Noonsite June Sailing News and Updates
|
|
A key figure in the North Atlantic cruising community, Pedro “Texaco”, sadly passed away this month. Pedro was the first and last person many sailors met when visiting Gran Canaria as he manned the fuel station at the entrance to Las Palmas Marina for 46 years. He could never do enough for visiting sailors and worked with the ARC right from the start, staging his very own annual dinghy race and barbeque for all sailors and locals – a joyful and hilarious spectacle! Some might say that they don’t make them like him anymore. However, we’ve all met champions of the cruising lifestyle, those who quietly get on in the background dedicating their lives to helping sailors achieve their cruising goals. Tell us who you think should be recognised for their services to cruisers and we’ll feature them in a future newsletter.
Please do take just a few minutes to post feedback from your latest port or country entry and help us keep Noonsite up to date and useful.
We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter,
Fair winds,
Sue and the Noonsite Team.
|
|
Two very useful posts this month, by long-term liveaboards, that will help those planning to start long-distance cruising:
Sue and John Hacking of SV Ocelot (48ft catamaran) have posted their average cruising expenses in SE Asia 2014-2021 with an easy to view pie chart. Jon comments, “Sue has worked a long time on this and we thought others, especially those thinking of going cruising, would be interested in what cruising really costs. We feel we live pretty well, so it's certainly possible to cruise with less (or more) if that suits you.” SV Ocelot also have free KAP files and charts for remote areas on their website.
Behan Gifford of SV Totem has posted on a topic that’s of great concern to many when transferring to life on board; radical downsizing to live on a boat (and how to do it). Behan reminds us of great words of wisdom she shares in her coaching community; Leaving is manageable; not leaving isn’t – and - The less I have, the lighter I feel, the happier I am.
|
|
Six years ago both Ivar and Floris had busy jobs (industrial engineer and a lawyer), but didn’t feel like they were contributing enough to a better society and healthier environment. They wanted to meet inspiring people who are working for a better world, to learn from them and spread their stories and to get to them sustainably, they chose sailing as the best way. Ivar was already living on a sailboat, but Floris was a complete novice. A long sailing trip soon became a common goal with sustainability being their main theme. "We are both conscious of the privileged situation we are in. At the same time, the precarious state of our natural world and the increasing social inequality make us feel concerned," Ivar and Floris told Noonsite. "We are convinced that change is needed to ensure that future generations can live in harmony on a healthy planet. When visiting a foreign country, you always learn from how other people do things. We saw an opportunity: if we collect innovative examples and share them with as many people as possible, we can do our part to speed up the transition to a sustainable and just society. We believe that sharing positive examples will motivate people to change their habits."
To date these "Sailors for Sustainability" have sailed to 26 countries, covered over 32,000 miles and visited and documented 59 sustainable solutions worldwide. They are currently in Australia having left the Netherlands 6 years ago and plan to cross the Indian Ocean for South Africa later this year.
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.
|
|
Pacific:
Island Cruising NZ remembered those who were lost and all who were involved in the 1994 Queens Birthday Storm this month. On the 28th May, 1994, a fleet of roughly 35 cruising yachts left NZ to sail for Tonga, when a few days out a rapidly intensifying storm developed. Seven yachts were abandoned, 20 people rescued and one vessel was lost with three people on board. It was one of New Zealand’s largest marine rescue operations. See the documentary here.
|
|
Atlantic:
The cruising season in Scotland is a short one, but fortunately the Caledonian Canal (which provides a convenient short-cut across Scotland) is now fully operational. The Canal is popular with sailors who want to avoid the lengthy passage around Cape Wrath on route to and from the west coast cruising grounds. It is ideal for yachts and cruisers and gives the opportunity to sail across Loch Ness! The Canal re-opened on 20 May after extensive lock refurbishment.
Orca encounters with transiting yachts in the eastern Atlantic off the west Iberia peninsula, continue to make headlines. The Cruising Association (CA) have now joined forces with the Orca Atlantic Working Group to encourage yacht skippers to report encounters in order to better understand the orcas’ behaviour and identify ways to help skippers avoid interactions and reduce damage to their vessels. The online reporting platform enables both yachts that encounter and interact with orcas to report as well as those that sight orcas but have no interference.
Hurricane season is here and this year's first named storm, Tropical Storm Alex, developed five days after the start of the season, making this the first season since 2014 not to have a pre-season named storm. Although forecasters are predicting an above-normal season this year, there are currently no active storms in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico. More at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/.
|
|
Caribbean Sea:
Chris Doyle this month discusses the advantages of creating a common sailing space between St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada, two countries that share some of the most superb sailing areas in the world but where movement between the two currently involves hours of form-filling and office visits. Caribbean Compass have kindly shared his interesting solution with Noonsite.
The yellow fever vaccine is a requirement for entering Honduras from Colombia and Panama (and several other countries). Cruisers report that the authorities are cracking down on this requirement.
|
|
Mediterranean:
Non-EU cruising boats heading to Greece this summer, need to be aware that rules regarding the transit log have tightened up considerably, plus insurance requirements for all yachts have changed. There are fines for non-compliance. Find out more here.
If heading to Europe and the Med for some summer cruising, read our European Union page to find out your visa and temporary import restrictions.
|
|
Red Sea:
Reports came in this month of a piracy incident off Yemen involving a large racing trimaran. Cruisers have been warned for many years to steer clear of this coastline, in particular off the Hamish Islands, which is where this particular attack took place. Wade Alarie, admin for the Red Sea Passage Facebook group, comments; “For those who follow the advice of UKMTO, and stay away from the territorial waters of Somalia and Yemen, the risk of piracy remains low. There are still 60-80 yachts per year that safely make the transit through the Red Sea.” Wade has updated his advice for yachts planning a Red Sea transit in his report Travelling North and South through the Red Sea.
