In preparing the boat for international travel, there comes the question of, "what is the best way to handle important documents?"

On one hand, you have things you'll need like:

*Passports
*Identification
*Immunization Records
*Boat Documentation
*Merchant Mariner License
*Visas, etc...

On the other hand, you have things that are important, but that aren't directly related to travel, like:

*Birth Certificates
*Citizenship Documents (I'm a dual citizen, so I have one of these)
*Marriage Certificates, etc... etc...

The tricky part is figuring out where to keep this stuff when you both liveaboard and cruise internationally.

How are you deciding which things you bring on the boat and which things you leave behind somewhere safe in the States?

For the papers you bring, how are you storing them, keeping them dry and fresh for the years that you'll be out cruising?

Some of these things (like my Master's license and boat documentation) need to be readily available.

Any ideas on how to organize all of these things?

not quite the same type of travelling but when i was backpacking i made high quality scans of all important documents and emailed them to my own email account so as long as i could get to an internet connection i always had access to copies, i did this for all visa's i collected along the way.
i never needed them but they were always there in case of loss/theft etc

All the items in the first list need to be originals - you need them checking in and out of countries. We scanned all of them and backed up those scans in several places on USB sticks including one in a zip lock in the ditch bag. As far as keeping them dry etc. zip locks are your friend

All the non critical items we left in storage in the states. we did have scans of all of them on the pc and backups.

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Jon D
SV Sirius
Moody 47

I like the idea of scanning these items and keeping them available on computer as well as memory sticks. I have a family member who is a Ham Radio Operator who I will also leave copies with.
Also for one the boat use/showing to officals I bought a zippered binder from Office Depot in which I placed several clear plastic page holders. I have my boat ownership papers as well as insurance papers etc. It has internal pockets as well as external pockets and is nylon. It repels water as the pages repeling water. Everything is easily viewable and orginized. This is kept inside of a large plastic bag.
You can store it or carry it easily and it holds all documents.

Binders Zippered - Binders - Binders and Accessories - Office Supplies at Office Depot

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What the hell did I just do

Thats what I use. I also intend to (when I get round tuit) placing important papers in zip lock bags before placing them in the plastic pockets. Ive experienced the ink from ink jet printers to stick and smear on the plastic pockets.

For the ditch bags I suggest putting the memory sticks in condoms and tying them off. This is sop for the special ops forces wishing to protect valuables from water.

actually if you vacuum seal them it's even better.

__________________
Jon D
SV Sirius
Moody 47

Plastic enclosures are safe for documents ONLY if they are made of polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene. They should not be coated or contain plasticizers or other additives.
Other plastics are not chemically stable and will release damaging acids over time. Especially dangerous is PVC (polyvinylchloride) commonly found in discount store binders; it emits hydrochloric acid over time.

Ziploc Brand bags are made of polyethylene plastic.

It’s preferable to store each document alone in its own sleeve. If 2 documents are stored in a single sleeve they should be interleaved with acid-free paper to prevent acid migration from one document to another. Acid-free paper that is buffered will also counteract the formation of more acids in the future.

Modern electrostatic photocopiers (the dry, Xerox type) give copies with a reasonable lifetime, particularly if you use archival paper.

We use a Pelican briefcase for all documents. Most docs are first zipped in Ziploc bags. We also have one of their silica gel moisture thingies. FWIW we haven't had a problem with moisture yet. The Pelican also makes a nice place to throw wallets, cell phones, car keys, iPods, etc.

Ahhh... of course!

I actually already have a Pelican that I use for computer/electronic stuff. I suppose you can't really have a better option than that. Thanks for the reminder.