Trawler Blogs

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece while we are still home in New Zealand.
Our last posting set the scene on Med cruising regulations and discussed those affecting the vessel – now we discuss those impacting the skipper and crew.

When cruising there are many idyllic scenes like this but to sleep well you need to understand the pertinent regulations

Nearly all countries place limits on the time you are allowed to stay in their waters, and this surprises the cruising community considering the large sums spent on provisions, repairs and maintenance, marinas and internal travel etc. As hefty fines are imposed on overstaying cruisers it’s important to be aware of these time limitations.

Turkey is a great destination but allows visits of only 90 days

Since 2012 Turkey allows visitors to stay for only 90 days in any 180 day period but this limitation can be overcome by taking a berthage contract with a recognised marina and arranging through the marina for a residency permit.
Several other Med countries including France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain are signatories to the Schengen Treaty which allows non-EU passport holders from most countries including Australia to spend up to 90 days out of a 6 month period in the signatory countries. This is rather limiting as it means you can only spend 90 days cumulatively in these signatory countries not 90 days in each one. Fortunately for Kiwis the rules are slightly different and we are allowed to spend up to 90 days in each signatory country. The good news for Aussies and others is that the time limitation is currently being reviewed with the objective of changing it to what Kiwis currently enjoy; 90 days in each signatory country – and this will make cruise planning much simpler.
In the meantime there are some ways around this; one is that if you have a UK or other EU passport the Schengen limitation doesn’t apply.
Another is to spend the allowable 90 days in signatory countries, then 90 days in non-signatory countries (like Albania, Croatia, Montenegro or Turkey) and then return to signatory countries.
Another is to cruise in countries which are nominally Schengen Treaty signatories but don’t seem to enforce it among cruisers, however there is a risk that some over-zealous official could provide problems.
Another option is to try to use an exemption for cruising vessel skippers and crews, which is generally available provided that you arrive and depart aboard the vessel (not for example by air). In this case you don’t get your passports stamped on entry and exit and you can cruise for up to six months in the selected country (we have used this system in Greece and Italy). However there are complications to this; you probably need to do this through an agent who understands this “loophole”, you must only sleep aboard the vessel (not ashore) and may not undertake any inland travel away from immediate harbour areas except after obtaining a special permit from the harbourmaster. The latter condition is frequently ignored but a problem could result if you were involved in some form of incident away from the harbour area without permission.
In some countries (for example Greece, Italy) when you enter a harbour or marina you are supposed to see the Port Police, submit your ship’s documents and have your Transit Log stamped at a cost ranging from nothing to Euro 50 (NZ$72), depending on the port. If you are only anchoring you are still supposed to periodically report to the Port Police, and to advise them of any crew changes. In our experience this only applies to new crew arriving, not leaving.
Using agents 
Some countries, for example Turkey and Croatia, require cruisers to employ an agent to handle clearing-in and out and this generally costs about 100 to 150 Euros (NZ$145 to 217 for each). We often use agents regardless as they handle the process quickly without the lengthy delays and hassles that are usually otherwise encountered, they often know how to circumvent overly onerous regulations and they have good contacts that can assist in solving any problems encountered along the way.
Documentation summary 
When clearing-in, clearing-out, entering a marina or harbour and when being boarded by authorities you will need to show various of the following documents (originals not photo copies):
– Passports; always
– Registration Certificate; always
– Proof of Insurance; nearly always
– Cruising Log relevant to that country; always unless clearing-in when this log is purchased at that time
– Crew List; nearly always
– Skipper’s Certificate of Competency; often, although it doesn’t appear to matter what level of qualification is held
– Proof of payment of harbour dues; sometimes required for departure
– Radio Station License; rarely
– Radio Operators License; rarely
– Proof of VAT status; we have never been asked for this
– Ships Log; we have never had to show this
We have always provided authorities with English language documents and have never been required to provide translated copies. It’s also a good idea to have an official looking ink stamp made up showing your vessel name and registration details to stamp onto official documents and in some cases this is mandatory.

When cruising in the Med different countries are sometimes tantalisingly close together and it’s a big temptation to cruise for example from the Turkish mainland to a nearby Greek island for a few days and then back to Turkey without worrying about any documentation.

The Greek island of Kastellorizon is only a few hundred metres from the Turkish south coast, but theoretically you need to clear-in to Greece to visit there

Although many vessels do this, it’s not legally possible to do so and in the above case it’s necessary to clear-out of Turkey, clear-in to Greece, then later clear-out of Greece and finally clear-in back to Turkey – all of which is both expensive and time consuming. Local authorities rarely pay much attention to visiting sailing yachts (they all look much the same don’t they!) whereas visiting motor vessels do seem to attract their interest, so more care is needed.
If you want to enjoy your cruising to the full, sleep well at night and avoid potentially expensive problems with authorities it’s a good idea to be fully conversant with applicable regulations.