Home Office launches Maritime Travel Survey

The RYA is representing boating interests as plans are being developed on the shape of future border controls for all recreational boats entering or leaving the UK. We have maintained contact with the Home Office and Border Force since before the Coronavirus pandemic to ensure that the border control system or Advance Voyage Notification service as it is to be known is simple to understand, simple to comply with and flexible enough to accommodate changing passage plans.

As part of the planned implementation, a simple online survey has been launched by the Home Office to collate the demographic profile and sailing habits of recreational boaters. The survey is aimed at boat owners from across the world, not just the UK. The information that is collected from the survey will be used to inform the Advance Voyage Notification service for maritime travel  to and from the UK and how border controls can be improved following the UK’s departure from the EU. 

The survey covers topics such as sailing certification and frequency of cross-border voyages, as well as the computer literacy of the participant. The Government hopes the survey will give it a clearer overview of the requirements of the boating community. The greater the number of boat owners that contribute to the consultation then the better the resulting service should be.

Stuart Carruthers, RYA Cruising Manager, said: “Whether you are a frequent cruiser to and from Europe, or rarely leave UK waters, we would like to encourage all RYA members who own a cruising boat to participate in the Home Office’s Survey. 

“The RYA has worked with the UK Government over many years to ensure that proposed plans for greater control of the UK sea border take account of recreational boating activity. This is your opportunity to be involved and the information that you can provide today will help to shape the future processes when boating abroad.” 

The survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete and all answers will be anonymised and confidential. 

 To participate in the survey please click here. 

The survey is due to close on Friday 28 August.

For further information on e-borders or other current affair issues, please visit the Current Affairs hub page on the RYA website. Alternatively, if you are a member of the RYA and require advice, please email cruising@rya.org.uk