SAMOA: Show me the Tala!
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| DOMINO in Apia, in front of the cathedral |
May 22,2015 – Apia, Samoa
You’d think that after 5 years traveling through34 countries and dealing with officials of multiple cultures, politics, economics and language, I’d be a bit thick-skinned. You’d think that Paraguayan Customs officers, La Marinha do Brazil, and Belize’s Park Rangers would have taught me the ultimate patience. Oh, but that was before having to deal with the operations in Apia, Samoa. Admittedly, some cruisers have had a wonderful experience here… Not us! Since I am still upset over shelling $500 in 5 days to see nothing under water, I’ll just be clinical about this post.
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| Apia, on our iSailor... forget the Navnet charting, it's one mile off! |
Fishing – You’d better catch your fish before getting to Apia, cuz the sea is rather sterile around here. But the bank around American Samoa is excellent if we’re to judge but the tuna leaping alongside Domino and the 20-lb Mahi cooling in the fridge!
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| Fifty man long canoe |
Date Line – When you go from American Samoa to (Western) Samoa, you cross the International date line; in other words, you’ve just lost a day. We thought we arrived on Friday afternoon, but noooo… We were Saturday. And on a Saturday at 1pm, don’t expect to get any official attendance to your entry.
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| Apia, from above |
Port Captain– Arriving Apia, the only official port of entry in Samoa, you are to call the port captain on VHF 16, and he’ll clear you for traffic, then direct you to the anchorage or the marina. Our calls were ignored, and only when we were in a position to drop anchor did the port attendant OK’d to drop. When we left the harbor on Wednesday, port control did not respond to anybody ‘s call until way into the afternoon. So, don’t count on the port captain!
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| Another nice bay where you're not to anchor |
Apia Marina– The marina has been rebuilt after the 2009 tsunami and the 2011 hurricane, and it looks quite nice. At the time of our arrival there were 3 spots at the docks, including a large one for Domino, and all the pylon spots were free. According to Samoa Port Authority (SPA) all yachts are to dock at the marina. We were directed to drop anchor in the bay, though. Another problem: draft. The marina has a 2.2 to 2.4 meter limit. Sailing yacht Ariel IV was denied entrance due to their 2.6 meter draft. Of course, the Nordhavn 87 Zembra was on the hook as well. What should you do? Usually, cruisers inside the marina will scramble to find you help!
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| New cathedral Try the 9 AM Sunday mass and enjoy Samoan singing at its best... check out the woodwork on the ceiling, continue with touring the half dozen churches on the main street |
Fees – The fee structure published on Noonsite is, for the moment, correct. Catamarans pay 150% of these published fees. Now, be aware that even though we were at anchor in the bay, we were assessed the same fees as inside the marina, or 87 talas/day. That’s US$ 40/day, my friends! These fees also apply to the days when officials are not around to process your clearance, an extra 2 days while you are denied access to shore, just flying your “Q” flag. But wait! There is more! SPA has just leased the marina to a private operator. We went to his office and asked for clarification on the marina fees. He had no idea, except that the marina partners were going to raise the fees, not willing to lose money the way SPA did…. Really?
Cruising Permit – Are you or are you not allowed to cruise around the islands? JP met with Claire, on the 2nd floor of the SPA building. Yes, for US $100 you could get a cruising permit that also included your anchorage fee in Apia. But if you went to Matautu Bay in Sava'i there was no cruising fee, but you needed to get permission from the Ministry of the Prime Minister at the government building. Uh?
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| R.L Stevenson's house |
Clearing In – After spending Saturday and Sunday on board, patiently flying our Q flag, we were anxious to proceed with our clearance on Monday morning. By 9AM, Port Control had come in on VHF and promised to send the officials on board… Do NOT go to shore!
1.
Health showed up at noon, cleared us, and we could now take our Q flag down.
2.
Immigration called us for pickup at the dock an hour later and stamped our passports. He also filled out our exit papers, agreed to stamp our exit so that we could leave directly from Sava’i…. But didn’t, and that would bite us in the rear 3 days later.
3.
Customs called for their pickup late in the afternoon, but cleared us in a few minutes.
4.
No visit from port captain or marina officials.
5.
Agriculture??? Ah, that would be the next morning, another dockside pickup and a 4 Talas fee for our on-board trash.
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| Every morning at 9AM, flag raising at the Government Building |
6.
Ministry of the minister… By 10 am on Tuesday we had finally secured our clearance and cruising permit, and we're ready to tour the island… At last!
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| One of the tree house hotels in one of the giant Aoas. |
Touring Upolu – For 250 Talas ($120) our taxi driver took us around the island of UPOLU. And what a splendid island it is, there is no denying it. But the weather wasn't with us as low clouds and rain marred the sky and obstructed the views.
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| Tapa-lined walls |
Robert Louis Stevenson’s house is worth a peek for its classic architecture, manicured grounds, tapa-lined walls, and just the famous writer’s local lore.
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| Bahá’í House of Worship |
The Bahá’í House of Worship is also a relaxing stop, knowing that all religions are welcome to worship in one single place. Again, the grounds are a source of wonder.
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| Gardens at the Baha'i temple |
Papapapa-something Waterfall? Yep, it was supposed to be there, behind the curtain of clouds.
