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.
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“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.
“The man had failed to report his crossing into Canada and did not meet the entry requirements under the current quarantine restrictions.”
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.
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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.