While there have been many informative reports on Cochin India over the years posted on Noonsite, I believe that this report will be of value, covering new areas and updating others.

Why stop in Cochin? 

When considering our options for heading West from Thailand, we became more and more certain that we wanted to stop in at Cochin on the way to the Red Sea and the Med. Many people pass through India either on the way to the Med or to South Africa. We wanted to spend at least a month in India, and given the season and time constraints, we decided to arrive at the end of the NE monsoon, stay over during the SW monsoon and set out again in the next NE monsoon.

We have been here for more than 8 months, arriving in March 2019 near the end of the NE monsoon. We stayed through the SW monsoon (wet) and expect to depart heading West through the Red Sea in January 2020. It is interesting to note that in January 2020, several yachts in the marina will be departing, heading both West, South and East.

At this point, we are able to reflect back on our decision to stay here during the SW monsoon as we prepare to sail West again. It rained a lot from mid-June to the end of September. It rained night and day, sometimes three days in a row, and then it cleared up. Eventually, it was raining only during the night and rarely during the day. The river water at the marina turned from brackish to fresh because of the volume of rain. Barnacles and seawater growth on the docks and hulls mostly disappeared. All of this rain tends to turn the sails and lines green, but it washed off. There were also a lot of thunder and lightning storms, but we are not aware of any boats that were hit.

In the end, we believe that this strategy afforded us ample opportunity to explore India, repair and improve boat systems and rest up for the next passage.

Cochin Port Report:

The first thing to mention is that the port name of Cochin, is often referred to as Kochi (the historical name) and sometimes you will see the area or district called Ernakulam.

Cochin is definitely well-positioned as a stopover port in the Indian Ocean.

Clearance Formalities:

Port Control will probably pick you up on AIS long before you reach the harbour area and call you on CH16. Anchor just off the Taj Malabar Hotel at coordinates 09 58.15N 076 15.43E — the quarantine anchorage. Immigration officers work 24/7, but Customs only works 5 days a week, 9am to 5pm. Customs officers also don’t work on Indian holidays. Consequently, the worst time to arrive is on a Friday night before a Monday holiday.

On arrival, an Immigration Officer will drop off an Immigration form for you to fill out and then come back to get it, shortly thereafter. You will then need to go ashore (soonest) and visit Customs and the Port Authority. A few yachts have been given permission to leave the quarantine anchorage before Customs has been onboard and inspected, but this is rare. Usually, after returning to your boat, you have to wait until Customs visits your yacht and gives you clearance to proceed to the Marina.

Like many countries, India derives taxation revenue from the high taxes imposed on alcohol, so don’t be surprised when they seal your alcohol in a locker. My suggestion is to be prepared for this eventuality and offer up the alcohol and a locker which they will seal with your paper, your tape, and their stamp. They will also want to seal any portable Satcom (Iridium Go) devices in the same area. The use of portable Satcom equipment and drones is governed by strict regulations, not prohibited per se, but highly regulated.

Your in-clearance may give you the opportunity to first meet Nazar, who has been helping cruisers for decades. Although he is not an agent, and will not complete your forms for you, many people pay Nazar to walk them through the different offices of Customs and Port Authority and take them to the bank to pay the port fees. His standard fee for this is 1,000 rupees, and in my opinion, well spent. Nazar works “at the marina” and has been in the area supporting cruisers for nearly 30 years.

Cochin International Marina:

Since Nazar lives on Fort Cochin island, only a short distance from the quarantine anchorage, both he and Nighil (the Marina Manager) will soon know when a foreign yacht is anchored there. Take note of the fact that the Marina Manager does not have a VHF radio, nor does he have an Indian license to speak on one (in case somebody gives him a radio). Therefore, what often happens is that another yachtie/cruiser will be on the dock with a handheld VHF radio to help with docking instructions.

The floating docks are small, short and tight. As long as you arrive during slack tide, negotiating the tight spaces is quite manageable, especially with people on the docks to grab your lines. Don’t arrive at night time, or when the tide is flowing and you’ll be fine. When the marina is full, sometimes a few yachts may anchor out in front, the cost is minimal. 

