I'm perhaps just missing something here, but why the pointed interest in keeping a cruising yacht (seemingly only) in Vancouver/Canada? Washington state recently passed (this past July) a law which, if I understand it correctly, allows cruising yachtsmen (who do not live in WA state nor own property here), to keep their boat in WA for up to 12 months without owing any sales/use tax. (I'm not sure; this may apply only to U.S vessels...but I don't recall reading that limiting stipulation.) Is there something I don't know about berthing in Vancouver that offers some benefit (aside from being 20-30 miles closer to British Columbia/Alaska cruising grounds) as compared to docking in Washington state? Rod Gibbons founder: Cruising Cats USA Seattle (also Portland, San Francisco & Hawaii)

Googling "Washington boat tax 12 month" Yields the following link: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/1002-S.H BR.pdf Which includes the statement: A use permit is valid for 12 consecutive months from the date of issuance and is nonrenewable So, great for one year, but not sustainable. The law appears to in large part be designed to enable WA dealers to sell boats to out of state residents and facilitate a year of tax fee use in WA. Combined with a 6 mo Canada cruising permit, and a trip to AK a buyer could enjoy 2 and a half years of tax fee use, then pay the tax on a depreciated boat. Scott Bulger, Alanui, N40II, Seattle Depart Wednesday for La Paz on the FUBAR

Good luck on trip south from San Diego, Scott. The adventure continues. As far as states and provinces go, they all want their tax money. In the end, you're either a sea gypsy (a term I like) who moves around enough and has tenuous enough ties to one place to legally avoid taxes (a grand tradition among real gypsies), or you pay someone's sales/use tax and be done with it. John Marshall On Nov 5, 2007, at 3:00 AM, Scott Bulger wrote: > Googling "Washington boat tax 12 month" > > > Yields the following link: > http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/1002-S.H > BR.pdf > > Which includes the statement: A use permit is valid for 12 > consecutive > months from the date of issuance and is nonrenewable > > So, great for one year, but not sustainable. > > The law appears to in large part be designed to enable WA dealers to > sell > boats to out of state residents and facilitate a year of tax fee use > in WA. > Combined with a 6 mo Canada cruising permit, and a trip to AK a > buyer could > enjoy 2 and a half years of tax fee use, then pay the tax on a > depreciated > boat. > > > Scott Bulger, Alanui, N40II, Seattle > Depart Wednesday for La Paz on the FUBAR > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/passagemaking-under-power > > To unsubscribe send email to > passagemaking-under-power-request@lists.samurai.com with the word > UNSUBSCRIBE and nothing else in the subject or body of the message. > > Passagemaking Under Power and PUP are trademarks of Water World > Productions, formerly known as Trawler World Productions.