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WRITE TO BE HEARD
May 2010 A19
Helpful hints regarding Seaman’s Discharge By First Officer Mandi Formoso With reference to the article concerning Seaman’s Discharge Books and the necessity for crew to have them [“Seaman’s Book a must-have”, page A1, February 2010], I have a few helpful hints. Although I hold a British passport, I have been responsible for obtaining Seaman’s Discharge Books for our entire crew of 12 (within 24 hours) and researching/obtaining visas for several different nationalities to many different countries. The French Consulate in Miami is extremely helpful when obtaining Shengen visas for yacht crew. You are supposed to go to the embassy of the first of the Shengen countires you will enter, or of the country where you will spend the most time. But as we all know, yacht plans change daily and hey, we all thought France was going to be the first country, didn’t we? The Web page is www.consulfrancemiami.org, which has application forms and all the information you need for your Schengen visa. With all the correct papers (yacht registration, crew list, letter of employment and yacht itinerary plus additional documentation outlined on the Web page) a Schengen visa can be issued in 24 hours. Whilst I was not able to talk to someone live on the phone, in person they went out of their way to accommodate our crew. They are used to dealing with yachts and understand the urgency and difficulties we encounter. Obtaining Cayman Island Seaman’s Discharge Books has also been simplified greatly. The Cayman Islands Shipping Registry located in Ft. Lauderdale at 1500 Cordova Road, Suite 312 (two blocks North of 17th Street in the Luke Brown building) will provide you with application forms and, provided your paperwork is in order, can issue your Seaman’s Discharge Book within 24 hours; in some circumstances, the same day. Kevin Washington is See DISCHARGE, page A18
A safety tweak regarding muster lists In regard to the letter about standing orders in the April issue [Write to Be Heard, page A18], I agree with Capt. Paul Figuenick on the importance of standing orders and crew accountability. Uniformly they align intentions and make conduct and responsibility expectations clear. There are numerous benefits to having standing orders. A posted list of crew onboard is extraordinarily helpful in establishing accountability efficiently. However, I disagree with Capt. Figuenick’s suggestion to post a muster list/ persons onboard at the gangway. This is an invitation for intruders to come aboard knowing how many crew are on board. I’d advise captains and first officers wanting to establish this to post the accountability board in an appropriate location where it will not be an advertisement/invitation. Capt. Brendon Pomeroy M/Y Beija Flor
Keep an eye out on Oz
For captains doing yacht deliveries around Northern Australia, be careful to avoid the Special Quarantine Zone through the Torres Strait, which runs directly north of Queensland. Currently I am delivering a 47
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Shuttleworth catamaran from Queensland (eastern Australia) to Mauritius. Thankfully a fellow yachtsperson gave me a savior of a warning about passing through the Torres Strait. Under the current -- and in my estimation, extremely strict -- Special Quarantine Zone rules, if you pass through this zone, you are required to get an inspection by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Once given an AQIS number, you will be free to go. This inspection is designed to keep foreign weeds, insects, and other foul creatures out of the islands in the Torres Strait, specifically the Thursday Islands group. All of that is great and fine; the fly in the ointment is simple. Upon inspection, you can count on losing all of your provisions that are not of Australian origin. Not a problem if you have only provisioned in Australia, but many of the vessels that us delivery skippers pick up routinely have stores from many countries through which they have passed. Under this set of rules, even if you are not planning on a landing on the islands in Torres Strait, you are required to submit to complete inspection. This
Contributors Carol Bareuther, Dean Barnes, Mark A. Cline, Capt. John Campbell, Jake DesVergers, First Officer Mandi Formoso, Alison Gardner, Sue Gearan of M/Y Andrea V, Capt. Wayne Gould, Mark Grossetti, Jack Horkheimer, Bob Howie, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Alene Keenan, Keith Murray, Steve Pica, Rossmare Intl., James Schot, Capt. Tom Serio, Julie Spence of M/Y Misty
link shows the effected areas, http:// www.daff.gov.au/aqis/quarantine/ naqs/pubs/torres-strait There is one route only that can be used to avoid this loss of ships stores. When heading north, pass through Albany Passage; be aware of tide ranges. Closely but safely hug the coast of the un-effected small group of islands/ rocks off of Cape York, then make a rum-line toward Bamaga. Turning to due west, make a direct rum-line route toward Cape Wessel. In doing this you will pass just south of the effected quarantine zone. Suggested route way-points from east to west that you do not want to cross are: 1. 10.47’S, 142.46’E 2. 10.36S, 142.27E 3. 10.52’S, 142.10’E 4. 10.52’S, 142.00E If you chart these coordinates, connect with a line, and then navigate to the south of your charted line, you will pass outside of this wide-ranging quarantine area, and probably save yourself much time and headache of dealing with loss of ships stores, and reprovisioning for the remainder of your voyage. Rory J. Kremer Delivery Captain, USA
Vol. 7, No. 2.
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