Marina Services:

Sadly, this marina is showing its age and signs of neglect. The State of Kerala built this marina 10 years ago, but contracts out the management to Ocean Blue, situated in Mumbai. Like most things in India, there is very little year-to-year maintenance done. The Indian monsoon rains have been very hard on most infrastructure at the marina and elsewhere:

• the floating docks are crumbling and leaving splinters and many slippery and dangerous holes;
• some of the cleats are broken and cruisers jury-rig alternatives;
• the bathroom facilities are desperately in need of a paint job, but most things still work, to some extent;
• the toilets and showers are unisex, and cleaning inside and out is minimal. Bring your own toilet paper;
• the marina water is not potable, and contains algae;
• there is a septic pump-out, but that hasn’t been operational for years.

Electricity Supply: On the plus side – the electrical works fine, and the wiring was just replaced in May 2019. Although the “city” power goes off several times each day, the Marina is connected to the Bolgatty Palace wiring and they have several standby generators available and restore the power quickly. 

Fresh Water: We got by with filtered rainwater and the distilled/filtered water produced by our air conditioner. Nazar can also fetch cheap drinking water in big jugs from a supplier.  

Laundry: There is a single washing machine in place, but no dryer. Dry your clothes on your own boat.

Internet: Bolgatty Palace has a wifi system in place and they supply codes for hotel guests and cruisers. They also have a pool at the resort and cruisers are invited to use not only the
pool facilities but also the bar (beer parlour) and restaurant.

Fuel: There are no diesel or gasoline/petrol pumps at the marina, or anywhere else that is close to the water – and all fuel is handled in jerry cans. There are also no dock carts at the marina. Nazar owns his own dock cart, and for a modest fee, will drive you to the service station (to buy very clean diesel or petrol, and you can pay by credit card or cash) to fill up using your jerry cans or his jerry cans. For a flat commission of 12 rupees per litre (at current rates, this works out to about 17% of the pump cost of diesel), he will completely man-handle the cans and transfer the diesel into your tanks. If you only have a few jerry cans, you could do it yourself, but take note that many Uber drivers have refused to carry fuel. In fact, there are more and more taxis and Tuk-Tuks that simply don’t have the space to load jerry cans because that area in the trunk or boot is taken up with an LPG or CNG tank.

LPG: Nazar is also your man to get LPG tanks refilled.

Keep in mind that India is not a petroleum exporting nation, but an importer, so these products are not as cheap as in Malaysia or Indonesia.

Transportation: Nazar operates his own Tuk-Tuk and for a standard fee of 300 rupees per hour will drive you just about anywhere you need to go. Keep in mind that Nazar cannot read or write English, so don’t bother sending him messages on WhatsApp or emails. He did take care of our boat when we were away, and communicates well with voice messages, not texts.

Caution – Vermin: Finally, there are rats at the marina, as there are everywhere in India, and cruisers should be wary about sleeping with their hatches open. During the rainy season, we were catching and killing 3-4 rats a night. Unfortunately, neither the marina nor Bolgatty Palace see the necessity for rat control. Fortunately, rats are much less common outside of the rainy season, although we continue to set our traps.

Getting Around:

The marina and Bolgatty Palace are situated near the resort and a residential housing area and there is not much to see or do in the neighbourhood. There are several ATMs about 30 minutes’ walking distance. Mom’s kitchen (cheap lunch) is only a 5-minute walk, but there is also a ferry across to Ernakulam (10 rupees) where you can now easily reach all of the shopping you could want or need. On “the other side” of the river, you can now walk to an ATM, a hardware store, a paint shop, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a travel agent and many restaurants.

We did not rent a car or drive any vehicles while in India. We know people who rented a motorbike. The roads are often very poor, congested – and if you do plan to drive here, you should double the time you think it will take to get anywhere (due to traffic, poor roads or construction) and don’t even think about driving at night.

Uber is available and cheap. Food delivery service is available through UberEats, Zomato, and Swiggy. The Indian version of Uber is “Ola” and that is also available and cheap. Both work through apps on your smartphone. Auto Rickshaws or Tuk-Tuks are also plentiful and cheap and are now appearing as an option on Uber as well.

Phone Service:

If you arrive with a smartphone, India is incredibly cheap to get network service. You can buy a SIM card for only 100 rupees and we bought several 3-month pay-as-you-go plans for only 390 rupees. That gives you unlimited calling and texting in India and 1.4GB data per day.

