How far out is classed as the ocean?

This one confuses me.

 

Its not quite for Legal,but my raft is for coastal purposes,i need to know how far out the ocean is so that i dont go into it.

 

Dont loose sight of land.

 

Ok,Thankyou all for your answers!

 

I wasn't joking - tell us the other definitions! I really want to know if you have the time.

Thanks,

~ ALowell

 

So Mr Tricky

When is an aeroplane flying over the ocean?
By your definition a lot further out than when a boat is floating.

Further to this Mr Walruss says read the can. Mr Walruss lives, the map says he lives in Cornwall. Does that mean he doesn't live in England.

I have a chart that has a bay on it called "Owen Anchorage" and as far as I am concened it is still a part of the Indian Ocean.

Still got fkn sharks in it.

Poida

 

As long as one body of water is physically in contact with another body of water, it's all the same as far as I am concerned. Still I do wonder how far out I would need to sail before I technically needed an exit visa?

Mychael

 

There's a fence Myke.

You go through the check point. Obviously you haven't taken your boat out far then?

 

Nah mate, I'm scared they might not let me back in. lol

Myke

 

Oz type guys - they let me back out! (or was it deported?)

Poida - if you ask a Cornishman he'll tell you Cornwall is NOT part of England! he's right too of course!

 

Is it true that an englishman will fight for his country, die for his country, do anything but live in his country. LOL

 

Lancebye, near burst me pooper valve laughing at that one.

 

The definitions were supposed to be a guide to the level of safety exuipment carried:

If you were on 'inland waterways' you were probably within a feww hundred meters of help at all times, with no danger of being washed out to sea etc, so the requirements were very simple, like lifejackets, rope, etc.

Then the 'coastal sailor' would be someone who would sail from say Southampton to Poole. He would not loose sight of land, but could be a mile or so from shore and would not be helped as easily. So the requirements increase - like a MOB Bouy, flares of a certain height/type, VHF radio etc

Then you have the guy who wants to sail to France. He would loose sight of land, and then falls into a new definition - he needs to be more self reliant. Things then included high altitude flares, life raft, spare VHF etc.

These were recommendations, based on a rough evaluation of the potential risks you were exposing yourself to if you dod a certain type of sailing. Going to sea is when you loose sight of land and you are 'at sea' - Coastal sailing is 'hugging the coast' and there is land you can bolt to if you have trouble, and help is more easily and quicklly provided.

Interestingly, for coastal kit, a mobile phone is recommended, but is dropped for open sea, because in a coastal trip you would still have mobile reception, but in an open sea environment you would loose the signal.

This is so very true!

Yes. It is, by the definition. Except the definition is given specifically for boats, and not eroplanes. But, a bigger boat can stay coastal further than a tiny boat. That is the thing that makes it subjective, and the guidelines were in fact just guidelines to assist the boater prepare for what he wants to do. The man has a craft designated as 'COASTAL' so he should stay within sight of land by definition. I have no doubt that on a good day he could go to france, and I have no doubt that on a bad day he should not leave the harbour... The idea is to provide guidance. It may be used in a court - would a reasonable man ignore the guidance? If he is an excellent sailor and it is a good day - why not? It is there as a guide to assist, not a rule to be obeyed at all costs.

There are many in England who would say he does not.

If you read my previous post, I said there are three oceans, and going into one means you are in the Ocean, no matter how far you have gone into the ocean. So yes, you are in the Ocean, but not out at sea.

Technically, if you go out to sea hundreds of miles, and return to your own country, without landfall, you do not need any documentation at all.

In theory the border of the country is generally accepted as 12 miles from the coast, so you 'leave' your country at the 12 mile mark. ( but see point above for technical reason why you dont need documentation)

If two countries are closer that 12 miles, the mid point is generally accepted as the border

If you enter another countries waters, they may determine that you need documentation, and even without landfall, they may require entry and exit proceedures. In this case your own country may require entry documentation - especially customs!

In practice, if you are in the EU or in the USA, you can come and go as you please.

 

If you cruise the Gulf Islands on the west coast of Canada where the U.S. , Canada border does some interesting maneuvers, you can easily end up in the other countries water if you don't have a GPS. If you happen to be fishing at the time you are required to clear customs when you return to your home port. Same applies if you drop anchor in foreign waters.

 

In england,the border of the countries at sea is 5 miles,but that means legally ocean,not therietically!