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Even twelve month ago I wouldn't have askeed this, but I've been reading of new restrictions on sailboats in Turkey aand APIS arriving in UK next year and it is terribly depressing.

 

So the question is: how many years do you think we have left before offshore cruising simply won't be feasible anymore either because of increased costs and/or bureaucratic interference?

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Whats APIS Squid?

Umm, yeah it is depressing. A lot of places are just too expensive to Berth now. And I doubt those places will change. But as for the countries impossing Taxes or similar, I am not sure it will be that final A few countries brought in tough new regs or stupid high taxes and then dropped them again because they suddenly worked out they were biting the hand that was feeding them. I wonder if some countries thought Boats visiting were a cash cow and then when the boats left in droves, or didn't come at all, thought ooops. Actually Fiji was a prime example of that one.

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Apis is the advance notice BS that NZ and Aus introduced a while back. NZ Customs are being a bit more generous than the Aussies who are arresting people and imposing fines (enough to force you to sell the boat and fly home).

I think Fiji are doing it. Some Eastern Caribbean islands did it, but the charter industry there was strong enough to get it tossed (the MIA in NZ couldn't give a sh*t - they are only interested in the mega yacht industry). Now it is coming to UK and probably the EU. Mostly driven by bullying by the US thought many would deny that.

Latest depressing news was Turkey introducing grey water tanks (as if holding tanks aren't a giany crock of sh*t to start with), and insisting they have to be pumped out via a deck fill so no disconnecting the hose and sticking it into a jerry can till you get away. Apparently you will get a credit card type thing that will record the numberf of times you pump out and the volume - if you don't do it enough ........

Haven't heard anymore on the US requiring you to notify Homweland security everytime you ove the boat. But now the Canadians insist you hav e alicence.

Get this , you could sail to Melbourne, race to Osaka, win, then cruise to the Aleutian Islands and SE Alaska (didn't Fossil do this?) and when you arrive at teh canadian border you won't be allowed in without a boat driver's license to prove you can operate your vessel safely.

I can't even begin to unravel all the requirements for sailing in and around EU countries.

 

 

The guts is that in the eyes of the governments of most countries of the world we are not welcome.

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Yeah I hear ya. I think the UK has implemented the advance notice thing. I was just reading an article that mentioned it, so think it may already be in force. One of the reasons why the UK are getting tuff, is because they are being flooded with illegal immigrants getting in to the country from Europe. People smuggling into the UK has become a really big problem.

I also have just read that yes the USA is now asking for notice of moving Marinas and even from berth to berth, which I think is a little over kill. But then i suppose their marinas must be huge. They are trying to keep track of people that are not US Citizens. Although I reckon it is the US Citizens that are the bigger problem than the visitors.

 

In regards to License, we have a similar issue here in NZ, it is just in the infant years still. That of idiots not knowing how to operate a vessel being out there on the water. We are fast approaching the tipping of the scales where we will go from no license to license, as the numbers of boaties grow. Now take that to countries with 10's of mills in population and the numbers of idiots are huge.

I don't understand the reason why you have to give so much warning of entry. But I also don't really see a problem as long as boaters are informed that they have to do so.

 

Grey water and Black water are a big issue in many other countries. In fact US Coastgaurd are often more interested in the position and secured state of your tanks Seacock than any other issue and it carries a huge fine to have that thing set wrong. But then, they have so many on the water in other countries. I am quite surprised we have not had that made law here in NZ. We have a lot of Marine Farms at risk in our waters and with the numbers of boaties in your neck of the woods, i am not sure Swimming would be all that much of a nice idea at times. Not to mention the algal blooms we see in our waters at times. We have a guy that is full time water testing here. They open or close a Farm if the water is not to standard. That is all due to some idiot that either didn't have a holding tank or let it all go too close to the Farm.

Back to the Med, with all the countries combined up there, i am surprised that the Med is not a soup.

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It does sound stupid but I'm hoping that there will some kind of backlash from the cruising community or else over time they will realise they have killed a small but decent part of their tourism industry - maybe the marinas will add their voice to complaints when they see visitor numbers severely down.

 

I hope that this happens before I plan to go long term cruising probably about 8-9yrs from now. Otherwise will have to restrict it to a smaller number of cruiser-friendly places, probabably in the S PAcific only by the sound of it.

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Boy, I have yet to be convinced that pumping the head has the slightest bit of affect on anything. !,000,000 times more sh*t goes in the harbour every time it rains.

 

The other one not mentioned is entry fees, they have ballooned recently. $300 to get to St Helena which is little more than a rock in the middle of mowhere with a rolly mooring to pick up. One day ashore and you have seen the place and ready to move on.

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In big rains raw untreated sewage flows into Westhaven marina to this day.

