Ocean outlook: Pacific Ocean, South China Sea, Indian Ocean

Ocean outlook © Noonsite

Pacific:

The southern hemisphere cruising season kicks off in May now that cyclone season is officially over and yachts are already South Pacific-bound from Panama, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.

For yachts that are departing from NZ, Coastal and Offshore Cruising International have two FREE Weather & Passage Planning Meetings discussing SW Pacific weather in detail:

• 3pm Saturday 29th April at Opua Cruising Club
• 11am Wednesday 3rd May at Marsden Cove Marina Rec. Room

Heading west through the South Pacific, Brent Crack and Mary Bevan report once again this month from the Society Islands, both beautiful and at times a little disappointing.

A single new on-line entry form has been introduced for all foreign pleasure yachts visiting French Polynesia. This is intended to act as an inward and outward reporting form, plus can be modified during your stay in the islands for crew changes and inter-island cruising. Reports from cruisers that have recently arrived in FP, however, are that a visit is still required to Immigration and very little appears to have changed (other than having to now complete the online form prior to arrival).

At the start of April, Tonga and the Cook Islands dropped their Covid restrictions for visiting yachts.

In the Cook Islands, Palmerston Island maritime border has re-opened. For many Pacific cruisers a visit to Palmerston is one of those unforgettable experiences as it is a unique place. Since Palmerston Island is not a designated Customs port, it is imperative that all sailing vessels apply for approval to visit using Customs Form 27.

The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) has advised that several islands in the Mamanuca Group will be off limits until 30 June 2023 due to filming for the US Survivor series. The islands are Monu Riki, Monu and Yanuya Islands, Tavua & Nautanivono Islands and Mana Island including Nuku Is. More information at the MSAF website.

In the central Pacific, Kiritimati Island (Christmas Island) has re-opened to visiting yachts as a port of entry for Kiribati. Some Covid restrictions are still in place and advance application necessary. Be sure to send documents for clearance a week or two prior to arriving to avoid further delays on entry.

Following the horrible attack on SY Screensaver in Kandrian, Papua New Guinea, 8 months ago, the skipper has now shared more details about the vicious assault with the Down Under Rally's Ahoy Sailing News.

Many cruisers that spend the South Pacific cyclone season in NZ decide to buy a car to tour the country, as it's much less expensive than renting. Katie and Matt Monahan of SV Searcher did just that, but didn't bank on the car being stolen. Here they explain what precautions should be taken.

Mark & Jennifer Ullmann of MV Starlet have created a set of 28 charts for the east coast of Australia, including the Coral Sea, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and shared them for free on the ChartLocker.com.

South China Sea:

Christophe Vandeplas has posted feedback on haulout and storage of his boat at Port Dickson World Marina, a new facility in Malaysia (about an hour's drive from KL).

When their retirement sailing plans were put on hold due to Covid, Dominque Cabarroque and Arne Leuhrs left their catamaran in Thailand, returning in 2022 to undertake a refit in Phuket. Dominique has documented their Thailand experience in this very useful report and also provided details of further repairs they subsequently undertook in Malaysia.

Indian:

Visiting yachts will still come across a lot of bureaucracy when entering India and moving around ports. Michael Strotmann recently visited Kochi and has posted useful feedback on the lengthy entry procedure and conditions for visiting yachts.

Most sailors visit the Maldives as a stopover on their way from South East Asia to the Red Sea, but it's worth a longer visit say Hans and Imma from Spanish yacht "Tuvalu", who report on an amazing sailing destination with very friendly and helpful people.

Madagascar's maritime borders are still technically closed, however, with a newly appointed Minister of Transport yachts may now make an application to enter in advance. Bryce of Catamaran "Lady Blue" is currently cruising the Madagascar coast and reports; "We are currently in Sainte Marie, Madagascar, having arrived on the 10th of April and we plan to cruise towards Nosy Be while making a few stops on the way (i.e. Diego Suarez). A few weeks before leaving Mauritius (last port of call) I wrote to APMF in order to request permission to enter into the territory of Madagascar. After 2 weeks of waiting time and me chasing, the local authority replied positively to my request and so we received the authorization letter. We are the only foreign yacht cruising in the area as of now." Find out more at Madagascar Biosecurity.

The Ocean Sailing Association of Southern Africa (OSASA), with guidance from the Department of Transport, have updated the registration forms for yachts heading to South Africa. These must be completed prior to arrival via the OSASA website, even for South African yachts.

Circumnavigators Floris and Ivar of Sailors for Sustainability are now in South Africa and posting good feedback for Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay.

This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com