Our first dilemma *sigh* - follow the bouncing ball...
16 January 2013
Anthem is a US registered Vessel and would have to be imported into Australia and registered either as an Australian vessel or just as a South Australian vessel.
We can't register it as an Australian vessel yet because it has to be cleared from the US register. We've sent in the Australian Ship registration papers but we can't complete the registration until we get the clearance from the US. Apart from this, we also have to register the boat in one of the States.
Different Australian states have different registration rules but all agree that a boat must be registered before it can be sailed in their waters and we've got to contend with a pretty nasty "Catch 22".
We can't register it in Queensland because we are not residents in Queensland.
We can't register it in South Australia because all newly registered vessels have to be inspected by a "boat code agent" who checks that the description matches the boat and puts a HIN number on the boat. So, we have to register the boat but we can't actually do it.
The best we can do is register it in SA just before Dave leaves for Brisbane to sail her home and we then have 21 days to get it inspected by a boat code agent.
Apparently, NSW have the same boat code system so he should be able to get it inspected in a NSW port. But if the weather takes a bad turn for the worse, he might not make it and if that happens, the SA registration lapses and there may be a financial penalty like having to register it again or something.
My brain hurts!!