Plymouth to Porto

[ardcarp]

Our Breton friends who spent much time in semi-lockdown had to download a form* each time they left the house, and fill it in stating where they were going (shops, walking the dog, etc) and what time they would leave and return. Failure to carry the form meant a fine. Hope that doesn't happen to you, HD.

*Attestation de deplacement derogatoire. [Sorry no accents.]

[ardcarp]

The current post-Brexit arrangements...if they can be called such....are disastrous for yachties, that is, people who like to sail their own boats abroad. Maybe I'll not get much sympathy here, but a very cherished part of our life (sailing to Brittany each year) has been, er, scuppered. Nobody knows for certain what you have to do to be legal...and this is nothing to to with Covid. The yachting press and the Royal Yachting Association have been unable to get any information of substance, As things stand, a skipper has to inform 'The Border Force' (where, how?) when they leave UK waters by submitting a form with ridiculous amounts of detail on it for each crew member. You cannot then just turn up in any Schengen country and, for instance, drop an anchor. You have to have your passports stamped at an official Port of Entry. I believe Le Havre is the only one recognised so far for sailing boats in France. You then have to leave the country via a Port of Entry (Exit?). On re-entering the UK you have to fly the yellow quarantine flag (again, nothing to do with Covid), inform 'The Border Force' of your arrival, submit another form and await instructions before disembarking.

So it's not just our continental neighbours being bloody-minded, it's our lot as well. We are to some extent trapped in our own country; at least that's how it feels right now. Rant over, but still VERY frustrated. And still waiting to hear of one single concrete advantage gained by our leaving Europe.