 

I do disagree with you a little Mr Squid. Back in the day over the Xmas period Bon Accord was chocker with chocolate floaters. Today that isn't seen. Whether that's to do with holding tanks or the fact Fitzroy is the Xmas target for most meaning Bon Accord isn't anywhere near as busy as it used to be I'm knot sure.

 

Also there is a pile more sealife to be seen in the Akl Marinas these days, a pile more than even a decade ago. Whatever is happening around here is making the water cleaner or at least appear that way.

 

Yeap the popular cruising spots are getting costly but much is to do with what some of the cruisers now want, in fact are demanding.

 

I think you and many Kiwis are still of the mind set 'cruising' is anchoring out and just being as laid back as we can get. To a European and many from the US cruising means quite a bit different. Just look at the whole 'We are in XX marina but will be cruising to YY marina' that goes on. That isn't cruising to me or I would suggest to most Kiwis. To me that cruising from marina to marina is no different than backpacking from the Sheraton to the Hilton or put another way a 'why would ya!'.

 

Feck it's hot, anyone want to chuck up that last bit of gibboard for me?

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Yep, a Marina is for Fuel and Food and leaving your boat when you are away from it for some time.

NZ is becoming just as expensive. It all depends on what you want to see where when you get there. For instance, Kaikoura Whale and Dolphin watch. I am not sure what the cost is now, but it is way up there. Bungy Jumping. Going to look at the Albatross in Dunedin. All expensive. But as Crusiers, we can do all of the above for free if we want. Although the halyard needs a tad more stretch for bungy use. :wink: The problem is, if someone thinks they can make a buck these days, they do.

So here is another one to add. What about the corruption in many countries? It's been there for a long time and it hasn't stopped crusiers from going to those places. It does stop some though, like me. I just don't have the right personality to be able to deal with that kind of thing. So I wouldn't go there. I am not so sure I want to be shot at either, so I don't want to go through the Red Sea or Panama. Although I hear Panama has changed a lot these days. So there are issues in what ever way the world is looked at. I guess it just comes down to how you deal with it.

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Wonder how much of that sort of thing happens here in NZ?

 

It's knot 'if', it is 'it is'. Been sussing a family school hols OE and you pay a LOT more during school holiday dates than you do at other times. Also kids are now 12 or under, in some places only 10 and under and in the odd spot during school Hols kids are 10 or 12yo and under but during the school terms kids are 14 and under.

 

And like the UK if we pull the kids out of school the schools will get shitty with me and Mum. Had letters from schools saying if we pull the kids out during term time we are nasty and bad parents.

 

I spoke to the 2 schools the kids go to about pulling them out for 6 months so we could sail a boat back from the EU. I wanted to see if they could continue along the same lines as they were, just to keep pace with their mates, by getting stuff via email.

 

The primary school of D2's agreed whole heartedly but the Grammar school of D1's gave me the impression I'd be a better parent if I shot a few teachers instead :? Bizarre is about the best way to describe the secondary schools response.

 

But if we do purchase F' the school quite frankly. I would argue that the experience of that would far eclipse what they got out of school for that period.

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The same for Ferries at Holidays and during the winter. Why should they put the cost up. Orthe one that really gets me, why can I fly from CHCH to Auckland for $99 and yet it costs $400 to fly from Blenheim to Hamilton. Or these Busses that say seats from $1. There is only one seat for $1 dollar, the rest are standard fare.

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I'm guessing before this decade is out we will all be forced to carry locator beacons (like the spot thingy) so they can spy on us at all times.

 

Just stick it in your oven. Thinking Faraday Cage and a nice F' You along with it :)

 

Sadly I think you have over cooked the time frame. I see more like 5 years.

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LOL - just got a letter from the bank - they are sending me a new credit card with a microchip in it. . . the boss (herein called the helm monkey (THM) at his request) reckons they will have a locater chip in it so they know where I am all the time, anywhere in the world. I told him they don't need that - they just have to look at my statements :lol:

 

It wont be long now tho - they can store a lot of info in a microchip.

 

And who says they haven't been injecting microchips into our kids at immunisation time anyway :P

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LOL - just got a letter from the bank - they are sending me a new credit card with a microchip in it. . . the boss (herein called the helm monkey (THM) at his request) reckons they will have a locater chip in it so they know where I am all the time, anywhere in the world. I told him they don't need that - they just have to look at my statements :lol:

 

It wont be long now tho - they can store a lot of info in a microchip.

 

And who says they haven't been injecting microchips into our kids at immunisation time anyway :P

 

is that the chip like the ones in the UK that can be corrupted and then used to steal from you, there was a story in the UK about crims stealing the cards, using a device on them and then not needing to know your pin to pay for things.

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