CRUISING MATTERS

The latest news and views from the Cruising Association.

he CA as founded in speci cally to meet the needs of cruising sailors and provides services, information, help and advice to thousands of members orld ide For more information visit theca org uk

ntering leaving the French Channel Coast

With the 2022 cruising season upon us and the pandemic restrictions eased for travel, the appeal of crossing the channel to France is attractive for UK based sail and motor cruisers.

France has always welcomed foreign sailors, although Britain leaving the EU introduced a more formal process for arrival and departure requirements. The CA is pleased to share an update on the changes since early 2021, the current arrival and departure process and expectations for the future.

After the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, the process for a boat with non-EU citizens arriving from outside the EU to France was that arrival would need to be at a ‘Port of Entry’, so that French Border Police and/or French Customs could formally check in the boat and crew. French authorities hoped to simplify this by allowing an intended passage to be notifi ed by emailing a ‘Preavis Immigration/Notice of Immigration’ form in advance. This would allow arrival at any port and not require a designated port. Offi cials could then decide how best to process this information, often by meeting the boat shortly after arrival.

These forms started to appear on the websites for some ports, but not all. It then became apparent that the practicalities for French offi cials to go from port to port to check boat papers and stamp passports could be onerous, and so the number of ports included in the Port of Entry scheme was limited.

Under Review The outcome is that the entire process for checking into and out of France for leisure cruisers remains, as the CA understands it, under review as Brexit has highlighted a number of issues including the lack of Ports of Entry and a shortage of offi cials in the Ports of Entry.

However, with the imminent introduction of the new European EES (Entry/Exit System) and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), which come into effect towards the end of 2022 and early 2023 respectively, it seems unlikely there will be further changes of any signifi cance until that time.

The CA has kept members up-to-date on the protocols for arrival to and departure from France, based on information from French authorities, feedback from local representatives and from members who have shared fi rsthand experiences of the processes. We are also pleased to publicly share an overview of these currently effective updates on arriving and departing the French Channel coast with the broader cruising community.

Those intending to cross the channel from the UK to France should fi rst identify their favoured port for arrival. If this is not a Port of Entry, then check information from the port (or CA members can check the CA website) whether there are special arrangements for arrival with local Border Police (Police Aux Frontières - PAF) or Customs (Douane). This will usually be a link from the port’s website to a form usually named ‘Preavis Immigration’. If such a form is available, complete and email it in advance of the passage (24 hours or 48 hours if a weekend). On arrival, if you have not previously received a reply to your email, call the named local Port of Entry Border Police/Customs to ask for advice. They may then visit you on board.

If your chosen port does not have such a ‘Preavis Immigration’ form, you will need to select another arrival port that either has such a form or is an actual Port of Entry. Even with a Port of Entry it may speed up the process if you complete and email their form in advance; also keep an electronic copy of the form, a note of when it was sent and, if possible, a print-out. Be aware that many offi ces (PAF or Douane) are not close to the marinas. Also, many of these offi ces are not open 24 hours, or even offi ce hours as offi cials may also be checking commercial arrivals from ferries or even local airports. The skipper and all crew will need to see the offi cials so that identity can be verifi ed, and passports stamped. Boat papers may also be required to be presented.

In extreme situations such as stress of weather or other force majeure, these requirements may be overridden and any port entered with permission from the harbourmaster.

The offi cial Ports of Entry on the French Channel coast are (in order along the coast from east to west): Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Le Havre, Honfl eur, Caen/ Ouistreham, Cherbourg, Carteret, Granville, St Malo, St Brieuc/Légué and Roscoff.

Saint Cast and Saint Quay In addition, from 1 June - 30 September 2022 visitors arriving at the ports of Saint Cast and Saint Quay by sea from outside the EU may also submit a ‘Preavis Immigration’/Notice of Arrival form to avoid the need for passports to be stamped. The form must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of arrival or for shorter passages before departure from the previous port. The same process applies to departure. A copy of the ‘Preavis Immigration’/ Notice of Arrival form must be kept on board at all times. This dispensation applies uniquely to Saint Cast and Saint Quay, which are both on the north Brittany coast.

The same process should be followed for departure. It is even more important that passports are stamped on departure, to avoid a situation where you might appear to be overstaying in the Schengen zone with the risk of future entry being denied. As offi ces may not be open when you wish to depart, it is wise to plan around this or possibly offi cials will stamp you out in advance.

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Recording Orca nteractions Along he berian Peninsula

The Cruising Association and Groupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA - Atlantic Orca Working Group) have partnered to launch a new online reporting platform for sail and motor vessels to register orca interactions and sightings along the Iberian Peninsula, in order to better understand the orcas’ behaviour and identify ways to help skippers avoid interactions and reduce damage to their vessels.

The new phenomenon of orcas interacting with and often damaging small yachts and other vessels along the south and west coasts of Spain and Portugal commenced in 2020 and gathered pace in 2021. The behaviour is displayed over a period of several months (peaking between May to October) by a population of orcas that feeds on and follows the migration of tuna exiting the Mediterranean from the Strait of Gibraltar and heading west and north around the Iberian Peninsula. The orcas have been reported to touch, push and even pivot boats, which in some cases has resulted in damage at the stern, mainly to rudders.

Interactions have been reported to last for periods of up to two hours and current safety advice - www.theca.org. uk/orcas#safety-protocol - includes depowering and stopping the vessel, leaving the wheel/tiller free to turn and keeping a low profile on deck to make the interaction less interesting to the orcas.

The collaboration between the CA and GTOA will allow both organisations to leverage knowledge and examine what factors may increase or decrease the chances of an interaction, identify the skipper actions and mitigation measures which do and do not work, and in turn improve the currently available information resources and advice.

The online reporting form is in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish - www.theca.org.uk/orcas - and skippers are invited to submit their experience of when an orca interaction does or does not occur.

The CA has published summary data of the anonymised reporting forms – www.theca.org.uk/orcas/reports.For the project to succeed, the CA would like to receive reports on both an ‘interaction’ and an ‘uneventful passage’: Interaction - skippers who pass the Iberian Peninsula and have an orca ‘interaction’ (direct contact with the boat) at any time of the year are invited to complete the online reporting form: Uneventful passage - to create a meaningful comparison, skippers who pass the Iberian Peninsula and have an ‘uneventful passage’, but only during peak periods in the locations listed below, are invited to complete the online reporting form:

■ June - between Cadiz and Tarifa ■ July and August - between Cabo

Trafalgar and Tarifa ■ September - between Peniche and Faro ■ October - between La Coruna and Lisbon

Updated information on orca interactions and the skipper reporting forms are open to the entire boating community at theca.org.uk/orcas.