Noonsite April Sailing News and Updates
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After being becalmed for so long, finally it’s starting to feel like the breeze is blowing in cruising yachts’ favour. Fees and conditions for small yachts transiting the Suez Canal are improving. Indonesia has simplified tourist visas meaning an easier time cruising there. More countries are opening and lifting restrictions, making passage planning for the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans a less stressful affair and most importantly, yachts are on the move.
More and more of our users continue to upgrade their Noonsite membership to enjoy more benefits from the site, and we are very grateful that we can soon go ahead with the next stage of development for Noonsite. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time and commitment to upgrade and for your continued feedback and support.
This month’s newsletter is full to bursting with news, reports, tips and links (we might just have to start a bi-monthly offering soon). We hope you enjoy what our April newsletter has to offer and as always, we look forward to your feedback.
Fair winds,
Sue and the Noonsite Team.
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In February 2020, Helen and Stephen Shrewsbury cast off the shackles of their old lives in New Zealand and flew to the UK to find a suitable boat and follow their dream of cruising the world. Helen reports on their time cruising in Europe, and the need to stay flexible, plus offers a great deal more useful advice to those hoping to do something similar.
If you have just started cruising and are not yet a member of any cruising association, consider getting involved with some of the informative and free workshops on offer right now. The SSCA and their cruisers university produce some excellent practical webinars and the CA share knowledge with non-members in their Spring Promo Week.
Two articles by Cruising World of interest to those new to cruising include:
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Pacific:
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Yachts are already starting to cross the Pacific, from Panama and NZ, for the South Pacific islands. The anchorage in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, is filling up and next month sees 20 boats in Island Cruising NZ’s Pacific Rally depart from Opua, NZ for Fiji. While New Caledonia has opened up at last, the Cook Islands and Tonga remain closed.
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The Panama Canal authorities have announced a change in fee structure and an increase in costs from 2023, likely influencing cruisers’ decisions as to when to transit.
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The Marshall Islands continue to protect their Covid-free status with closed borders. The Mieco Beach YC report that during the last 2 years of closed borders a few yachts have been allowed to enter Majuro and repair/reprovision. Unfortunately, more have been turned away with impounding and detention if they enter any atoll and one yacht was fined $10,000 for violating border restrictions.
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Atlantic:
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As yachts begin to migrate from Northern Europe to the Med, the Spanish Government have confirmed the acceptable protocols associated with orca encounters and what is forbidden by Spanish Law. Yacht encounters with orcas are becoming more common in the waters off the west Iberian Peninsula, be sure to know the rules before you go.
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The Island of Sao Jorge (Azores) suffered a seismic episode - some 20,000 tremors in a two-week period – earlier this month. The tremors were mostly in the Velas area where the main town and marina are. No-one is certain at this stage what this means - an earthquake or lava effusion - however visiting yachts should be aware of the situation.
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Coming across migrants, particularly if sailing in the English Channel, Mediterranean or near the Canary Islands, is a possibility that all skippers should consider as part of their passage planning. Yachting Monthly this month cover a solo-sailor’s story of how he unexpectedly played a part in saving over 300 migrants off the Canaries with some valuable lessons for all cruisers. They also have a useful article on the Do's and Don'ts of helping those in distress.
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Red Sea:
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Conditions are starting to improve for yachts transiting the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal Authority have announced plans to improve services in all three Suez marinas, plus fees for northbound transits continue to fall and yachts under 300 tons will no longer have to be measured for an SCA tonnage, reducing costs and time.
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Extending far beyond Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea is a favourite cruising ground for Aussie sailors Jack and Jude Binder. The Coral Sea islets still offer solitude, great diving, and good fishing in safe, trade wind anchorages. In this article they describe some of their favourite spots.
If you are sailing in more remote regions of the world, lesser explored by cruising boats, send us your story – editor@noonsite.com, subject “Off the Beaten Path”.
