Taking your boat over the border? Not so fast! Dan and I towed my boat down yesterday with the intention of berthing it in my slip in Haines. After the usual questions at customs the officer said "Bad news - you can cross but the boat can't." He then informed me he found a number of 1 cm long mussels dried on the outboard leg. I explained they were from Haines Harbour and the Lynn Canal, the only place the boat's ever been. Nevertheless, he said you've got to go back and pressure wash them off. Then he asked us to come into the building where we sat for 2 hours while he took a photo with his pocket camera and called Alaska Fish & Wildlife and sent the pic via computer. When he finally reappeared he said "Worse news! They're zebra mussels; you must take it to Whitehorse and get it steam cleaned over 180 degrees F; bring the receipt proving this was done when you return, and then we will get an expert from Juneau to come up and inspect the boat before it moves on ............ may take 3 or 4 days." How do you spell apoplectic?
I pointed out from his brochure on zebra mussels that it says they're fresh water beasts (boat's never been in fresh water), you can kill them by drying boat at least 5 days (been out of water for 8 months at - 40 at times), and they don't exist west of the Mississippi (I've never been east of Juneau with the boat). He was unmoved ............. and not to be reasoned with. He also went to great pains to inform me a number of times how I would be fined zillions of $$$ if I tried to get through the border without meeting his requirements. Then he scooped my cruising permit and put all this info on the passport info customs gets when they scan. I asked him to to least send the sample to the expert lab rather than just the photo and then call me with the results when tested. Despite the fact not one vehicle passed through in the 2 hours we were there, he stated "I'm too busy to call you." When we turned back and explained the story to the Canada Customs guy, he said "I grew up on the Great Lakes and am very familiar with zebra mussels. Those ain't them! They don't have stripes for one thing.....".
This little pecadillo will probably run me about $1000 and 1000 km of hauling back and forth..
this was not my story but thought worth passing it along from a friend..
Robbie
I pointed out from his brochure on zebra mussels that it says they're fresh water beasts (boat's never been in fresh water), you can kill them by drying boat at least 5 days (been out of water for 8 months at - 40 at times), and they don't exist west of the Mississippi (I've never been east of Juneau with the boat). He was unmoved ............. and not to be reasoned with. He also went to great pains to inform me a number of times how I would be fined zillions of $$$ if I tried to get through the border without meeting his requirements. Then he scooped my cruising permit and put all this info on the passport info customs gets when they scan. I asked him to to least send the sample to the expert lab rather than just the photo and then call me with the results when tested. Despite the fact not one vehicle passed through in the 2 hours we were there, he stated "I'm too busy to call you." When we turned back and explained the story to the Canada Customs guy, he said "I grew up on the Great Lakes and am very familiar with zebra mussels. Those ain't them! They don't have stripes for one thing.....".
This little pecadillo will probably run me about $1000 and 1000 km of hauling back and forth..
this was not my story but thought worth passing it along from a friend..
Robbie
Customs went all through my FWC for an hour when I came back into the lower 48 after being in Alaska, got upset I had a Washington apple!
