Smuggling into Curacao

Dear readers, you may or may not have noticed, but the Caribbean Hurricane Season is finally over, officially as of the 30th November. This means that the insurance restrictions on sailing boats are removed and we are free once again to roam the seas.

With this in mind and after our 3-month trip around Europe we returned to Curacao on the 3rd of November. In tow, we had our usual baggage and the jib sail that was repaired in Europe by “Dekker Watersports”. We thought nothing of it as we made our way through customs, but as luck would have it, the customs officer in charge seemed to think that we were smuggling (or at least trying to smuggle) a used and repaired sail past her eagle eyes. Although it looked quite new due to the UV protection repair, we could show that in fact it has been used, and was not so new. We explained it was within our status of “Boat in Transit” for VAT exclusion, but Madame authority would not have it as she insisted that we should have officially exported the sail (with the correct paperwork) and without this, we needed to pay the 20% VAT on the repair cost as we brought it back into the country.

The bill was somewhere deep within our baggage, and so we could not proof how much we had spent. The officer said that she would keep the sail (not sure what good it would do her) until we came back with the repair bill and the correct paperwork from a customs broker. With this, we could show that we had had correctly paid the VAT that was due in Curacao and take re-possession of our sail.

As we had arrived on a Saturday, it was not until Monday that we could go to our regular customs broker (Cavalier).  They had just successfully imported a large package for us from the Netherlands (VAT Free) and asked them what we could do. The customs broker insisted that the customs official was correct and we had to pay the VAT over the repair cost. Our suggestion that our status as “Boat in Transit” should make us exempt from the taxes was swept aside as if we knew nothing and we were told clearly that we needed to pay the Curacao VAT. Begrudgingly we did this and in return we received the paperwork to show VAT was correctly paid.  With the new document from the customs broker we could return to customs at the airport and retrieve our sail.

At customs, a kindly, older senior officer looked at our paperwork and Ingrid explained what had happened. She said she could not understand why VAT was due, though we respect their laws and we pay what we owe. The officer took a look at the paperwork and said that we were actually correct and VAT was not due. However, we needed to go back to the customs broker to get the paperwork done correctly otherwise if he accepted this document we had given him, we would not be able to get our money back. In addition to help us, the officer called the customs broker and told them they were doing an incorrect job and needed to sharpen up and get the paperwork done according to the regulations !

Returning to the customs broker there was no apology just a “French” shrug of the shoulders (by a young Dutch lady) and the paperwork was returned to us, correctly completed, no comment, no apology, nothing. How would we like our refund she asked, cash (Antillean Guilders) or just a reversal on the credit card – we opted for the reversal of the credit card payment for simplicity.

Returning to the airport (second time today) we managed to pick up our repaired sail, for only the cost of a document provided by the broker. We then received a call from the broker to say that they could not reverse the credit card payment and could we come to their office to pick up some cash (Antillean Guilders).

We did feel like a yoyo that day with 2 trips to the airport and 2 trips to the customs broker, but we were successful in getting our sail in, under “Ship in Transit” with no VAT and only a lot of frustration with unhelpful customs and not very sharp customs brokerage. However, many thanks to the kindly senior customs officer who kept everyone straight – at least 1 person knew what they were doing.

It was quite a shocking arrival back to Curacao for us, but this is not the first time that the 4 P’s; patience, politeness, persistence and perseverance (in the face of many faceted officialdom) has brought us a good and correct final outcome – without ending up in jail as a smuggler !

A few days after our arrival in Curacao the boat was returned to the water at Curacao Marine Zone (CMZ), which meant that we had time to install our summer purchases and prepare the boat for our return crossing to Europe in the Spring of 2025. Essentially, we have about 6 months of sailing on the boat and we wanted to enjoy all of our comforts and benefits.

Purchasing and Shipping from The Netherlands, via our transit agent in Curacao allowed us to buy VAT free and with import duties for a “Ship in Transit” resulted in quite an economic solution. We loaded up our shipment with soft bedding and rigid solar panels, plus a few odds and ends that we thought we may need. This all worked so well that we could not really understand our earlier problems with bringing in our sail through customs.

