We were a little concerned about the logistics of bringing the boat into the country, getting through customs, etc. On the way into Canada we'd informed the customs official that we were carrying a significant amount of cash (you have to officially declare more than $6000) and he sent us into the office to fill out the appropriate paperwork. The official in the office took one look at the form, looked at us, and said, "Well, if you break it down between the two of you it's less than 6K each, so you're all set." Ummm, ok, if you say so, sir. Feeling like we were getting away with something, we scurried out of there.
Italian Villa
We stayed at the same awesome motel as before (on our first stay we'd opted for the "Africa Room", but this time we stayed in the "Italian Villa"). The next morning we headed to a coffee shop that looked like it would be easy to transfer possession of a large trailer. As we sat at our table drinking coffee we heard some muttering from the tables around us.
"Whoa, what is that?"
"Is that an airplane?"
"No, I think it's a boat!"
Looking through the window, we saw our very large green trimaran pull into the parking lot.
The transfer of boat, accessories, information and stories took about an hour. They'd brought the whole family to see Tri-oomph off and it was great talking to them all about their experiences. Finally we pulled out, towing what looked like a big green fair ride and feeling more than a little giddy and excited. We hit the border within 10 miles, though, and the trepidation of dealing with customs put a temporary halt to our effervescence.
Boat Transfer
We were told to park and go into the office, as we'd expected. Once in there I was told to have a seat while Cody dealt with the paperwork. The official looked at our bill of sale and our passports, and then asked us why we hadn't declared our cash coming into Canada. "Funny you should ask!" The US Customs official didn't seem to think it was funny though, and said we should have declared our cash. With a shake of his head he told us we were all set and could go. Again feeling like we were getting away with something we speed walked to our truck (again struck at how freaking awesome our boat is!). We had been prepared to pay sales tax and customs fees and have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, and for the whole process to take at least an hour. And here we were, 5 minutes to get through, not a penny out of pocket.
"Walk so we don't attract attention but go quickly so we can get out of here before they realize they were supposed to charge us a bunch of money!!!"
Anyway, the drive home went smoothly, although it took a long time towing the boat. At one point we stopped at Sbarro and climbed up into the boat to eat our pizza. First meal aboard Tri-oomph!
We'd budgeted quite a bit of cash for tolls getting across New York and the Mass Pike, however, when we pulled up to the booth getting off I-90 the toll agent told us, "$3.40." Uhhh, we said (because we're dumb), are you sure about that? He looked at what we were towing and punched a couple buttons on his computer and said, "Fuck it, $3.40." I think it's safe to say that our whole trip was made so much better and more affordable by lazy government employees.
About an hour from home I was getting hungry and bored so we stopped to get Mexican food and margaritas. Well, margaritas for me, the bored and annoying co-pilot, not for Cody, who was driving. We couldn't find a place to park so we kind of pulled alongside a curb near the curbside take out area. As we got out of the car one of the employees came out. We thought that we were about to be told to move our car, but he told us we were find there and asked us what we were towing. People love Tri-oomph! We'd fielded numerous questions regarding what, exactly, we were towing at gas stops along the way. The rest of the way home was much more entertaining after I'd had 2 margaritas and dialed up the 90's hip hop station on Pandora.
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