SOUTH PACIFIC ON HOLD — W
ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / ANDY
ith the daily news still dominated by horrific COVID-19 stats, the economy wheezing along on life support, and political rancor more intense than ever, the idea of setting sail on an extended South
The dolphins of the deep-blue South Pacific are always there with a wink and a smile beckoning cruisers to come for a visit.
Pacific cruise seems extremely appealing. Only trouble is, many of the South Pacific's most coveted sailing destinations are currently closed to cruising yachts due to the pandemic, and there's
no telling when their welcome mats will be put out again. But before you completely abandon your dreams of escaping to the tropics, allow us to give you a brief overview of the current situation, island by island. A quick glance at a globe or a South Pacific planning chart will remind you that there's a very long stretch of open ocean between the West Coast of the Americas and the first possible landfalls of French Polynesian — in the Marquesas Archipelago. When crossing directly from San Francisco, the rhumbline distance to those jagged, volcano-formed isles is roughly 3,000nm. From Mexico's Banderas Bay it's around 2,700nm, and it's a whopping 4,000nm from Panama. (Tahiti itself lies another 800nm southwest of the Marquesas.) Last March, when COVID's lethal case count began skyrocketing worldwide, several dozen cruising boats were already at sea, sailing west en route to the Marquesas. Before most of them made their initial landfall, French Polynesia and nearly every other island nation in the central South Pacific announced that they had closed their borders to both
COVID's Effect on Key SoPac Cruising Destinations As the COVID-19 crisis nears its one-year mark, we offer this brief update on pandemic-related issues. • Mexico & Panama — The two most popular jumping-off points for South Pacific-bound cruisers are both open to sailors with few if any special restrictions. COVID test required on arrival in Panama; neg result required to enter marinas. To get exit zarpe from Panama, must show Panama Cruising Permit and letter from your next port confirming they will receive you, which Tahiti will not provide. Galapagos will, however (via agent). However, some leave for FP without zarpe, as many cruisers claim FP authorities rarely ask for it. • Galapagos Islands — May visit, per special protocol. Need yacht agent, i.e., yachtagentsgalapagos@gmail.com. All crew need neg RT-PCR test result from test less than 72 hours before departure for Galapagos. Also, wearing masks and social distancing while ashore is mandatory. • French Polynesia — Maritime borders are officially closed. However, sailors may enter if registered with maritime authorities (DPAM), must make Page 0 •
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maritime declaration of health, meet testing or quarantine requirements: having spent 14 days at sea for a crew of one, or 28 days at sea for a crew of more than one. Or all crew must get RT-PCR test. May disembark after proof of a neg result. • Tonga — Closed to new arrivals. Yachts already in Tonga must inform customs of any movement between islands. • Fiji — Yachts may enter per special regulations, and use of approved yacht agent: chase@baobabmarine.com, jo@ yachtpartnersfiji.com, or david@yachthelp.com. AIS must remain on during your crossing. All crew must have predeparture neg COVID-19 test result: 14 days of quarantine required, minus time at sea en route. • New Zealand — Borders are closed to foreign visitors. Possible but difficult to obtain exemption if you commit to getting major work done in NZ, or have compelling humanitarian need to visit. May not open fully until 2022. • Australia — Currently closed to non-Aussie yachts.
For more, see south-pacific-sailing.com & https://en.pf.yellowflagguides.com/
air and sea travelers. Throughout the region, there were similar government declarations that no new cruising boats would be allowed in, and those already cleared in could not clear out. On most islands, strict 'confinement' rules were instituted that initially required sailors to stay on board 24/7, except for occasional trips ashore for essentials. In the early days of confinement, a small number of foreign sailors managed to arrange seats on 'repatriation flights' back to their home countries, but many more sailors are presumably still ticking off the days in places like the Cook Islands, Tonga, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia — 10 months after restrictions were originally imposed. Tahiti's Closed-Yet-Open Policy When island after island instituted closure policies last spring, French Polynesia became the sole exception to the strict no-entry mandates of its neighbors. Although the French Overseas Territory's maritime borders were declared to be officially closed, it offered 'harbors of refuge' to yachts arriving in both the Marquesas and Tahiti — a disparate international fleet that included many members of the Pacific Puddle Jump and World ARC rallies. Foreign-flag sailors who'd been at sea for weeks were sincerely grateful for the French Polynesian government's compassionate decision to let them in. But a few months later, many foreign cruisers were baffled by a new government policy. In July, French Polynesia became the first in the neighborhood to reopen its borders to international air travelers, yet it remained (officially) closed to marine tourism. Confusing? Absolutely. Despite the stated policy though, the bottom line today is that foreign cruising boats as well as superyachts are still allowed entry on a case-by-case basis. And it's worth noting that as far as we know, not a single cruising yacht has been denied entry, for at least a shortterm stay, after completing a (free) application process with the maritime agency
