India

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Panaji (Panjim), Goa

15^o30.6N 73^o49.2E

The approach is a bit daunting as you appear to be heading for breaking water. The Mandovi river, and hence the entrance, is busy 24hrs with barges taking iron ore out to ships at anchor. Prepare your pilotage well and you shouldn't have any problems.

The above position is the anchorage in Verem Bay. While we were there a pontoon was laid upriver and we stayed on it for the SW monsoon and felt quite secure. The pontoon was later removed and a casino ship moored to buoys in Verem Bay so it looked fairly bleak for yachts. However, the grapevine is humming with the news that a new pontoon will be laid where the old one was.

2 good local contacts who are used to helping yachts are:

One Stop Travel (Sonija or Shammi or Yogesh) sam@onstoptravel.co.in

Goa Yacht Service (Howard Moon) howardmoon@yahoo.com

Goa is very cheap for alcohol and a good place to stock up.

Palolem, Goa

15^o00.56N 74^o00.96E

Beautiful beach, now quite busy with tourists but it doesn't seem to get the hoards of package crowds that the resorts further north get. Most provisions available in the village or in ******** a short rickshaw ride away.

Belekeri Bay, Karnataka

14^o43.6N 74^o12.6E

Stunning spot with two beaches at the head of the bay, the occasional fisherman will come and get a few hours sleep but no-one else there. Shelter was good until the wind picked up from the south but even then it was reasonable.

Unfortunately we arrived the day of the Mumbai attacks and this was the beginning of our being denied entry to harbours and not being allowed ashore. We were boarded by police who wanted copies of just about everything and searched the boat. They then wanted us to go into the nearby fishing port but we refused, showing them the chart and that the depths were not sufficient for us. Eventually they left.

Basavarajodurg Is

14^o19.3N 74^o24.4E

We anchored NW of the island as there was still a S swell running but it looks like you can go either side to suit conditions.

At 0200 we were boarded by coastguard who wanted the usual papers but then we had to weigh anchor and go out to their mother ship. We refused to go alongside and in the end they had us under spotlight for a while then let us return to anchor at 0330. Again the excuse is the Mumbai attacks. I assured them that if Britain wanted to bomb India they wouldn't send us, untrained in arms, in a yacht to do it. They did not see any humour in that observation.

Malpe

13^o20.4N 74^o42.0E

Refused entry to the river (due to Mumbai attacks) so anchored outside, inside the islands. Shelter was good. Local boats approach from the west but I would think that better done with some local knowledge so we came around the south of the islands.

Mangalore

12^o50.0N 74^o49.64E

We decided against New Mangalore as a busy commercial port so continued to the old port. When we arrived the light was fading and we were approaching LW so stayed outside. At first we tried anchoring north of the entrance but with the currents and tides conflicting it was uncomfortable so we went south of the entrance and had a quiet night.

Kotte Kunnu

12^o01.1N 75^o13.6E

Another beautiful spot with a fishing village on the beach and the start of backwaters behind. There are a few basic supplies in the shop and we managed to obtain some spring water from the supply hose to the village.

We took our dingy into the backwaters for which Kerala is so famous and just pottered.

Tellicherry

11^o44.4N 75^o29.4E

Boarded by police at sea. They didn't know what they were doing and just being nosey. Also scrounged some wine and beer. We're getting a bit fed up by now.

Beypore

11^o09.8N 75^o47.7E

Boarded by coastguard at sea, who then kept us for 2 hours while they investigated our 'exchanging items with a trawler'. What we think they were talking about was yesterday's visit from the police who were in a fishing boat when they stopped us. They gave us telephone numbers and instructions to report to coastguard continually for the remainder of our passage to Kochi.

Thanks to coastguard we arrived at Beypore in darkness so anchored just north of what appeared to be a new breakwater out from the entrance. By daylight we could see that they have indeed built twin breakwaters extending out from the river entrance.

Kochi (Cochin)

Anchored off the Taj Malabar and were boarded by port authority and then customs. The customs official then took us ashore after filling in form after form (I won't search, you look honest) and he was extremely helpful, taking us around all the relevant offices and then taking us back to our boat. Next morning, late flood tide, we proceeded to the Bolgatty anchorage. Having left the main channel the small channel to the anchorage is now also buoyed.

We use a boat guy Nazar for fuel, beer and laundry. He charges a bit more than you can pay ashore but it's a good service and he takes garbage away every day for free. Water is by jerry from Bolgatty Palace hotel, RS150 for 2 weeks water. The hotel launch is available if you want to leave your dingy on deck while travelling inland or abroad.

Hardware shops in Ernakulum and Matancherry and there's even India's Yamaha agent based there. We found a refrigeration engineer (Thomas 9846122476) and others have found good teakwork and even glasswork. A yard can lift smaller yachts, especially bilge or lift-keelers (John 9847397735).

This is deservedly becoming a popular stop on cruisers' passages to and from south east asia. Bolgatty Palace hotel is in the process of building a marina and we feel the town as a whole is slowly switching on to the needs of yachties.

Good cheap healthcare and dentistry if you need a service and MOT too.