For those cruisers who are only planning to stay a week, Nazar has a SIM card that he rents out. If you’re staying longer, some mobile network providers offer packages that are tailored for tourists, but those SIM cards may be difficult to find in this area that is not heavily visited by tourists.

We bought our network service from AirTel, only a 15-minute walk from the marina (by ferry). If you try to arrange a new service, you must bring your passport and expect to spend an hour or so completing forms and getting things set up.

Shopping:

For groceries, options include the market (ferry, then 15-minute walk) and three sizes of grocery stores: small (Ashish – ferry then 10-minute walk); medium (Centre Mall – then 30
minute walk); or large (Lulu Mall – take a taxi).

There is no pork at Centre Mall or Lulu Mall, although it is available in the market.

India is a great country for fresh produce, but not so good on canned vegetables. People eat so many fresh vegetables, there is just no market for canned beans, canned peas, canned kidney beans etc. You can find canned corn, but that’s about it.

You can find salsa, taco chips, popcorn, chocolate bars, milk, yoghurt, flatbreads, cheese and just about everything else though.

Warning – it is highly recommended that you do NOT visit Lulu Mall on the weekend or a public holiday, the crowds are just too much. Wednesdays can also be busy since there are often big sales.

Marine Supplies:

To my knowledge, Cochin International Marina is the best and only yacht marina in India. Yes, there are a few small sailboats scattered here and there throughout the country, including Goa and Mumbai – but there really are no facilities.

It is possible to find fibreglassing supplies, epoxy and polyurethane paint, teak, many electrical supplies and much more, but finding sailboat hardware and a sailmaker or a rigger may be a challenge.

Many things can be brought in through Amazon and AliExpress. We used Amazon India and were almost always pleased with the result and paid no extra costs. If you buy something from AliExpress and it comes from China, be prepared to pay sizeable duty and taxes. Often the supplier will mark down the price so that Customs charges will be reduced or even zero.

We bought a new Whale pump from eBay UK and it was shipped in by post and we paid no extra duty or taxes.

We bought windlass parts from the USA, and shipped by UPS. In addition to the high shipping charges, we paid 48% duty and taxes on arrival in India. With UPS, the
package arrived quickly though, it was in my hands 6 days after ordering. We used DHL, FEDEX, UPS and the postal services.

Online payment for things in India is sometimes hindered if you don’t have an Indian credit card (which we don’t have). We had no problems with Amazon, but couldn’t pay duty charges with Fedex or UPS online, cash only to the driver. India does not respect “Yacht in Transit” and probably never will.

We also brought things in by air and easily walked through Customs without problems. You are advised to bring a “marina letter” (prepared by the Marina Manager) so that Immigration clearly understands your situation. Wherever possible, cruisers should endeavour to source what they need locally, or bring it in themselves. We could easily find tubes of silicone and epoxy but never found polyurethane caulking, like 3M 5200 or Sikaflex.

Haul-Out:

Another thing that should be mentioned is haul-out or lift capability. Although India makes rocket ships, missiles, turbo-chargers, computers, mobile phones and thousands of other things – there are no lift facilities for yachts. There are simply no travel-lifts. If you HAVE to lift, then you might be able to do it with a crane, or a makeshift trailer and tractor operating in shallow water (catamaran) but otherwise, your only option remaining is a “dry dock” costing $1500 USD per day or more.

Marine Services:

In addition to the cards and recommendations that Nighil the Marina Manager will have, the following is a list of contractors or services that we personally used.

AC repair (Portable)
Global Services
+91 0484 4073143
Mobile +91 8589804480
They fixed our portable AC unit that we bought in Malaysia, but we do not know how well they are with marine AC.

Batteries
Manikandan Dunamis Ltd.
NH 47 Kundanoor Junction, Marandu, Cochin 682304, Kerala
Mobile +91 8589004589
[email protected]
www.mdplglobal.com
Trojan battery supplier. Ajai Vijayakumar speaks good English and answers emails.

Batteries – Lead Acid
Royal Battery House
Opposite Saritha Theatre, Banerji Road, Ernakulam, 682 018
+91 0484 239 3031 / 2391656
[email protected]
They supply Exide starting and deep cycle batteries.

