Indian Ocean planning
by Noonsite 31 Jul 2021 00:36 UTC
With the first boats arriving in South Africa from late September, many skippers are now planning their imminent passage across the Indian Ocean, helped this year by a great many open borders - albeit it with some restrictions.
South Africa, however, is not without its problems: rising Covid cases and civil unrest mean there's more talk of the Red Sea passage this year as well. Take advantage of the numerous reports for the Indian Ocean and Red Sea in our Routing section.
Where is open?
BIOT, Kenya, Maldives, Mayotte, Mozambique, Reunion, Seychelles, Sri Lanka (but proceed with caution) and Tanzania.
Where is closed?
Madagascar and Mauritius.
Follow the links to find out the latest yachting protocols for entry.
Take only pictures, leave only footprints, kill nothing but time.
BIOT (Chagos) hosts the world's largest contiguous Marine Protected Area and the largest expanse of undisturbed coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, as well as globally significant populations of endangered species of birds and other wildlife. Crossing the Indian Ocean would not be the same without a visit to BIOT and many cruisers apply for a permit so they don't miss out.
Unfortunately, BIOT (Chagos) Administration have reported an act of vandalism by a family yacht that was granted a permit recently. Having carved the name of their yacht into one of the pine trees, they departed before any legal action could be taken by the authorities.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com.