As a boat owner or even enthusiast, you might have heard at some point the words “hailing port”. Even if you did not, you might have noticed several boats with a name on both the hull sides or the transom. If you looked for long enough, there is a chance you also observed what we call the hailing port: that is under or next to the boat name, and tells you the place on which the boat “sleeps”, like “Newport Beach, Ca.” Let us tell you a little bit more about the subject.
Definition of a Hailing Port
Whenever a boat docks at a port, the captain of the ship has to report it to the appropriate authorities. In other words, he or she “hails in”. Therefore, your hailing port will be the port in which your vessel spends most of the year docked. It is crucial for you to properly identify it. When your boat is registered with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) it needs to be displayed next to or under the name of your vessel. If your boat is not licensed with the federal agency, you will rather display your state registration numbers, so if that is the case there is no need to worry about your hailing port.
Let us come up with an example. Mission Bay and Huntington Harbor are both valid hailing ports. If your boat, for instance, is called the “Titanic”, you should display “Mission Bay” next to it. Surf city, even if it is Huntington Beach’s “official” nickname, is not a valid hailing port, according to US Coast Guard sources. It is also possible to, at some point, change your hailing. Find out how in the next few lines.
Change of Hailing Port Address
Certificates of documentation are valid for 1 year if your vessel is used for commercial purposes and for five years if you use it recreationally. Given that the periods are so long (especially for leisure-used vessels) there is a high probability that your situation may change in those years. You can move to a different suburb, city, or even state, and if that is your case, it is your duty to inform the USCG of a change in your situation and accordingly change your hailing port.
There is no need to stress. We know that the USCG website can be hard to navigate through. That is, in fact, the reason behind the creation of our website, the Maritime Documentation Center.
The Maritime Documentation Center
At our site, we offer simplified forms that help you get any type of boating paperwork. The change of hailing port, for instance, is one of them. On the left side of our site, you can check all of the forms you can get from us. The eleventh of them, in fact, is the change of hailing port application. Once you have provided the requested information, we will take care of dealing with the USCG on your behalf and getting the document for you. Additionally, you will have our experienced staff overlooking your form, in order to make sure that no mistakes are made that could delay the process. Contact us today for any other questions you have!