Batteries – Ultra-life
Ultra-Life India
No 3881 Part, Doddanakundi Industrial Area 1st, Mahadevapura, Bangalore 560 048
+91 80 28524680
[email protected]
www.ultralifeindia.com
Contact Jaideep Nandy. We had a custom 400Ahr LiFePO4 battery made to replace our failing system. Excellent workmanship and value. Took about 10 weeks to manufacture.

Chandlery
Mumbai Metal Marine Supermarket
BMC Arcade, Fisheries Harbour, Thoppumpady, Kochi, Kerala, 682005
+91 083758 13327
[email protected]
www.mumbaimetalmarine.com
Speak English and can order in if not available in the store.
Vetus Distributer, although it may take a week for the items to come in.

XS Marines
5/4 Rustom Baug, Sant Savta Road, Byculla, Mumbai 400 027
+91 022 237 01418
Mobile +91 982101 6663
[email protected]
www.xsmarines.com 
Another cruiser ordered Marlow rope, 12mm X 100m, cheaper than in the USA. They
can also be a source for small blocks and other sailing hardware.

Laboratory Equipment Stores 
MG Road, North End, Ernakulam
+91 0484-2360964
www.labestore.com
Nazar brought us to India’s version of “the Chemical Man”. This is where you can buy acetone, isopropyl alcohol, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, tannic acid etc.

Diver-hull cleaning
Sea Diving Services
Nasseer P.A
Mobile +91 90 37799950
+91 90 37799960
[email protected]
Nasseer is a professional underwater diver and welder. Very expensive for India labour rates, but also very thorough. He is also open to negotiating price. He cleaned our hull several times. Ask Nighil to call him, because his English is poor.

Electronics parts and devices
King Electronics
Kurian Tower, Pallimukku, Ernakulam 682016
+91 04842381656
Purchase or repair of electronic bits and pieces. If not here, then in one of the dozens of
shops nearby.

Electrical supplies
JOS Electrical
Next to the Shenoy’s Theater, MG road Ernakulam, Kerala
+91 0484 2360 424
Mostly AC components but they have good DC terminal connectors too. Reasonable
English, but go there, and speak to them face to face.

Electroplating
Prasis Electroplating Industries
Bye-Pass, Palarivattom PO, Cochin – 25
+91 0484 234 5744
Mobile +91 98468 55540
We had 6 PERKO chrome-plated bronze cowl vents re-chromed. Quality. Cheap. Poor English.

Signage 
SignTek
Shinas Plaza, Paramara road Kochi, Kerala
+91 484 2397578
www.signtek-kochi.com
Professional and reasonably priced. Good English. We had signboards made up, warning local tourist boats (gawkers) to stay away.

Upholstery and Cushion Repair
CC Creations
Azad Road Kaloor (15-minute Tuk-Tuk ride)
Mobile +91 98467 12353
Peter (the upholstery man) re-upholstered our 20-year-old Lazy Boy love seat recliner. He also recovered our settee cushions. First world quality at very good prices. You may have to source the fabric yourself, or he may source it for you. He is very busy and you should contact him through the marina (Nighil) because his English is not good.

Ateesee Furnishings
Carmel Building, Banerji Rd, Ernakulam, Kerala
+91 0484 239 5538
We bought fabric here for our boat settee cushions.

Welding and Fabrication
Peejo Steels
+91 8076243101
[email protected]
Office staff speaks English, but welder does not speak English, therefore, get Nazar to take
you. Use drawings as much as possible. We had several things made up with mild and
stainless steel. There are several other similar shops providing welding and machining
services.

Shore Services:

Hair Care
Mirror Magic Professional Salon and Spa
1st floor of the Centre Square Mall
+91 0484-404 0999
+91 9567144 999
[email protected]
www.mirrormagic.in
Diane had her hair done here several times. Black dye and henna is common, other hair colours are difficult to source.

Medical – Dental
Dr. Rajkrishnan, MDS
+91 98474 40013
[email protected]
www.rajkrishnan.com
Very good, gentle, very skilled, state of the art (including implants), and he says his prices are higher than most but very reasonable in our opinion.

Medical – Orthotics and Special Footwear
Footpro
Kandathil Building, Unichira, Edappally, Cochin 682 025
+91 090208 03757
www.footpro.in
Custom orthotics, high quality and a fraction of the cost of North America.

