We just had a somewhat unpleasant experience clearing into Canada at Prince Rupert.
We (two boats, all aboard have (or maybe had) NEXUS) called in and cleared into Prince Rupert. Neither of us told the Customs officer on the phone where specifically we were going in Prince Rupert, and they didn't ask. The officers on the phone gave us clearance numbers like usual, we posted them, and thought we were told we were good to go. Since we arrived at 11:15 p.m. (our reported ETA), after the marina staff had gone home for the night and we didn't have slip assignments, we anchored for the night in Pillsbury Cove, in Prince Rupert Harbor.
The next day we dinghied to town to get all the items we couldn't bring across the border...produce, booze, etc. Then we headed south.
A few hours later, VTS called us and said we needed to call customs in Rupert. We called...the the officer that answered asked if we cleared, we gave clearance numbers. They seemed confused. Then we got transferred to someone else, who said we did everything wrong. He said you can't clear by NEXUS by phone, but need to call from the phone at the Customs dock (clearly not the actual policy). He seemed confused and frustrated that someone gave us clearance numbers without confirming that we were supposed to go to a specific place in Prince Rupert. Since we had clearance numbers, he didn't make us go three hours back to Rupert, but he said we'd have a mark on our file and should allow extra time for future border crossings.
BTW, they seem to be tracking boats on AIS.
After more research, we're both kind of wrong and kind of right. There are six docks listed for NEXUS clearance in Prince Rupert. Why didn't the officer who gave us clearance numbers ask which one we were going to? Or indicate we'd need to go to one of them? We simply said we were arriving in Prince Rupert and we thought we were cleared into Prince Rupert.
As NEXUS holders, we apparently should have been more proactive about knowing the specific clearance locations. BUT, down south, there is a lot of ambiguity. Ganges Harbour, for instance, is listed as a port of entry, with no details on where you're supposed to wait for a customs officer...
We apologized profusely, thanked the officers for allowing us to continue, and will allow extra time at the border in the future. And we'll confirm with the officer on the phone the specific time and place they want us to wait for an officer to inspect the boat and at what point, if we see no officer, we can continue our voyage.