendly telephone is a good idea. Just be prepared for an uptight greeting when you return through
US Customs.

Pieyed47 said:

What do the Folks that plan to spend the summer exploring the waters of British Columbia do about taking liquor with them to last the length of the trip?

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Wifey B: Can carry all the liquor we need in a thimble. We do carry some champagne on board. Anything else we'd consume would be in a restaurant.

BandB said:

Wifey B: Can carry all the liquor we need in a thimble. We do carry some champagne on board. Anything else we'd consume would be in a restaurant.

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Heck, I am thinking about making my own. Where I am going restaurants are few and far between, and so are many other things. I am Irish get my drift. I like hanging on the edge.

Pieyed47 said:

Heck, I am thinking about making my own. Where I am going restaurants are few and far between, and so are many other things. I am Irish get my drift. I like hanging on the edge.

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Wifey B: Get your drift. Booze just isn't important to us.

Not to hijack this thread, but thought I would add my take on wine. As a former Production Supervisor of a Sonoma County winery (Kenwood Winery) I would like to comment on California wines - wine is a product of "Mother Nature" - it is not like making Coca Cola or Budweiser - you are given what the Harvest gives you. As Mike Lee the original owner of Kenwood said "Mark - you can make bad wine out of good grapes, but you cannot make good wine out of bad grapes. Every year will be different. Had people ask "do you have any sweet red wine" ? I answered " I hope not" !! I'm a red wine fan and my wife is a white wine fan - cannot go wrong with Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc (Mike's specialty), and a great price point. I bottled 140,000 cases of it one year. Now I am on a Malbec kick, and a great one is Red Schooner 3rd Voyage (4th Voyage is also out). Grapes come from Argentina and the wine is made by Caymus in Napa. Believe me, you do not have to pay big bucks for good wine. Wine in a box is a great deal (Australia/New Zealand) - no oxygen intrusion to spoil the wine - no "corked" wine and a lot of volume in a small space. My 2 cents.

BobnDoc said:

One OK way of stretching your supply beyond the stated limits is to open several bottles of booze, drink a little from each before you leave US and declare them as “ship’s stores”. Never causes a problem according to reputable people who regularly cruise PNW Canadian waters and also lead cruise groups up there. Of course, they are not talking about cases of opened bottles. Be straight forward, honest and enjoy the fabulous scenery. Canadian customs officials are much friendlier than their US counterparts. Bedwell Harbor and it’s friendly telephone is a good idea. Just be prepared for an uptight greeting when you return through
US Customs.

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It also helps when declaring multiple opened bottles of liquor as "ship's stores" when you happen to be a liveaboard.

BobnDoc said:

One OK way of stretching your supply beyond the stated limits is to open several bottles of booze, drink a little from each before you leave US and declare them as “ship’s stores”. Never causes a problem according to reputable people who regularly cruise PNW Canadian waters and also lead cruise groups up there. Of course, they are not talking about cases of opened bottles. Be straight forward, honest and enjoy the fabulous scenery. Canadian customs officials are much friendlier than their US counterparts. Bedwell Harbor and it’s friendly telephone is a good idea. Just be prepared for an uptight greeting when you return through
US Customs.

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True. I get a much warmer reception going into Canada than I do returning home to the US. I don't mind enforcement of the laws and regulations, but it wouldn't hurt them to at least pretend to be friendly.

Pieyed47 said:

Let me rephrase the post, Has anyone brought in more liquor than the allowed amount but declared it at the border check and paid the tax, or has anyone waited to purchase liquor at a duty-free liquor store in BC?

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Has anyone ever used one of these Canadian forms?
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/e311-eng.pdf

You can bring in extra alcohol, declare it and pay the duty. You will want to clear through a maned check point or you might get stuck waiting hours for customs to show up. There is no duty free stores on the water. You can drive up and hit a duty free store.

Trying the open bottle trick will help you get an extra liter through. Canadian customers has seen it all before and they won’t let you get away with four open bottles each missing one drink.

When you cross on Nexus you make a call and get a clearance number. You never see the customs people. But some day some were you will get checked and if you are trying to pull a fast one they will make you pay.

BobnDoc said:

One OK way of stretching your supply beyond the stated limits is to open several bottles of booze, drink a little from each before you leave US and declare them as “ship’s stores”. Never causes a problem according to reputable people who regularly cruise PNW Canadian waters and also lead cruise groups up there. Of course, they are not talking about cases of opened bottles. Be straight forward, honest and enjoy the fabulous scenery. Canadian customs officials are much friendlier than their US counterparts. Bedwell Harbor and it’s friendly telephone is a good idea. Just be prepared for an uptight greeting when you return through
US Customs.

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Ok I have had first hand experience with the "Ship Stores" thing. First year we crossed into Canada, I gave them a listing of every drop of adult beverages and cigars.

Based on the advice from a very good Canadian I now do this and have not had any issues (Kind of).

I am a NEXUS card holder.

