Ocean outlook: Pacific and South China Sea
by Noonsite 31 Mar 2023 21:40 UTC
Pacific Ocean © Noonsite
Pacific:
Cruising boats in Las Perlas islands, Panama, are being cautioned to take care anchoring alone following two armed robberies in the last 6 weeks. Both occured within 9nm of San Miguel.
The government of French Polynesia is working towards streamlining the entry procedure for foreign pleasure yachts. A new system for cruisers will be implemented on March 30, whereby completion of a single online form is all that will be required. This is good news as it will save copious form-filling and time spent ashore with the authorities, and will also make moving from island to island, crew changes and departure a much easier and swifter experience.
The Cook Islands government has been having some issues with their websites and currently there is confusing information as to what ports of entry (POEs) are open to visiting yachts. It has been confirmed by the Chief of Customs that in fact only 2 POEs are open to pleasure yachts: Avatiu port in Rarotonga and Arutanga port in Aitutaki. All other surrounding islands in the Cook Islands internal borders are currently closed (and entry to these islands) is suspended until further notice.
More news from Niue as the Niue Yacht Club in Alofi is rejuvenated with significant aid from NZ. Niue Tourism is refurbishing the YC shower facility with a new roof, upgrading the solar heating panel and renewing fittings in both units, plus there will be dedicated staff for yachties this season. "This will make a tremendous difference to services for our cruising friends", says Keith, acting Commodore. "Our small group of NYC survivors couldn't afford to do this from our NYC resources alone."
Elsie of Yachting World Marina in Port Vila, Vanuatu, reports that their office lost its roof recently. "With one Cyclone followed by another - which was much more severe - most of our staff have lost their houses!" Despite the devastation Elsie reports that they hope to lift all of their 37 moorings in the Harbour and those in the marina as soon as is possible - hopefully by 1st May - to accommodate yachts arriving in Port Vila and work is continuing at a frenetic pace to get Yachting World Marina up and running again. Elsie and her husband Bryan have been a huge support to the cruising community for many years, but this year they are retiring and handing over marina operations to their son Andrew and daughter Bettina. We wish them a happy and fulfilling retirement.
The latest situation in Vanuatu as reported by OCHA.
SY Sea Dragon report that the Line Islands in Kiribati, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island), are now open to visiting yachts. Covid restrictions are in place.
Get involved with local citizen science while cruising around New Zealand. Sea Spotter's goal is to create the most comprehensive marine mammal data set in New Zealand's history, to help protect endangered and at-risk marine wildlife. Simply take a snap of any marine mammals you encounter and the App will then notify you of which animal you spotted and log your findings to the open-source database ready for scientific research.
Palau, in the western Pacific, has now lifted the last of its Covid regulations for arrivals by sea. Further good news for yachts wanting to visit Palau is the removal of the requirement to employ a shipping agent for entry clearance (which cost a whopping US$800 to process entry). Local resident cruisers in Palau continue to lobby the Government to improve conditions for visiting yachts and gain a further reduction in fees.
South China Sea:
After sailing more than half way around the world, bringing aid and medical assistance to some of the remote places they visited, Italian sailors Max and Paola Vechiette saw their circumnavigation dream come to an end last month when they had a frightening collision with a container ship, east of Batam Island in Indonesia.
From the archives, JJ Nicole of SY Calypso Magic shares some excellent cruising security tips for this part of the world.
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