Noonsite Ocean Outlook: Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and South China Sea
by Noonsite 28 Oct 2022 00:00 UTC
Tonga © Noonsite
Pacific:
Long-term Belgian cruiser Luc Callebaut is currently making his way to New Zealand with the GLY World Odyssey 500. Having last visited the Pacific on board his own yacht between 1999 and 2012, Luc shares his 2022 experience of Panama, the Galapagos and French Polynesia in Part 1 and Part 2 of a Pacific Crossing Update, discussing how these places have changed over the years and giving plenty of useful local recommendations.
Austrian cruisers Kerstin and Martin Giretzlehner, who visited Bora Bora recently, also sent their view of this iconic slice of paradise.
Cruisers report a warm welcome from Tonga - the first yacht to arrive after borders opened last month, and Tonga also welcomes another new island as it emerges between Ha'apai and Vaav'u island groups, after Home Reef's underwater volcano erupted, oozing lava and ejecting steam and ash into the atmosphere.
Denarau Marina in Fiji are holding their annual cyclone meeting in preparation for the season this Friday (28 October). All cruisers with pre-registration welcome. Included is a presentation by Fiji Met Service, Port Denarau's Tsunami procedures and protocols plus a Sea Mercy volunteer drive. Contact .
Yachts intending to visit Vanuatu should note that Port Vila Customs are only open from 8am - 5pm Mondays to Fridays. Yachts arriving after 5pm on a Friday will have to wait on board until Monday morning to clear into the country, unless special dispensation to clear in at the weekend has been prior arranged.
The Solomon Islands has a new port of entry on the tiny island of Taro, located off the NW coast of Choiseul, the most northern island in the Solomons.
As yachts migrate for NZ and the imminent summer season down under, many will be pushing past Auckland and cruising further south towards Stewart Island - now becoming a popular spot with foreign yachts. A new cruising guide for Stewart Island/Rakiura has been published as a free pdf download, hosted on the Otago Yacht Club website. It is very different to the older guide, has chartlets and satellite photos to illustrate the anchorages, covers Otago Harbour, the Catlins Coast, and of course, the Island itself..
Indian:
Madagascar's maritime borders for yachts are still not officially open, however it has been confirmed by authorities in Nosy-Be that yachts can enter there if prior special authorisation has been granted by the Ministry of Transport at APMF Headquarters (Agence Portuaire Maritime et Fluviale). Find out more at Noonsite's Madagascar Formalities.
For a taste of the Indian Ocean watch this short film (above) of Bob Hobman's attempt in 1986 to sail across the Indian Ocean in a primitive native craft with the aim to show that the people of Madagascar, who originally came from Indonesia 2,500 years ago, sailed, not in a series of stages, but directly across the Indian Ocean, in one of the great epic voyages of history. His voyage took 65 days.
South China Sea:
Thailand has now lifted all Covid-19 restrictions, but do be careful that you carefully follow all clearance protocols, including internal domestic clearance. Cruisers in Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga provinces warn that when moving from one province to another, not only must an official form be filled in for check-out domestically, but a visit must be made to the harbour master's office before departure to confirm. Fines for not doing so are in the region of 5000 Baht ($133). This rule has been in place for some time, however, it's only now that many regions are enforcing it.
Find out the latest on facilities and services at Sebana Cove Marina in Malaysia (near Singapore), with this useful report from Luc Callebaut.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com