Starpath Navigation have an interesting post on their blog for those who intend to transit the Suez Canal, but it’s also a worthwhile read/watch for yachts who often find themselves in touchy situations in negotiating wind and current in a narrow channel, or the cut through a barrier reef or atoll. The article focuses on a study of the “Ever Given” grounding in the Suez Canal and how modern electronic navigation would have helped avoid the incident. There are also useful background notes in the videos, such as why it is hard to steer in a strong following current.
|
|
Indian
Good news for those crossing the Indian Ocean soon, the Indian Ocean Territories are now open to yachts as are the majority of other countries on-route to South Africa including Madagascar.
|
|
WORLD ARC - DARWIN SEPTEMBER START CONFIRMED
|
|
World Cruising Club (WCC) have announced that the planned start for the 2022 World ARC rally from Darwin, NT Australia, will go-ahead on schedule in September. Picking up from the postponed 2020 edition, there are already 10 confirmed entries for the route across the Indian Ocean to South Africa, and then on to Brazil to finish in the Caribbean in April 2023. Whilst there are still challenges with delivering the route, WCC are confident that the general situation in countries on the planned route is improving and that it will be possible to sail the published route. Suitable boats either in Australia, or able to reach Darwin by September are welcome to join the rally.
Click here to request a rally information pack.
|
|
Given the convoys of North American cruisers expected this season to overwhelm popular anchorages at the northern reaches of Georgia Strait after years of closed borders, this might be the perfect year for cruisers from the USA and Canada to head for the west coast of Vancouver Island instead. Jim Burgoyne and Lynne Picard from the Salish Sea Pilot outline getting to the west coast and highlight some of the lesser-known anchorages that can be found on that side of the island.
|
|
After setting sail from Singapore, Jeremy and Genevieve Chase on SY Sea Monster head for the Indonesian island of Bali. Along the way they stop off in Kumai, Kalimantan where Jeremy goes in search of wild orangutangs while trying to avoid leeches and tarantulas.
After more than six years cruising the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic and back, Paul Chopin started planning his ultimate adventure – a circumnavigation. Unfortunately, a global pandemic and problems with trying to find the right boat have delayed this adventure.
|
|
Chile opened its maritime borders at the end of May. While at the current alert level no Covid paperwork is necessary for entry, it’s recommended to have a vaccination certificate should the alert level change while you are on passage. The Chilean Government have announced that Easter Island will reopen to tourism on August 1st. Also, at the end of last month, Australia Border Force finally confirmed that the Australian maritime border is now open for departures and arrivals by sea with protocols finally in place for small craft after what they say “has proven to be a complex proposition, with ABF taking a staged approach.” All current information for entering and leaving by sea is now available on the ABF website. More good news in the Pacific from Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, both of which will be opening international borders 1 July.
Restrictions easing:
Ports of entry are no longer limited in South Africa, plus arriving with a vaccination certificate means no testing is required. Since the start of June foreign travellers to Thailand only need to provide either a COVID-19 vaccination certificate or negative COVID-19 test results to enter. Barbados have removed testing requirements for vaccinated arrivals and both Virgin Islands have suspended use of their travel portals. In the USVIs there have been changes to the testing rules, and in the BVIs pre-arrival testing now applies to all travelers, regardless of vaccination status. The Bahamas no longer require travel health visas to enter and testing for vaccinated travelers have been removed. Panama now permits entry with either a vaccination certificate or testing on arrival. Tunisia has scrapped quarantine for non-vaccinated arrivals.
All restrictions lifted:
Italy dropped all restrictions on 1 June joining a number of other EU/EEA countries that have done the same including Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. While Southern Cyprus has lifted all restrictions, Northern Cyprus (TRNC) still requires pre-arrival and post-arrival testing for non-vaccinated arrivals.
Still closed:
The announcement that Japan was opening to all foreign tourists from 1 June led to a great deal of misunderstanding: it does in fact only apply to tightly scheduled tour groups with guides. The number of tourists that can enter Japan each month is capped and maritime borders for yachts are still very much closed. Kirk Patterson of Konpira Consulting Japan told Noonsite; “A national election is scheduled for late July, so it is unlikely that any major opening will be announced before then. September is the earliest likely date that cruisers would be able to enter Japan, however there is still a great deal of uncertainty about what visas will be available. In any case, April-June is the time for foreign cruisers to enter Japan so a September opening is too late for cruisers to come to Japan in 2022.” He adds “I do know, though, that a lot of foreign cruisers are wanting to come to Japan. Compared to 20-30 boats in a typical pre-pandemic year, I’ve got a “possible client” list for 2023-2024 of about 30 boats - and that’s just people who have contacted me, so I would guess that the total number of boats seriously considering coming to Japan as soon as it opens is well over a hundred.”
|
|
|
Get ready for your summer cruising with this incredibly useful pocket dictionary. Centered around clear, color, annotated diagrams, such as parts of the rig and engine, in each nautical subject area, it is very easy and convenient to translate between nine languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Portuguese and Greek). The diagrams can easily be used to show someone what is meant (or what is broken!) without having to worry about the language barrier. It covers general terms, such as ‘port’ and ‘starboard’, as well as technical words relating to engine and rigging repair and maintenance. Other topics include navigation, weather, seamanship, requesting help, medical emergencies, safety equipment, numbers and time.
|
|
YachtFlags.com
offers a discount to Noonsite members
Save 10%!
|
|
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today!
|
|
|
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:
|
|
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 2500 plus followers for notification of site updates, new cruising reports and news and other cruising-related tweets we find of interest.
|
|
Find Crew with Ocean Crew Link
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|