The information and advice in these sections is reproduced from the RYA website with thanks. For full details see www.rya.org.uk/Activities/yachtcruising/Pages/yachtcruising.aspx

A quick trip across the channel to France, Belgium or Holland might leave you thinking that you don't need anything extra to take your boat abroad, and having been a few times, you may even consider going without your passport, but what happens when you do meet the by the book official, who wants to see your paperwork in full. Do you have the correct papers ready to satisfy a foreign customs official or do you risk the possibilities of your boat being impounded and significant fines?

When you are sailing a UK registered boat from the UK to any other country, you will require papers both for the boat and for the crew on board. There is a core set of paperwork - your ship's papers which, together with your passport, any other personal paperwork and any country specific documentation or publications you may required to carry on board, should enable you to satisfy a foreign customs official, if required.