Ocean outlook: Pacific, China Sea and Indian Ocean
by Noonsite 2 Oct 2023 16:09 PDT
Pacific Ocean © Noonsite
Pacific:
It's all change again in Ecuador with an increase in clearance costs for foreign sailboats visiting the mainland. A new law now means it's mandatory to get an Autografo, which is permission to enter Ecuadorian ports, and it requires 30 days processing so you need to apply early. Prior laws allowed vessels under 50 tons to be processed by the ship's captain directly with the Port Captain, however, that has now changed. If you arrive at an Ecuadorian port without an Autografo you face the possibility of being refused entry.
In Tonga, the Vava'u Volunteer Marine Response Association (VVMRA) comprises a group of volunteers who provide assistance to boaters. They monitor channels VHF 16/26 with call sign "Vava'u Radio" 24/7. They also collect used, but fit-for-service, life vests for their free loaner program available to locals traveling from the main island to the outer islands of Vava'u. Funds donated go toward initiatives to educate and provide boating safety resources to the community. If you are in Vava'u you can join them in making measurable safety improvements in their part of the World.
Yachts in the SW Pacific will have now decided where they want to spend the cyclone season. A useful resource is tcoutlook.com/swpacific, showing the long-range tropical cyclone outlooks for the SW Pacific, TC counts map and the probability map. It's also possible to subscribe to email updates.
Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati's Departments of Tourism are conducting a major survey of visiting international yachts - the first of its kind. The overall purpose of the study is to provide the various country tourism agencies (and yacht industries) with advice and analysed data to support their efforts to improve the yachting experience in the region. If you have visited (or are visiting) any of these countries by yacht please complete the simple 10-minute survey for your size of yacht:
A useful stopover on passage from Vanuatu to Queensland, Australia is Chesterfield Reefs. However, the Down Under Rally report that the islands remain closed to visiting yachts and while it is still possible to make an application to visit, no yachts that they know of this year have received permission to do so. See their AHOY newsletter, pages 32-33 for further info.
Three sailors who were circumnavigating the globe on an inflatable catamaran, have been rescued off the east coast of Australia after their vessel sank following an attack by small cookiecutter sharks. Find out more here.
China Sea:
The South China Sea was alive with storm activity at the start of September as Typhoon Saola brought strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong and Typhoon Haikui the same to Taiwan.
MV Destiny comments on Subic Bay in the Philippines and recommend that while this is a great place for boat work and provisioning, be sure to negotiate prices hard and ignore the dirty water!
Indian:
Agents in Sri Lanka are reporting that much fewer yachts are visiting recently. Perhaps this is because less yachts are cruising the North Indian Ocean and taking the Red Sea route north, or perhaps it's because of the higher clearance costs in Sri Lanka for recreational craft? Costs are US$400 plus for a short visit on a boat with 2 crew, whereas neighbouring India costs less than US$70 in clearance fees. Let us know if you've been to Sri Lanka and why you would recommend a visit there to fellow Noonsite users.
Also in the North Indian Ocean, good news from Maldives, who are now granting free cruising permits to all yachts under 20m (it used to be free to under 15m only). This means a big saving for larger cruising yachts of US$1000.
A couple of points to remember if you are arriving in South Africa soon. It is mandatory to register your arrival online at the OSASA website prior to getting to SA, and when cruising from Richards Bay to Cape Town outward clearance is required from each port - in the form of an Electronic Passage Plan (EPP), completed from the comfort of your own boat. See more details in South Africa Clearance.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com