Wine imports

[BOB CHRISTENSEN]

I know that this question has been asked before, but this is a different twist.
We'll be visiting the Bahamas in our sailboat for several months and while we're perfectly happy to buy wine locally for general consumption, we will be bringing in a case or two of stuff we've been storing for years. I can find how much I'm legally allowed to bring in, but we'll be over that amount, so the question is,"how do they calculate the duty?" Is it so much per bottle or a percentage of the purchase price? Or something else? We no longer have the receipts, so will they believe me? Thanks for any help

Bob and Susanne

[R]

Good day,

If brought in by boat for personal consumption it should be classified as "ships stores"
and would be duty free.

Regards,
R.

[DrRalph]

Bahamian law says each person is allowed to bring in "one litre of spirits." We've never heard from a reliable source how that would translate into wine or beer, so I don't think there is an official answer. Given that it is exceptionally unlikely that your boat would be searched, I would just consider the wine part of your "ship's stores;" don't brag about it or try to sell it, just quietly enjoy it. Hard to believe you would have any related trouble, and hard to believe somebody won't wag a finger at me for saying it. But that's how I would handle it.

[floridacargocat]

As long as it stays on board, it is part of ship's stores and remains duty-free, as long as it is consumed on-board. Removing these items from your ship makes them subject to duty regulations.
One aspect you may look into are the storage conditions (temperature-control). If you have the possibility to put your entire stock into a refrigerator (with dual temperature zones for red and white wine), that's fine. If not, it depends on the temperatures of the storage facility. During summer, you may have prolonged periods where temperatures reach more than 30 dC, and this is a temperature not recommended for storage of wine, especially fine wines.

[BOB CHRISTENSEN]

Thanks, all. I just didn't want to be abusing the system.
As far as temperature goes, We'll be coming down in March, and the booze will be long gone before its an issue. After which, we intend to develope a taste for rum. I'm told its easy...

[jet]

I checked with the charter company who we are arriving with via air. They checked with customs. They said- 50% tarrif- that is if we flew in with it.

So, that is pretty high.

By boat, you are not subject to that if you leave it on the boat.