Our major purchase was a new, custom shaped hexagonal mattress that was manufactured by “Neptune”, near Medemblik. We bought the mattress for its softness with a breathability that was designed to keep us cool and perspiration free in the warm and balmy Caribbean nights.

Installation, that included a topper, slats below for an extra spring and a custom shaped fitted sheet was a little sweaty in itself, but the end result of a more comfortable sleep outweighed the effort needed. This was an excellent choice that we have not regretted the expense since our first night. In addition, making up the bed in the morning with its fitted sheet saves me at least 10 minutes a day, meaning that I can spend 10 minutes more in bed !

Also, we have a new Swimming Platform that was designed and installed by Pedro the local CMZ carpenter and his colleague, the stainless-steel welder. We thought that the little scoop we have on the back of the boat was just insufficient for lounging, getting on and off the dinghy, showering in the evening and just sitting comfortably with our feet dangling in the water.

This swimming platform has changed all this, with a solid and practical design that does all and more than what we had hoped for. We currently use it many times a day as we hang out on our mooring buoy in our own spot of turquoise paradise and feel blessed.

The 4 x 210-watt solar panels took a little more time to install, but we enjoy their benefits. It was not because it was a difficult job – most of the cables were already run and the stainless steel railings for mounting had already been added last year. I was just a little cautious as I could not imagine how 4 large panels of 10kg weight each would react while sailing and what the effect of the wind would be on them. My worst nightmare would be a bumpy sea with strong winds, 4 unhappy, unstable solar panels that needed to be attended to whilst trying to sail.

The plan therefore was to take one step at a time. Firstly, two solar panels were installed in the marina as solidly as possible. Step 1, with the assistance and ideas from Thomas on SY Jobber, who had done this before, was a great success. The panels were on NOA supports and had an extra stainless-steel support that kept them horizontal at all times. Each side of the boat was on a separate circuit so that if one side was in the shade, due to the position of the sun, then the other side would be unaffected by those shadows.

The marina setup was good, but would they be stable whilst sailing ?  – this was the next step in the process.

We had planned to sail from Curacao to Bonaire, so this 8-hour journey was an ideal time to check-out their stability. At the start the panels were cautiously fixed on their “closed position” until we were out in the open sea and conditions were looking good. Both panels were set in a horizontal position as we motored along the length of Curacao. At the bottom of the island, the wind was favourable to allow us to sail towards Bonaire, so we changed our course from south east to north east.

Due to the gentle heel of the boat, from the wind on our starboard side, the starboard solar panel was no longer horizontal but was at a high angle that did not catch the sun. I adjusted the panel to the new horizontal position with some shorter supports and all went well for the rest of the sail, with an apparent wind of about 15 – 20 kts and about 1 metre waves.

As this sea trial was a great success and I was happy with the stability of the panel on each side, I decided to advance to step 3 and add the additional two panels with the same support system.

Therefore, we now have 4 x 210-watt solar panels as “wings” on the side in addition to the 420-watt panel at the back. I removed the smaller 3 x 120-watt solar panels that were on the back as their contribution to the service battery bank charging was almost zero.

With all the solar panels in place, I seem to have all the power – as long as the sun keeps shining!

We have been on a mooring buoy for over 21 days and I have not needed to run the engine to charge the batteries. We have been cooking on a mixture of gas and electric, have two fridges running and run the water maker every other day. It took a long while to get to this position, but finally I feel that we are free to be off grid and self-sufficient with all the power and fresh water that we require. Input power peaks at +35 amps during the day and even with the low winter sun we charge up to 80-90% by the end of the day, depending on our usage during the day. Until now, I have never seen a 100% battery charge by the time the sun goes down and when I saw the battery charge at 100% for the first time I was over joyed. Yes, these additional panels were a great investment for our cruising lifestyle.

The only “final” test will be to see the stability of the 4 panels whilst sailing under rougher and windier conditions, but I am confident that this will be successful.

