[Paddlewise] Travel tips: USA/CA

Without making any statistical inference here, I'm posting my experience
crossing the U.S./Canadian border by car over the last two weekends, with a
Feathercraft (purchased nine months ago in NYC) in the trunk, near Niagara
Falls.

Canadian Customs?  No issues.  Just a few questions about our destination,
purpose, and whether we were importing any illegal firearms, etc..

U. S. Customs?  Again, no issues.  Just a request to remove my sunglasses
and to present identification.  The official then associated individually
our four U. S. passports with the four passengers in our car, and asked a
few more questions, including how long we had been in Canada, whether we
purchased any items there, how much money was in our possession, and my
birthplace.

Prior to crossing the border for the first time, I had "car-topped" my kayak
on the way to paddling Canadice Lake in western New York.  The Achilles Heel
of the Thule "Hull-a-Port," a plastic bracket that mounts the metal,
J-shaped boat rack onto the car's rectangular (metal) load bar, broke in
transit -- perhaps from the stress of a tightly screwed bolt, or the air
turbulence in a region where the average driving speed seems to be about 80
m.p.h.-- and made a small "bang."  Fortunately, I had tied bow and stern
lines to the car in addition to strapping the mid-section of the kayak to
the rack.  The sight of a misaligned bow line told me immediately that
something was wrong, and I was able to pull to the shoulder of the road and
discover the break before any further damage could occur.

My humble conclusions: (1) If you have plenty of time to spare before your
trip (and nothing more important to do), you can request, from the web-site
of the U. S. Customs Service, a form to itemize your possessions before
departing the U. S..  (This form is delivered by "snail-mail" and it must be
notarized after completed.)  Then you may present it upon your return to the
U. S. to avoid questions about duties paid on your kayak, laptop computer,
camera, etc..  For the majority of people who do not do this, I suspect that
the sight of a used kayak, coupled with a sales receipt or credit card
statement showing proof of purchase will satisfy the officials at the
border.

(2) The importance of bow and stern lines on a "car-topped" kayak cannot be
underestimated.  (Thank goodness for the foldability of the Feathercraft,
which saved considerable time and hassle after the break.)

(3) Security at the U. S./Canadian border after 9/11 is not significantly
different now, at least when compared to the conditions in NYC, so it
doesn't matter whether you "cartop" your foldable or bring it in the trunk.
Just this morning, while I was setting up my boat to commute from 125th St.
to lower Manhattan, a motorist on the West Side Highway reported to the
police that a scuba diver was about to enter the Hudson the the GW Bridge.
(I was wearing a wetsuit.)  The police officers who appeared on the scene
(two had already been stationed there when I arrived) were somewhat amused
and very polite, as was the Daily News photographer who had been listening
to the radio dispatch.  But, I'd have to say, considering there are no
security restrictions on the shore of West Harlem (of which I am aware),
most people do not consider 125th St. to be close to the GW Bridge, and a
sole wetsuit does not constitute a Self-Contained, Underwater Breathing
Apparatus, it was an enlightening experience for me.

Emile Zen
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