Medical – Private Hospital
Aster Med City
Cheranelloor, Kochi, Kerala
+91 484 669 9999
www.astermedcity.com 
Wade had a total knee replacement done here. First world treatment, very economical.

Medical – Skin Clinic
Dr. Kuriyipe Skin Clinic
Civil Line Road, Palarivattom, Ernakulam, Kerala 682025
+91 484 234 4870
Wade went here once in search of a Dermatologist. There is almost no experience with skin cancer in India, but this Doctor came recommended.

Provisions
Leela Coffee
Chittoor Road, Valanjambalam
+91 0484 2375706
We bought lots of coffee here (local state of Kerala) ground (to your specifications) or
beans. Good quality and taste, fresh and local. Good prices.

Far Meat
www.farmeat.in
+91 9207 800 021
+91 9207 800 022
Frozen meat: chicken, broiler duck, turkey, quail, buffalo, mutton, port, T-bone, tenderloin (beef and pork), sausages, bacon, pork chops, nuggets, meatballs, pepperoni, ham, salami etc. Everything is in freezers. It is about a 45-50 minute drive.
Call ahead if you’re looking for something in particular. Delivery is possible for a small charge. Suppliers to many of the best restaurants in the area.

Shoe Repair
Sooraj Shoe Mart
Bamankutty Achan Road, (near the North train station), Kochi -16
+91 9446 416256
In SE Asia, we have used many different shoe repairmen, but this one is the best. He
not only glues new soles in place but does all the stitching as well. Highly
recommended. Although there are many other shoe repairmen closer, if you need
quality and craftsmanship – Nazar knows this place.

Travel
Santa Monica Tours and Travel
1st Floor, Swapnil Enclave, High Court Junction, Kochi
 +91 484 284 6999
www.santamonicafly.com
Take the ferry across and this is the first building on the right, just above the bakery. They organized a 10-day private tour of Northern India for us.

Local Knowledge – Nazar P.M.
Nazer +91 98951 64090
Nissam +91 97464 62686
Nazar is your go-to guy. Speaks passible English and several other Indian languages, but does not read or write English. Text messages don’t work with him, although he gets along quite fine with audio messages. Nazar is a very helpful and very kind man. We have been to his home to share lunch with his family several times. He is of very modest means and would “give you his shirt off his back” if you needed it. During high season, he often works with his son Nissam, who does read, write and speak English very well. Nissam is also quite good with electrical and electronics. Both Nissam and Nazar clean boats, decks and waterlines, boat minding while you are away, Tuk-Tuk driver, diesel, water, propane and anything you can think of (except underwater hull cleaning). If you ask Nazar to drive you to someplace, make sure that you tell him whether you want to focus on quality or economy. He tends to look for cheaper solutions. Nazar has been working with cruisers for 30 years and is highly recommended.

Local Knowledge – Nighil Joseph (Marina Manager)
+91 97470 57015
[email protected]
Nighil is always there to help you. He did a fair amount of translation for us.
He will research via the internet places and services and has a stack of business cards for you to browse.
He will happily call suppliers for translation purposes and receive packages on your behalf from couriers and the post office.

Local Driver – Varghese Joseph
+91 85477 64525
We met Uber (and Ola) driver Varghese one time on a trip to the Dentist. Varghese worked for 20 years in Dubai for the Catholic Church. He communicates in English very well, both verbal and written. He has been living in this area his whole life and has a lot of contacts. His primary work is driving for Uber and Ola, but he is often available for private tours in the state of Kerala. We used Varghese to go to Bangalore (3-day trip) to pick up our LiFePO4 battery from UltraLife India. Although it may be simpler to just get the “car of the moment” with short Uber trips, if you’re planning a longer trip, an airport run, an all-day outing or something special (advance booking) – Varghese is highly recommended. He is prompt, courteous and economical. 

All of the contacts we have mentioned here use WhatsApp on their smartphones. Although most calling plans include free calling and texts, it seems that everybody in India uses WhatsApp.

Wade and Diane Alarie
SV Joana
www.joana.ca
Dated: 20 November 2019

For more information on our travel and sightseeing inside India, you may wish to refer to our blog (March 2019 to January 2020). 

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.