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Espiritu Santo

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Luganville : Profile

Clearance

Luganville is one of 4 (soon to be 5) Ports of Entry in Vanuatu. On entering the harbour, one should fly the Q flag and call customs or Santo Port Control on Channel 16 or working Channel 12. Officials might not answer outside of office hours.

If conditions are too rough to anchor by the old black quarantine buoy, one may pick up a mooring off Aore Island Resort (1200vt/night) on the southern side of the Segond Channel and dinghy or take the shuttle back across to the Customs, Quarantine and Immigration offices on the main wharf. It is not recommended to tie up to the quarantine buoy or the main wharf.

The anchorage at Beachfront Resort is somewhat more protected than the Q-buoy anchorage.

The immigration office is on Rue Higginson (main street) at the east end of Luganville, but outside the commercial port. The customs office is inside the commercial port, first building on the right. Customs will contact Quarantine, and in general, both Customs and Quarantine agents will want to visit the yacht to collect fresh fruits, vegetables, and garbage. A fee of 3000 Vatu is charged by Quarantine.

Animals onboard yachts are not permitted to land, but can be kept onboard the yacht while in Vanuatu waters. See here for further details.

A cruising permit is required for all yachts transiting between clearance ports in Vanuatu. Obtain the permit (no fee) from the Customs office before leaving Luganville. You must name the islands at which you intend to call.

Last updated October 2008.

Customs and Immigration
Tel:+678 36225
Santo Customs are open Monday to Friday, 07:30-11:30 and 13:15-16:30. If they are needed outside these times contacts are: Reuben Lini 44118 and Graeme Waute 54049.

Docking

There is no marina in Luganville. Three anchorages are convenient to town:

BP Wharf/Q-buoy - Yachts can anchor on either side of the BP wharf although the anchorage is fairly open to the east and the bottom is foul in many spots.

Beachfront Resort - This anchorage along a sand beach just west of the Sarakata River is the preferred yacht anchorage on the Luganville side of the Segond Channel. Holding is good in 5-15 meters, sand. The anchorage is relatively open to the east, and especially at high tide in the afternoon the anchorage can be choppy. Dinghies may be landed on the beach at the Beachfront Resort.

Palikulo Bay - The anchorage at Palikulo Bay is well protected and quite beautiful, but it's about a 30-minute ride from town. Buses, trucks, and taxis pass along the east-coast road nearby, although traffic is light.

A very popular anchorage is situated in Peterson Bay around the Oyster Island Resort. The anchorage is almost a cyclone hole and numerous cruisers end up staying here much longer than planned as they enjoy the hospitality of Grant (the new manager), the quiet anchorage, the good food, fast satellite internet connection and numerous activities in the area (blue holes, snorkeling on WWII plane wrecks, hiking etc.). Transport to Luganville is relatively easy to find.

Last updated October 2008.

Oyster Island Resort
Eastern side of Espiritu Santo
Tel:+678-36283, Fax:+678-37044, VHF Channel 8
www.oysterisland.com , stay@oysterisland.com
This "cruiser friendly resort" has markers leading into the protected anchorage. Moorings and a deeper entrance channel are planned for early 2009. Services offered are bar, dining, accommodations, Wi-Fi, laundry, provisioning close by. Activities: cascade and river tours, diving in blue holes and on WWII plane wrecks nearby. Many come for a few days and stay a few weeks (or longer).

[Show additional 2 entries for this category]

Yacht Clubs

There are no yacht clubs, per se, in Luganville although both the Beachfront Resort and Aore Resort welcome visiting sailors and offer various services that sailors can appreciate (showers, laundry, water, bar and restaurant).

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