The good news, the very good news, is that the border to Canada opened to U.S. boaters on Aug. 9, meaning that fully vaccinated Americans can cruise up the Inside Passage and British Columbia on the West Coast, along the shores of the Great Lakes, and up the Rideau Canal, the Thousand Islands, the St. Lawrence or Nova Scotia on the East Coast.
But…and there’s a big but. The Canadian government has set some restrictions and guidelines, so it’s not quite like the good old days, the time before Covid. Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens can enter Canada on their boats and they can come on land, anchor out, pick up a mooring, or come alongside another vessel, but they must:
1.Be vaccinated with a full series of the vaccine at least 14 days before entering Canada with a proof of the COVID-19 molecular test result. Antigen tests are not accepted. Acceptable vaccines are those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson).
2.Be living in, and traveling from, the U.S.
3.Have a valid pre-arrival COVID-19 test result taken in the U.S.
4.Be asymptomatic.
5.Submit mandatory information via ArriveCAN, including proof of vaccination in English or French. (You can download ArriveCAN as a mobile app.)
There are exceptions for boats transiting through Canadian waters. If the boat does not land in Canada, make contact with another boat, or moor or anchor while in Canadian waters (other than the right of innocent passage under international law), the travelers are not required to submit a pre-arrival test or mandatory information via ArriveCAN. Read more:
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/pb-pp-eng.html
