A Washington state man is on the hook for $2,000 after sailing into Metro Vancouver to meet up with his Canadian girlfriend in violation of COVID-19 border restrictions.
RCMP officers spotted the Bellingham-registered Seasport cabin cruiser moored off Blackie Spit near Crescent Beach in south Surrey on Sunday.
They stopped the vessel, went aboard and found a 49-year-old Bellingham man and a 50-year-old Surrey woman.
“Investigators discovered that the man had left his home port that morning and picked up his girlfriend at Elgin Park Marina in Surrey,” said the RCMP in a media release.
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“The man had failed to report his crossing into Canada and did not meet the entry requirements under the current quarantine restrictions.”
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Police arrested him under the Customs Act and impounded the boat for failing to report entry into the country.
He was released without charge, but fined $1,000 for breaching quarantine and $1,000 for the return of his impounded vessel. He was also told to leave the country immediately.
Read more: ‘Like a knife in the heart’: Committed couples plead for relaxation on COVID-19 border restrictions
The woman was taken back to the Crescent Beach marina, and told to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor herself for symptoms.
Officials have been aggressively targeting boaters entering Canadian waters during the COVID-19 crisis, handing out fines earlier this month and back in July.
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