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Wade and Diane Alarie are full-time live aboard cruisers who are circumnavigating the world going from east to west. They left Kingston, Ontario, Canada on their Bruce Roberts ’53 Joana, in May 2009 and have been enjoying life on the sea and discovering new countries over the past 13 years. They have been in Turkey for nearly 2 years now because of Covid and Schengen and are currently enjoying an overland trip to Egypt. Wade writes informative blogs approximately once a month and sometimes more frequently depending on the cruising schedule. Both have been ardent contributors to Noonsite during their circumnavigation.
If you think you have a blog/vlog that Noonsite users will find interesting and useful, let us know at noonsite@noonsite.com where you are sailing, who you are and a summary of your cruising history.
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Maritime borders open:
Unvaccinated can enter:
The situation is also improving for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated crew, and the following countries adjusted their protocols this month to permit their entry (albeit with specific rules): Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, BVI, France, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Montserrat, Morocco, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Thailand.
Restrictions easing:
Testing requirements for vaccinated crew have been removed in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Thailand will do the same from 1 May when non-vaccinated crew can also enter the country. Fiji’s Blue Lanes Procedure for yacht entry has now given way to normalised maritime traffic, although you still have to be fully vaccinated to enter.
All restrictions lifted:
A number of countries have now completely removed all entry bans and Covid-related travel restrictions for arrival by yacht, with clearance procedures reverting to pre-pandemic. These include Argentina, Aruba, BIOT, Channel Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Denmark, French Guiana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Hawaii, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Madeira, Mayotte, Mexico, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK. Starting next month Greece will do the same.
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Noonsite Earth Day Exclusive: Join Popeye® Sail Club for free
Popeye® Sail Club gives boaters unique access to guaranteed berthing, rewards and special discounts at some of the best marinas across Europe. Thanks to a partnership with Pick a Pier, Noonsite subscribers are now eligible for a free membership! Learn more about what makes this exclusive club unlike any other.
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Behan Gifford of SY Totem, liveaboard and circumnavigator, gives her thoughts and INSIGHTS on pulling together a usable offshore medical kit for long-term cruising.
For many cruisers, the oceans provide an escape from electronic connectivity. However, more and more liveaboards want to be able to work on board with a good internet connection, or simply keep in touch with friends and relatives and have crucial routing and weather information on hand day or night. Regular INSIGHTS contributor Viki Moore provides a guide to getting “connected” on board, produced in association with Nik Thullesen from Global Marine.
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A selection of what you’ve been talking about this month:
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This informative guide published by the Cruising Association and edited by Gordon Knight is now in its 26th edition. Described as their ‘Bible’ by regular users and yacht skippers planning routes to and from the Mediterranean, it contains a wealth of information on cruising routes, cruising preparations, supplies, equipment, licences and documents, useful addresses, books and websites as well as listing around 250 mooring places throughout France and Belgium with comments upon facilities, depths, prices, closest shops and restaurants and nearby attractions.
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How to get more out of Noonsite
While the majority of Noonsite continues to be a free resource, there are some ways you can get more enhanced viewing and more involved with the site:
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Become a Member:
Starting from just $1.99/month you can benefit from enhanced access to key areas of Noonsite via our membership program. Your subscription will help keep the site on the web as part of a growing community of supporters. Our free membership is available to all but does come with a ‘fair use’ policy limiting access to country formalities each month. Enjoy unlimited access via our Basic Membership for just $1.99 a month, which also gives you the Noonsite community map, where you can view at a glance marine services worldwide, ports of entry and post your favorite anchorages. Noonsite Premium Membership add offline access to port and country formalities information to use when on passage.
E-mail us with updates and reports:
For more than just a comment, send us your detailed cruising reports and experiences around the world to publish on Noonsite and share with the community. Help us keep Noonsite accurate by feeding back any port updates or experiences of first-arrival in a new country. Any cruising-related questions are welcome, contact the noonsite team directly at noonsite@noonsite.com.
Join our 2000 plus followers for notification of site updates, new cruising reports and news and other cruising-related tweets we find of interest.
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Find Crew with Ocean Crew Link
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Need crew? Want to find new sailing buddies? Then visit Ocean Crew Link, the only crew connect website specifically for ocean voyaging.
Add your boat and opportunity and it will be emailed to over 11,000 sailors worldwide. If you want to find a boat, then hop aboard as we have over 150 active sailing opportunities open all the time.
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