Is it possible to get a boat from Asia back to Australia?

[deadreckon]

Hi all,

[this might be a very naive question but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere..]

Is it possible to buy a boat in Thailand and have it skippered back to Australia in the current covid world?

I know it's very difficult to get over there with permits/visas/quarantine etc, but I wondered if starting there and coming home might be possible?

Cheers

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by deadreckon

Is it possible to buy a boat in Thailand and have it skippered back to Australia in the current covid world?

I know it's very difficult to get over there with permits/visas/quarantine etc, but I wondered if starting there and coming home might be possible?

As for your purchase of the vessel, a willing buyer and a willing seller can usually find common ground. It may well be that the seller will be quite delighted to deal with you - you might be their own way to monetise an otherwise stranded asset.

That would be the least of your problems. You'll be pouring money into the drink for every other step of the way and all the way up until you pay Aus Border Force and AQIS.

Buying the services of a skipper and crew is one stumbling block.

With a gold bar or two you could likely buy a delivery crew from Singapore (or perhaps even in ThaiLand itself) who could do the job.

Of course other factors, including:

(1) whether the boat is in perfect running order (i.e. does not need work/repairs/new sails/re-rigging/etc);
(2) in what season you want the job done;
(3) the current port in ThaiLand and where you want to make entry into Aus.

Why not do the voyage yourself? You'd likely save a bit of your gold bars.

If the vessel is in Phuket, you can work through the Aus bureaucracy to get permission to exit Aus with the purpose of getting to vessel which is your home.

Similarly with money and time you can get a certificate of entry and visa to Phuket.

Same with one-way air travel to perhaps Singapore and transit to Phuket by air.

You likely have to give your overlords in CBR an undertaking not to return to Aus for 3 months in return for permission to exit. That gives you time to make sure the vessel is seaworthy, equipped, and provisioned and to do the voyage (as long as you pick the right season, weather etc).

A skipper and crew from Singapore would be able to port in Sinkers without too much difficulty. You could take over from them in Sinkers. Or pay them to deliver all the way to Aus.

If you were at the conn yourself, you'd need to negotiate permission to enter Sinkers.

There's a chance that Bali might open up. Or not.

In the right season and good timing, with permissions for yourself as an Aus, you could sail direct non-stop from Phuket (assuming that is the port of departure) to make entry in Aus, such as at Darwin.

That would simplify your voyage, if you're prepared for a non-stop single handed voyage.

[deadreckon]

Thanks for your time with such a detailed response Alan Mighty. Many great points and things to consider!

The boat is in Phuket and I'd be entering back into Darwin. Ideally, I would do the voyage myself but I believed it would be too difficult to arrange, but you've now given me some hope that it might be possible still.

Unsure of the best time of year but thought around April would be good, to depart before the Monsoon season in SE Asia and arrive after the Monsoon season in Darwin? Keen to hear your thoughts on this as well!

[mcarthur]

If you are Australian, you can apply for permits to travel yourself (good luck!). If you are hiring a crew, then it's different as it is a business arrangement, like all the goods that come into Australia now by sea and air. The crew may have to quarantine on arrival, and of course would need their own visas, even as short stay. We had our boat shipped from overseas to Oz in the last 6 months without covid issues. I won't mention the *^#$# customs and other issues we did have...

[aclmck]

I tried in April and was told that I could leave but had to be out of oz for3 mths minimum and I would need covid tests for every port of call, a covid test on arrival and 2 weeks self paid on arrival of q/tine, then I wtried to get into Thailand and had to do similar there but if I caught it there I would need to have cover for insurance which was very very did I say very expensive $30k each for 3 months. This made me think about leaving latter when everything got a bit easier but someone bought the boat before I even thought about it again, I’m told that insurance is now cheaper but still expensive but leaving oz needs to be for business otherwise it’s a no go.

[Dougtiff]

Back in the 80'S i did a delivery from Phuket to Coffs harbor, took 2 month's, motored most of the way, due to lack of wind, even though it was a sail boat.

[billgewater]

Earlier this year an acquaintance sailed single handed nearly all the way across the Pacific to Aus. He stopped nowhere at all and maintained GPS position/tracking data with the Aus. border force (I believe). On arrival he spent two weeks on his boat under quarantine. It worked as the weather was with him with hardly any motoring.
If you read the Aus. news you may decide that entry into Aus. is not a matter of what you know, but who you know. See the story re some silly woman from England who boasted about cheating during quarantine.

Best of luck. Please let the forum know the outcome as there must be others in the same circumstances.

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by billgewater

Earlier this year an acquaintance sailed single handed nearly all the way across the Pacific to Aus. He stopped nowhere at all and maintained GPS position/tracking data with the Aus. border force (I believe). On arrival he spent two weeks on his boat under quarantine. It worked as the weather was with him with hardly any motoring.
If you read the Aus. news you may decide that entry into Aus. is not a matter of what you know, but who you know. See the story re some silly woman from England who boasted about cheating during quarantine.

Best of luck. Please let the forum know the outcome as there must be others in the same circumstances.

She was just a very stupid self promoting B... who enjoys "challenging" all levels of laws and was boasting of taunting security and wanting to stand naked as she was lectured about not wearing a face mask. Fortunately Border Force deported her yesterday. She got her visa because a TV station wanted her on their artificial reality show and they probably fund both political parties.

[petermck]

Check out the Sailing Nanji YouTube channel and website https://www.sailingnandji.com/
They recently left Pangkor (Lumut, Malaysia) with the intention of sailing directly to Australia.

[gulfcoastsailor]

So much thought on such a simple question.
In Thailand a guy has a ⛵️ . You want it. You have 💰.He wants it. Exchange those two things. ✅

Now you have a ⛵️. The road to 🇦🇺 is paved with .🌊 I’ll leave the rest up to you.😂

Sorry… just playing goofball tonight. 😞

[mjcook]

Originally Posted by deadreckon

Hi all,

[this might be a very naive question but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere..]

Is it possible to buy a boat in Thailand and have it skippered back to Australia in the current covid world?

I know it's very difficult to get over there with permits/visas/quarantine etc, but I wondered if starting there and coming home might be possible?

Cheers

Yes it is possible COVID-19 has introduced complications but a friend of mine has just done so
Be at sea for at least two weeks before trying to clear in and contact border force well in advance
I think Darwin might be the best entry port
Good luck
M J Cook
S/C Rainbow Dreaming

[GoneDiving]

How big is your intended vessel? Can you just ship it as on-deck freight?

[BigBeakie]

Pricing on shipping yachts is through the roof. Quotes for a cat from Thailand to Brisbane was well over $AUD150,000 recently.