Hanging cool on our mooring buoy is a real pleasure here in Bonaire. The water is warm and unbelievably clear, so swimming and snorkelling 1 or 2 times a day is a part of our daily routine. We do need to go to the marina on a weekly basis to pump out our black water tanks, but this is our only obligation. Fresh food is available with a short bike ride to the supermarket, bakery or fishmonger.

However, we have a longer-term plan that requires us to get our Ocean Deva and ourselves back to Europe. Ocean Deva needs to return to keep her EU VAT status, hence we have decided returning to Europe and move on with our new projects and adventures.

The VAT story is not complex, but nobody can explain the reasoning behind the rules and regulations, other than governments wanting to tax and make money out of its population. It is enough to drive any man to a cocktail in a Caribbean location - for about 3 years.

Our British flagged boat was in the EU (Brest, France) on the 31st of December 2020. As it was already German VAT paid, we could keep our EU VAT status by virtue of its location. The “problem” is that once a boat leaves the EU, it needs to return to the EU within 3 years to maintain this VAT paid status, otherwise VAT would have to be paid again. As we left the EU in January 2023, the boat must be back in the EU by January 2026, so returning during 2025 is the only option to avoid additional taxes. The return “importation” to Europe needs to be done by the same person who exported the boat, so we cannot sell the boat outside the EU and maintain its VAT paid status.

There are many rumours and stories that VAT exemption can be reset in French or Dutch Caribbean Islands (as they are a part of the EU), but this is not the case and we or/and any prospective buyer do not want to risk having to pay VAT again.

Our original plan was to sail the boat back departing St. Maarten in May 2025 and arriving to the Netherlands by mid July. On reflection, we thought that this was maybe quite late in the summer season to arrive and if there were any repairs necessary then the boat may even miss the European summer sailing season.

Yes, the boat is now officially “For Sale” with our broker De Valk in the Netherlands. Marc, from the brokerage, is busy bringing together people who may be interested in owning such a splendid ship as Ocean Deva. Saying goodbye to our Deva will not be easy, but we have no doubts that the future new owners will enjoy her and in return she will take good care of them !

We have therefore opted to ship the boat back with Seven Star Shipping from St Thomas, The US Virgin Islands to IJmuiden, The Netherlands in April 2025. This way the boat will be in The Netherlands by the beginning of May at the latest, before the summer sailing season gets under way. From IJmuiden we will sail the boat to the De Valk brokerage in Zeeland, where she will be available for visits.

We thought that it was sensible to avoid wear and tear of an Ocean Crossing by using a ship’s transport and have an early arrival in Europe.

This leaves us with a few months to get to St. Thomas for April and to enjoy our last season on Ocean Deva. Our plan is to hang cool here until after Christmas and then when there is a suitable weather window with good wind direction and comfortable sailing conditions, we will head up towards BVI and US VI. We plan to relish our time in this area and then be ready to “hop on” to our ship to Europe within a few days’ notice of its loading day.

All plans are written in sand at low tide, so we are curious to see how all this actually works as things often change from day to day. They say a week is a long time in politics, it is the same for life on a sailing boat !

From Hurricane Season we have drifted into our Christmas Caribbean Season. The decorations are up, like in any European City, with lights, reindeer, Santa Claus’ and all the Christmas festivities. We have celebrated the meeting of friends who head off from Bonaire into different directions around the Caribbean. We also celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary – and thanks for all of your best wishes !

The turquoise waters are just delicious for cooling off, swimming and snorkelling. The sunsets are magnificent and we have been fortunate enough to see 3 green flashes in 2 weeks – one of which, with Dan and Alex was probably the best ever.

A little diving, when we are not cleaning, polishing, fixing things or resting, with an underwater Christmas lighting bonanza 5 days after the full moon when the ostracods came out to play.

What a privileged life we have ! Though with privileges we also have obligations – like the occasional rescue of a dinghy that is out of fuel or an overconfident cat that cant pickup a mooring buoy. Ocean Deva to the rescue again.

Tomorrow it is Christmas Eve and we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year with lots of fun, health and above all the love of your close ones.