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From lat 38.

 

"Two years ago, I wrote Latitude regarding the rough treatment that some foreign yachtsmen were getting from Australian Customs officers, especially those located in Queensland," writes Miles Lewis of the Alamitos Bay-based Ericson 39 Miles Ahead. "The problem was a result of yachties failing to comply with Australia's infamous 96-Hour Notification Rule. It was, and still is, physically impossible for most skippers to communicate as required by the Notification Rule. In '07-'08, an American and a Dutch couple were each separated from tens of thousands of dollars in fines, court costs, and lawyer fees for violating the rule. Relations had become a bit more cordial between officials and cruisers since then. That is, until two weeks ago, when Customs nailed two sailors from New Zealand for $2,750 in fines and court costs. The pair had checked in with a Customs agent at Lord Howe Island while enroute to Brisbane, and thought that this covered the 96-Hour Notification requirement. Wrong! So all cruisers in that area should be aware of the situation."

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Um, maybe im reading this wrong.

 

These guys arrive in Australia (Lord Howe Is) and then give the 96 hours to Aussie customs?!?!

or did they notify Aussie customs 96 hours before ther arrived at Lord Howe?

 

Lord Howe Is is part of Australia and they should have notified Aus Customs 96 hour prior to arriving at Lord Howe surely.

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The Whitsundays is good and easy chartering. Direct flights from Brisbane to Proserpine or Hammo. THere are a heap of different boat options. It is nice to visit a different island every day and have a resort option if you want to splash out. And Whitehaven beach really is one of the best beaches in the world. Plus beautiful warm water. Lots of whales out to sea in season, and plenty of scenery of the skimpy bikini kind.

Who needs the Caribbean.

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The Whitsundays is good and easy chartering. Direct flights from Brisbane to Proserpine or Hammo. THere are a heap of different boat options. It is nice to visit a different island every day and have a resort option if you want to splash out. And Whitehaven beach really is one of the best beaches in the world. Plus beautiful warm water. Lots of whales out to sea in season, and plenty of scenery of the skimpy bikini kind.

Who needs the Caribbean.

 

Problem is you dont see the bikinis when they are all covered up with stinger suits

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If you go anywhere as a charterer you will have no trouble with officialdom. As a charterer you are viewed as a cash cow/tourist, they won't make waves for you.

Lots of places if you go as a cruiser you are a freeloading piece of sh*t to be moved on as quickly as possible, that is if you can't be discouraged from coming in the first place.

The charterboat industry supports both these points of view. The first for obvious reasons, the second because they think if cruisers can be discouraged then they'll choose to charter instead.

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Jeeze.. So fussy AA!! I would put up with "so where the bloody hell are ya?" for that package.. Well for a few weeks anyway.. :D :D :D

I dunno Smithy, it's kinda like a jet engine at full noise, sounds bloody good for a while but then it starts to hurt your ears...

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Jeeze.. So fussy AA!! I would put up with "so where the bloody hell are ya?" for that package.. Well for a few weeks anyway.. :D :D :D

I dunno Smithy, it's kinda like a jet engine at full noise, sounds bloody good for a while but then it starts to hurt your ears...

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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If one was going to do a charter in Whit Sundays...Any one have any recommendations?

 

Every time I've looked at chartering a boat the rates have been a major put off.

 

Flip side of that...I know the wife would enjoy the glam up in the Whitsundays...and I could do some cruising!

 

I spent a week at Hayman (at the resort with work!), and that was the dogs nuts....she would have loved it if she was there!

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I spent a bit of time in the Whitsundays last year. I wasn't that impressed. Very touristy and not really that scenic. More backpackers than you could shake a stick at. I'm sure there are plenty of much more interesting places that are off the beaten track if you're prepared to look for them. I sailed past Fraser Island - now that area looks interesting. The north-western coast of Australia looks like an interesting spot to go cruising.

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I took this off CF , seemed relevant

 

You will all have to forgive me cos I am about to RANT! I am so angry I could spit (and probably will any minute now).

 

We bought our yacht in NZ about 18 months ago - a fibreglass hulled 44' yacht. (She is lovely by the way) and we worked our guts out to get her ready for this cruising season. We made it in time and we set off for Fiji and (due to illness of the skipper) missed Vanuatu and made New Caledonia.

 

Whilst in NC we met many cruisers thinking about Australia as a destination and, sadly, a few who were giving us a miss for reasons of petty bureaucracy. New Quarantine rules, chest x rays for some and not others ( and no reason given why), new insurances, Customs reporting, costs of clearing in (highest in the world we believe) and the list goes on. It was embarrassing and humbling that so many people who would have loved to come to Australia were giving the whole place a miss because Australia has become a nanny state and has more rules and regulations than you could get your head around.

