[PUP] Trinidad to Charleston

[Robert Phillips]

< When we took "the Horse" back to the States we did a 3-day  
rhumbline  from
Boca del  Monos to Cruz Bay, St. John. There, we checked in with  US
Immigration, overnighted and exactly 7 days later on the rhumbline we   
made landfall at
Beaufort, NC.  >

Clearing in the USVI only clears you through Immigration for the rest  
of the US, not Customs.  The USVI is a separate Customs territory,  
being duty free, and you still have to clear again if entering any  
other parts of the US.  We have to do this when going from USVI to  
Puerto Rico and it doesn't matter the registration nor citizenship;  
you can call if you have a pass number, but you still have to contact  
Customs.

Depending on how much your boat rolls when the seas get aft of the  
beam, you may want to exit the Caribbean farther west, so the trip  
from wherever to Turks & Caicos isn't so much down wind.  If the  
breeze is north of east, you can get quite far west keeping the seas  
on a comfortable angle, often making the Mona Passage from the north  
end of Dominica, clearing into the US in Ponce, Puerto Rico.  If you  
don't care about clearing, Casa de Campo resort at the southeast end  
of Dominican Republic for a bit of European ambience R&R is worth the  
time; great marina with fabulous facilities and food in small cafe  
settings.

Bob Phillips,
Another Asylum, Tortola, BVI