Interesting Links for 01-01-2023

[andrewducker]

1. Croatia to switch to euro, enter passport-free Schengen zone

(tags:Croatia Europe euro migration )

2. Brexit poll: Two years on, two-thirds of Britons support a future referendum on rejoining the EU

(tags:UK Europe polls )

Comments

[soemand]

Croatia to switch to euro, enter passport-free Schengen zone

This will change the game for non-eu sailors looking to escape the Schengen zone, usually during winter. It was an added benefit to cruise to Croatia. A cruising thing was to leave the Schengen area to help reset the 90/180 day visa free time.

https://stonemoorings.com/cruisers/welcome/general/brexit-related/90-day-schengan-calculator/

[andrewducker]

What's the next non-Schengen port round?

[soemand]

From sailingawen

People rave about Montenegro, which sits between Bosnia Herzegovina and Albania in Eastern Europe, and right next to the sliver of beach the Croatians have along the coast. Croatia got up early and spread out it’s towel along the Eastern part of the Adriatic and operates currently as a non-Schengen zone but as of this past September the European Commission gave its approval and the timeframe looks like 2020 when it joins the border free Schengen zone. So all the cruisers are super bummed because a lot of people went here after Greece. In a pinch people also go the Gibraltar which is a tiny UK territory off of Spain that almost kisses Morocco. UK isn’t part of the zone either. The issue is that it’s a nice stopover but the area itself is like 2.6 square miles so it might start to feel a bit like Alcatraz after a while if you have time to kill.

It all gets a bit tricky, but the short answer for some is to get an actual residence permit — but as the post suggests this could have an impact to the tax status of the vessel.

[andrewducker]

I have to say that my sympathy is limited when it comes to tax avoiders.

[soemand]

That's fair enough :)

[armiphlage]

Wait, these people have boats which can go nearly everywhere on the planet, and they just hug the north side of the Mediterranean?

[soemand]

Wait, these people have boats which can go nearly everywhere on the planet, and they just hug the north side of the Mediterranean?

Nope. Hanging out in the med can be a jumping off point to return to North America with the ARC rally, part of fulfilling a goal in retirement (or otherwise) — or simply they like the climate :)

Just with the Schengen visa rules, the logistical items have to be managed.

[channelpenguin]

The BOATS may be capable of going anywhere (at least usually, in non-epic weather, if they have enough supplies and nothing major breaks or wears out... at pretty much walking-cycling speeds...) BUT perhaps not the crews. I have done SOME off-shore racing/passage-making and a LOT of local cruising. Offshore can be really really really really NOT FUN. And as I said, it's all at walking - cycling speed. The planet is pretty damned big at that speed.

(WHY?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_speed

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR SPEED?
https://www.frontrower.com/hull-speed-chart.html (note waterline length is typically a good few feet shorte than overall length).

NOTE: a boat can exceed hull speed by getting the bow out of the water (planing). Motorboats do this all the time. Small dinghys do this. Serious mega-expensive horribly uncomfortable racing boats now do this mostly too) Cruising boats that people live on just don't do this.

NOTE 2: for a catamaran (2 hulls) or trimarane (3 hulls) each hull counts towards hull lenght, making them effectively 2x or 3x as long.
)

[armiphlage]

Thank you, that is interesting. I did take a single course on naval architecture, but our focus was on larger naval vessels. The smallest vessel we examined was the Kingston class (we got to tour one while it was being assembled at Halifax Shipyards!), but even that is bigger and faster than most yachts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston-class_coastal_defence_vessel

Brexit poll: Two years on, two-thirds of Britons support a future referendum on rejoining the EU

[anef]

Mm, but would they have us? I think we would need to demonstrate that we'd (really) changed, and I think the euro would probably be a sticking point on our side.

Re: Brexit poll: Two years on, two-thirds of Britons support a future referendum on rejoining the EU

[andrewducker]

I think that the EU is out of the question for twenty years.

But that the EEA might be doable.