 

BUT we wanted to come home and pass through Australian waters so we had to face up to the fact that we would have to pay duty and gst to cruise here for one season (that makes you feel sick to pay to cruise your own country) but we have family here and so we took that concept on the chin. We cleared in the other day and I cannot speak more highly of the officers here where we cleared but today we are hit with more news of the bad variety.

 

Some wet behind the ears twit sitting in an office somewhere has decided that our fibreglass yacht with only minor wood trim, all in exceptionally good condition and varnished, constitutes a risk for termites and we HAVE to present to a port that we weren't intending on stopping at to have an inspection done. The inspection done here was of the opinion that we were not a 'predominantly wooden boat' and what wood there was was in good condition. So why the inspection then?

 

So help me god this country gives me a pain in the posterior!!!! Friends being forced to pay thousands for chest x rays to visit but people coming through the airport don't have too? Paying to clear in - when if you arrive by plane you don't have too? Having to pay to bring our home into the country? Now we have to pay to get our home inspected? Now don't get me wrong here - if we were at risk at all of anything then I wouldn't hesitate at all to get it inspected. I don't want nasties getting in here anymore than the next guy BUT we met their own guidelines for 'not requiring further inspection' and she is an obviously well maintained boat with no damage anywhere so WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING?

 

Honestly the bureaucrats here are really and truly trying to get us put on the worst destination list for cruising yachts. Shame Australia Shame!!!!

 

 

Next post

 

Well they have gone one step further now - we have been told it is going to cost us $139/half hour to have AQIS onboard and $500 for a Pest Controller to do a thermal inspectioin WHILST aqis watch. Where do I get a job where I can sit and watch someone else do the work and get paid $139/half hour?

 

Whilst in New Caledonia we met 7 yachts who had decided to miss Australia because of all this idiocy. NZ did an estimate and worked out that for each cruising yacht that comes into NZ for a season they spend (on average) $25000NZ. That makes for a lot of money that NZ is getting and it is good for local business. If we were in NZ we wouldn't have to pay duty as this is our only home and as our primary place of residence it doesn't get slugged Duty or GST. BUT here in Oz we are being slugged left right and centre and we are now facing a sickening thought that they may drive us into big debt.

 

So why can't Australia see that all these rules and regs make this such an unattractive destination to Ozzies returning home and to visiting yachts? We need an advocate in Federal Govt to take a close look at this loss of tourism and take it in hand!

 

By the way I have now stopped spitting and am now in the mode of 'let the bastards bring it on' - we have a lovely yacht with no pest infestation and we are proud of our home. Shame we have to pay to prove that.

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OK first off, don't take my reply here as me trying to find excuses for them. I agree a lot of it is pattheticaly over the top. But!

I thought you did have to pay Duty and GST in NZ.

That owner may well be someone that is responsible and takes all care and his boat may not have termites and he may not have any little foreign critter onboard at all. But you can't just say, "Oh so you say you are responsible, we won't bother checking then". They either have to check all or not at all. The problem is, someone will one day come along with something and they will either have no clue it is onboard or won't care. How do you think most of the pest arrived in different countries as it is. Look at Didymo in the NZ waterways now. The education put out, the washing facilities provided, and yet it still has invaded just about every water way in NZ.

Chest Xrays, well that is determinded by where you have been. No you don't get them when arriving at an airport because that part is done when the person traveling by air is applying for the Visa to the country.

 

And NZ is just as bad with this stupid BS. Here's an example. Friends have just come here from India. It has taken ages of BS to get status here. It has cost them everything they had. The delays were such that eventuyally they outstayed their working Visas and had to reapply. Now get this, part of the application required them to have an updated Police report adn medical check from Indian Authorities. :wtf: They have been residing in NZ for a year. So OK a medical test, fair enough if you really have to, but why not from a doctor here in NZ. And what are the Indian Police going to say. Oh my jolly goodness, they have been model citizens fro the last 12months. In fact, it is like they were not even here. (spoken with Engl/Indian accent)

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Bit light on the detail and heavy on the drama there Squid.

 

Until I see names, dates, boat details and customs papers etc it’s all one sided scaremongering as far as Im concerned.

 

Until I hear the other side of the story I’ll assume,

 

1. It’s a termite infested boat.

2. Elderly owners of questionable health

3. Rude to officials.

 

Nearly all first world officials I’ve dealt with have been perfectly reasonable as long as you give them a smile and treat them with a little respect. The people who have trouble with them, generally asked for it.

 

Bashing officialdom is a pastime for many a cruiser

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