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| What's your worship... any one will be OK |
Aoa tree house? Yes, we could kind of see it, perched in the enormous Aoa Tree.
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| Baha'i ceiling |
Sliding rocks and swimming hole? Not for us today, under a deluge.
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| Waterfalls... because it rains so much! |
Lunch? We had asked for typical and local food fare, and we should have stopped with the “Kéké Puha”, a taro flour steamed bun filled with spicy pork… Yummy… But our driver insisted on taking us to “good food.” We ended up at a resort, offering nothing better than pizza and fish and chips…. But the Indian Chef prepared a raw fish salad and a beef curry, just for our driver and us…. A very special $100 treat indeed!
We paid more village entry fees for hilltop vistas and swimming in a grotto… And we're only too happy to return to the boat.
The best thing, really, was to drive through the lush vegetation and observe how the villages are organized, the houses without walls surrounding the meeting hut. Samoans still live a rather simple lifestyle. The streets are clean, the grounds manicured and there is no crime. This, according to our driver (the son of a local chief, soon to be chief himself) is thanks to the chief’s authority who has the power to punish and even ban the malfeasants!
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| Matautu Bay. Our anchorage... in red, how to take the dink to shore, and snorkeling area |
Savai - Matautu Bay - The wide bay opened to the North is a no-brainer. Come in and drop the hook… Quiet and peaceful and the surrounding reef holds the promise of splendid snorkeling. The local dive boat has been hopping from one site to the other and we’ve noted his moorings, even got his permission to tie up at his moorings. Otto’s a very cool guy.
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| The reef tries to come back |
Question is, how do you go to shore? The reef is forbidding and extensive. At high tide, though, you can cross the reef in the direction of the old jetty and, keeping the white sticks on your starboard, carefully head to the beach at the resort. The owner is quite accommodating. The store across the street will gladly sell you a Wifi Card and you can arrange to tour the island. Sava'I is, according to local lore, the island that Hawaii was named after, 1,000 years later, and it’s supposed to be the most beautiful of all of Samoa. We didn't experience that, too antsy to check the underwater scene.
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| Sea anemone and clownfish are one of the rare occupants |
And what a disappointment! The reef at Matautu is dead. Dynamite fishing and the resulting shockwaves, as well as root-brew fishing have killed it all. If the locals were able to stun the fish and paralyze it so it would be easy to catch, they also have destroyed the entire reef life. Dejected, we abandoned our underwater quest and hoped for better experience on land. But the wind shifted to the north and we just hightailed it out of there, back to Apia to process our out clearance.
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| One of the more delicate seaweeds we found... no idea what it's called |
Clearing out – We figured that an afternoon would be enough to process our clearance, right?
1.Immigration – Taxi downtown to the immigration office, queue in line, get passports stamped, done!
2.Port– Taxi over to SPA, go upstairs to Claire to process fees?... Oops, Claire took the day off, no replacement… So much for our all-inclusive $100 fee… The gentleman downstairs kindly offers to take care of us…. So, 87 Talas x 5 day =435 Tala, or $200…. We complain: but we were at anchor, not inside the marina! But we were at anchor only 2 working days, waiting for the officials and cruising to Sava'I the rest of the time! No matter, mate…. Pay up… But Claire promised it would just be $100 all-inclusive cruising permit… But Claire is not here, is she? Finally, after much coming and going, the guy shakes JP’s hand, “Gentleman’s agreement, US $100”. And gives us a receipt for 100 talas!
3.Customs – We rush there to beat the 4pm cashier ‘s deadline. Hand out our stamped passports and SPA receipt. Oh, but where is your clearance letter from immigration? Uh???? To make a long story short, immigration is supposed to give you a clearance letter IN ADDITION to stamping your passports. Oh, but you must return to the immigration office and get your clearance!!!! That’s when, in tears, I blow up and start at the customs official… “This is just not acceptable… The official should have known his job and didn't do it… Call him ….” I choke, barely holding my anger… JP agrees, “please call him and tell him to bring the clearance, I’m not paying for another taxi!” Agreed… An hour later, the immigration official shows up with our clearance and rushes out of the building… Here, Mr. Customs official, here is our clearance… OH, but this won’t do, it is only a copy and I need the original ! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? We argue some more and customs finally accepts the document. PHEW…. We pay the 54 Talas ($22) clearance in exchange for a very nice document with an enormous bright blue “clearance” sticker reminiscent of kindergarten. DONE! It’s 5 pm and we made it.
We needed to celebrate… Walked to the KK grocery store and spent our last few Talas on a nice bottle of scotch.
EPILOGUE- As we walk past the marina entrance and wave at the security guard, he hails us over… What now? “Aren't you guys forgetting something?” Hum…. Got our clearance, got Scotch, paid our fees, waved goodbye… Nope! He hold our passports in his hand… Customs Guy just dropped these for you! In the confusing mess, our passports had remained stuck somewhere on his desk! Thank you after all, Mr. Customs Guy!
Saturday, 7am, VHF 16 . “Apia Port Captain, this is Domino, do you copy? …. Request clearance out of the harbor, do you copy? Nothing heard!” And we steam out, only too glad to affront the 22-29kts on the nose to return to Pago Pago!
That was our Samoan experience. Yours may be totally different.
Until Next time…
