Let’s get this out of the way right now: no it doesn’t. I’ll do my best to explain why, but as you read this please understand that I’m a blogger, not an international attorney. I’m pretty well read on this stuff and confident enough to believe I’m right. But, if you find that I’m way off base, please leave a comment below. I love to learn more.
What does “international waters” even mean?
Technically, the term “international waters” doesn’t have any legal meaning. But, it’s in common use perhaps because “on the high seas,” the legal term, sounds a bit Blackbeard-y. The bottom line is that international law, agreed to by most nations, say that there’s an “economic zone” of 12 nautical miles around every country. The country has the right to police that zone just as if they were policing on land. Once you are past that zone, a country doesn’t have the right to enforce their laws.
Except, they kinda do.
It’s about chartering
As a boat owner, you know that for legal purposes, your boat has to be chartered in a particular country. If you’re a bit operator like Carnival Cruise lines, you can choose one of many countries. As a small private boat owner, it’s the country where you registered the boat. In other words, for most people reading this article, it’s going to be the United States.
That’s important to know because it makes a huge difference once you get past that 12 nautical mile limit.
Once you’re on the high seas (yeah it does sound like I should have a peg leg or a parrot) it’s the country of charter that defines the laws that must be obeyed on a boat. This is why cruise ships can have gambling on the high seas. They charter the boat in a place where it’s legal to gamble. Then once outside US jurisdiction, the slot machines get turned on.
What this means for you
What this means for you, who probably are chartered in the US, is that what’s legal in the US is legal on your boat, no matter where you are. If it’s illegal on land, it’s illegal on your boat. So no, you cannot just pirate satellite TV or do any of the other million illegal things just because you’re 12 miles offshore.
If you travel into the economic zone of another country, then their laws take over. When you’re sailing the Caribbean, this is pretty easy to do. If you’re sailing off the west coast of the US, though, you’re not gonna find a lot of other countries there for a while.
Get the best advice from Signal Connect
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