When I call in to Canadian customs I tell them what I have on board. Last year it was five 5ths of scotch, 5 gallon jugs of scotch, 3 bottles of Pendleton (so my buddy Crusty would have something to drink), 18 bottles of wine and 100 cigars.

Then I state this is ALL SHIP STORES AND FOR PRIVATE USE ONLY!!

Most of the time I pass through customs with no issues, unless you get a customs person from Ottawa. The don't know where the west coast of BC is let alone anything else.

Last summer, as I was crossing Dixon entrance heading south, I got a very young customs official. I think he was still on a sippy cup.

I told him the above and he started the "drill" with me. So here is how it went down:

CC: Sir, where was the wine made and the cost of each bottle?
Me: Most of the wine is from Oregon and Washington and cost on average about $12.
CC: Really $12? It wasn't more?
Me: OK, $20
CC: You have how much scotch?
Me: Enough to get through Canada. five-5ths and 5 gal jugs.
CC: Where was the scotch made?
Me: Huh, where was it made?
CC: Yes sir.
Me: (in my scotchish voice) It was made in Scotland lass. No one else knows how to make scotch!!
CC: Excuse me sir? You do know you will have to pay duty, right?

I then asked: You are aware this is ALL SHIP STORES AND FOR PRIVATE USE ONLY?

CC: Please hold

A few minutes later:

CC: I apologize sir, here is your customs number. Have a great day!!

I had the BC customs go through the boat for about 2 hours one day at Bedwell. They counted every drop of booze, including an errant beer bottle up front in the pantry or in the frig door that my wife left behind. They did not have any leeway for ship stores, so before you take that advice, be prepared to stand for it at the docks. In the end I was not over significantly and they let me go. Very polite those Canadians, even when going through with a fine tooth comb. Single guy on a 48foot boat, not traveling exclusively with friends raised their suspicions.

And just my luck, that one bottle of Pendleton should have put ASD over the threshold, LOL.
I’m not really aware of a duty free liquor store in BC when on the boat. They are very proud of the price they charge for all Liquor. And more so at locations that are not BC liquor, they have to buy it at the state price, then shipping and profit are thrown in. I recall a case of Bud was $55 Canadian, just about filled my shorts.
Take what you think you need, declare and be honest. Canadian customs is so much better than US Customs.
We have taken in many “Open” containers and several sealed ones, just declared as “ships store’s” and told the truth, no issues. I was more concerned with my cigars, never found them in Canada. We just accepted the higher cost as a means to support the local economy.
A side note. Liquor and tobacco products are taxed heavily in Canada, they call it the “Sin Tax” and is supposed to be for the “Provided Health Care program” . Or so we were told.
The BC boating is some of the best in the world, you wont regret it!
Cheers!

Two trips through customs once passing through to Alaska and once last week. For my Alaska trip, I brought a bunch of liquor, bar stock, beer, rum, scotch. Much more than my 1.5 liters. No issues when passing at bell harbor. I detailed it out, he said I’m sure you are not drinking that all in Canada. I agreed and moved on. No issues no check.

Last trip, talked to someone in eastern Canada on phone (clearing in Victoria). I had the following (still have it written down in notes on phone) “Whisky 3/4
Scotch full
Scotch 1/4
Scotch 1/2
Scotch 3/4
Whisky full
Whisky full
Vodka full
Vodka 1/2
Vodka full
Grand marnier full
Gin 1/2
Cognac full
Jagermeister 1/2
Rum 3/4”

All listed at 750ml (and fullness). I called it bar stock and he did not even want to list it all out.

I used to worry...now I don’t bother with removing.

When entering Canada they were concerned about guns and fruit. Had no guns but needed to surrender a couple of pieces of fruit. On the return, the only concern was fruit.

Wine47 said:

Not to hijack this thread, but thought I would add my take on wine. As a former Production Supervisor of a Sonoma County winery (Kenwood Winery) . My 2 cents.

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Thanks for your 2 cents and I agree we have found some very good wines reasonably priced including some great Malbecs for me and some whites from New Zealand Marlboro region

Geez, after reading this thread my liver is getting sore.

Liquor in BC

As live-aboards we have let them know we have some open liquor and it has not been a big deal. We have not taken advantage of this, and it does seem to be based on the customs person you get - without any clear rule.

If you have particular taste we would recommend declaring it and paying the duty. Here is a link to more information about the limits that apply. Note that if you want to declare and pay it will be the duty and local tax and you need to arrange this before crossing the border.

Travellers - Alcohol and Tobacco Limits

If you do what we do, and it just accept these limits and support the local economies, you can go to Ganges in the Gulf Islands. There is a large grocery store and liquor store within 200 feet of the dinghy dock. You can stock up and roll a grocery cart right to the dinghy.

Enjoy,

Jim and Rosy
M/V Sea Venture
http://www.youtube.com/cruisingseaventure
cruisingseaventure@gmail.com

Greetings,
Re: Post #29. Evidently, sometime this summer you will also be able to get ganga in Ganges....Just sayin'