A visit with Homeland Security

2/18/15
Key West FL
Posted by Bill

There are some pretty strict procedures that one must use to enter and exit the country, and some specific rules for boats, one of which is having to report to Customs and Border Control when you return to the States. Only the captain of the vessel can go ashore until the boat and all passengers have “cleared in” with the authorities. Homeland Security has made the process much easier for pleasure craft with something called Local Boater Option. You essentially fill out an application online, schedule an appointment with a designated Customs office, present yourself and your passport, and they give you a card with a unique number. When you get close to shore when returning to the US, you call the phone number on the back, give your number, and 99% of the time you don’t have to show up in person. Gotta like that!

So this was one of the things we needed to do before we went to the Bahamas. Completing the application, we noticed that there was an office in Miami and another in Key West. We have heard that the Miami office could be pretty stringent about following the letter of the law, so we picked Key West. It is closer than Miami, and who doesn’t like an excuse to go to Key West for the day!
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We took the bus from Marathon. The bus has an automated system where you can text the stop number and it will tell you when the next bus will be there. We scoped it out for a few days to see the normal pattern, which for our stop included a pick up around 10:30…perfect. So this morning I text around 9:30 and it says 55 minutes away…cool. We get our crap together and at 9:55 I text again, and it says 10 minutes…shit!!! We hurry, close up the boat, and make it to the bus stop with no time to spare…but no bus. I text again and it says 177 minutes…WTF! Every few minutes I text and get various answers, and finally the bus arrives around 10:35.

It’s always fun to take public transportation and this was not too bad.
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An hour and a half later, it drops us off a block from our favorite place to eat in Key West…BO’s Fish Wagon. This place is basically a small camper type thing, surrounded by makeshift patios with roofs and seating. Some people look at it and think “never going here”, but the food is always fantastic. Here are some pics:
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I always get grilled fish and fries. Today Tricia got shrimp.

Our friends Bob and Cat on Sea Lyon decided to drive down from Harbour Cay Club and join us as we worked our way around some of our favorite spots in Old Town, including:
The Green Parrot
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Captain Tony’s
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A pig and acrobat show at Mallory Square
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We ended the day watching Pete and Wayne (another one of our favorites) at Sloppy Joes:
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Our meeting with Homeland Security was a breeze and we got our Local Boater Option cards. It was a fun day!

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