Chagos: The Begining of the End for Cruisers ?

[TOM]

I have heard from a number of yachties that B.I.O.T has now reduced the time you can stay at Chagos down to 1 month they may have also increased the fee .Is this the begining of the end with regards to cruisers visiting the area ? We were fortunate enough to get our application in before the 1st of Jan 2011 so have a 3 month permit.

Does anyone know of anybody else going to Chagos this year everyone we talk to is heading to the Med or staying around Thailand / Malaysia. Much as we are looking forward to it if we were the only ones there for 3 months we may start to go a little crazy!

Does anyone have any views on sailing from Thailand to Chagos now that Chagos has been classified a pirate area {North of 10' South and West of 78' East} Are we mad ...would you go ?

[conachair]

Maybe a little more going on behind closed doors....

WikiLeaks, Chagos: UK And US Plotted Against Indian Ocean Islanders, Leaked Documents Suggest | UK News | Sky News

[TOM]

Thanks , Interesting reading.

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by TOM

I have heard from a number of yachties that B.I.O.T has now reduced the time you can stay at Chagos down to 1 month they may have also increased the fee .Is this the begining of the end with regards to cruisers visiting the area ? We were fortunate enough to get our application in before the 1st of Jan 2011 so have a 3 month permit.

Does anyone know of anybody else going to Chagos this year everyone we talk to is heading to the Med or staying around Thailand / Malaysia. Much as we are looking forward to it if we were the only ones there for 3 months we may start to go a little crazy!

Does anyone have any views on sailing from Thailand to Chagos now that Chagos has been classified a pirate area {North of 10' South and West of 78' East} Are we mad ...would you go ?

The fee for 4 weeks is 200 pounds sterling - the permit, if applied for after the 1st January is only for a month.
There are a number of boats who have already arrived and number on their way; including boats that have been going there for over 10 years, 'Brumby' is just one of them.
From June this year onwards the beginning of the end for the traditional 30+ cruising yachts in Chagos. Once the last Labour government declared the Chagos Archipelgo a national marine park, it was that act that sounded the death knell for cruising boats. Because Mauritius and others have had their eyes on Chagos for a) Commercial fishing, and b) for tourist development - the promulgation making it an international Marine reservation, had the result of restricting any activity, and almost as an after thought the Government set in motion a set of difficulties for the annual cruise by yachts to Chagos.
I believe that the Andaman Islands will initially replace Chagos as a cruising destination for cruisers from South East Asian Waters - and when eventually further change takes place in Burma , the hundreds of islands in the Mergui Archipelgo and north of them will become the new paradise for cruisers.
So Tom, I would certainly go - some of my very best cruising memories.

[Springbok]

Since the Somali pirates are now operating as far South as the Seychelles and off Madagascar it would only be diplomatic and courtious of the British to offer Chagos as a base for these down-trodden fishermenI'm sure their mafia-like masters ,who mastermind this multi-million dollar robinhood industry would appreciate the gesture ie a base for their motherships They are at present asking $io million for 2 crew taken off a South African yacht in Kenyan waters. Should compensated for the poor fishing off the Somali coast Reality check is that legislation, cruising permit extortion fees, crime,piracy etc makes cruising a different life-style to what it was only 10 years ago.
Clyde

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by Springbok

Since the Somali pirates are now operating as far South as the Seychelles and off Madagascar
Clyde

In fact the pirates are operating further south - almost the same latitude as the Limpopo river (South Africa) when they captured a Spanish fishing trawler off Bazaruto Island.

[TOM]

Thanks laidback, we are just starting to provision for the trip 4 months in total before we reach Mauritius.Have had to totally reorganize the boat to fit the beer.....2 beers each per day by 120 days ..lets see thats 480 cans !........

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