Report from Taiwan 2014: XingDa and Anping Harbours
Published 10 years ago, updated 6 years ago
Cruising Taiwan
Cruising in Taiwan is much easier than ten years ago, but the facilities are just beginning to emerge. What makes up for lack of facilities or language barriers is the genuine hospitality and friendliness of the Taiwanese people. Taiwan is in many ways still an undiscovered gem for the majority of cruisers and should be a highlight for any North Pacific cruise. We believe it will soon be not just a stepping stone for passages to Japan or Hong Kong but a cruising destination on its own.
The Penghu Islands off the west coast are a little cruising paradise, and the interior of the island is reminiscent of Hawaii in the 50s. Combine great natural beauty with Buddhist Temples and Shrines, and the vestiges of an ancient culture, together with delicious food and friendly people and you have a very attractive package for world cruisers.
As an alternative to Kaohsiung, which is a busy commercial port and where space is very limited, we recommend XingDa and Anping Harbours.
Although neither Xingda nor Anping are ports of clearance, yachts have been reported to arrive there and clearance facilitated given that pre-arrival formalities have been completed.
XingDa
XingDa is the base for American Sailing Association Taiwan, and behind that organization, there is a group of enthusiastic sailors, under the leadership of instructor Neil Lo. They are very friendly to international cruisers and will go out of their way to help. The ASA management and staff will also assist with clearance procedures. Haul-out can be arranged by crane. Space is limited so contact Mr. Lo in advance for pre-arrival formalities and berth arrangements.
You can email him at [email protected]
Cell phone: +886918996671
At XingDa, (harbor entrance: 22 degrees, 51.7 N, 120 degrees, 11.3 E) you will find the Security Dock on your port side at 22 degrees, 51.8 N, 120 degrees, 11.7 E.
The marina docks are at 22 degrees, 52.6 N, 120 degrees, 12.6E.
Anping
Anping is a recently built government marina in the historic city of Tainan. The marina is regarded as typhoon-proof and the prices are very reasonable because the government charges are based on the vessel’s gross tonnage and not length. This, however, may change in the future.
There are no other facilities at the moment, except public toilets, but there are plans to build further.
Outside Anping Harbour, there are extensive oyster farms. However, if you stay about two miles offshore and approach at a right angle you will find a “passage” to the entrance into the harbor. Do not approach at night. There are no lights and no markers at all.
At Anping, (harbour entrance: 22 degrees, 59 N, 120 degrees, 8.5 E) the security dock is also on your port side, at 22 degrees 59.3 N, 120 degrees 9 E. The marina is situated at the head of the basin, at 22 degrees 59.4 N, 120 degrees, 8.8 E.
Facts and numbers:
All positions given above are approximate and should be used as guidelines only.
We found the Navionics charts on our iPad were much more accurate and showed more detail than the Cmap charts on our chartplotter.
Christian Tirtirau
SY Figment
I would endorse those remarks. We used Taiwan (east coast) as our jumping point on our route from the Philippines to Ishigaki, Japan. We arrived at Green Island (Liu Dao), a closed port because our friend had engine problems.
The Coast Guard was friendly, no problems about entry, sought out a mechanic to look at the problem. It persisted after we left. We then went up to Hualien which we really enjoyed. Tied up to a concrete wharf was not ideal, tides making getting on and off the boat difficult at times.
However, we found the locals very welcoming and friendly. Aside from a trip to Taipei was very enjoyable too. I had visions of a filthy, polluted city but it wasn’t. In fact, everywhere we went, we were impressed by the cleanliness of Taiwan. We would certainly recommend that anyone going from the Philippines or Hong Kong to points north or east should consider Taiwan.