Wednesday 24 August 2011

French bureaucracy!!

Hi
Yesterday was our last day in Noumea for a while and we received notification that 2 replacement windvanes which we'd ordered from Australia had arrived. So far so good but the local Customs (Douane) wanted to charge us 7500 francs in duty!! This equates to NZD110. This in spite of the fact that we are a yacht in transit and any parts ordered should be duty free as they are going to be re-exported. So, we set off for the Customs office which is situated in the commercial port about 2 kms from the marina. When we arrived we were fairly peremptorily told to wait - which we did for 10 minutes or so. Then we had to fill in a form where all the questions were in French which taxed even Jim's French!! However, the Customs officer was very helpful and spoke reasonable English. Then armed with our duty free form we had to retrace our steps to the main Post Office in the Rue de la Republique where our parcel was being held. After some time we managed to find out that we needed to go to the 2nd floor to get another approval. By now it was after 2.30 and the place closed at 3!! After some conversation in mixed French and English we got the necessary signature and proceeded downstairs again where we eventually discovered that we needed to get a computer generated ticket which had a number on it and when our number was called we could approach one of the manned desks. Bit like going into a fish and chip shop and being given a number!! Our number was duly called and after a lengthy search they found our parcel and we left for the marina via the local supermarket (Casino) and the local Boulangerie (butcher).
The whole exercise took over 2 hours to obtain an item worth barely $200!! French bureaucracy is something else and put Jim in mind of an experience with a bank in St. Tropez in France in 2000 - but we won't go into that!!
We could feel the onset of marina fever so it's been time for us to set sail again although we haven't gone far. We needed to refuel (and only took 143 litres after the passage from the BOI), then we thought we'd just go as far as Anse Kuendu which is really a maritime suburb of Noumea - just to get back into the cruising mode with organising an anchorage and reading charts again. However, we sailed in company with another NZ boat called "Cigalle" and came south only just around the back of Noumea to the Ilot Uere - about an hour's voyage time. A great sheltered anchorage but the Cruising Guide warns of coral heads in the western side of the bay. We can see the lights of the southern side of Noumea from here. Quite deserted - it's just us and "Cigalle" here tonight. Then it'll be the Baie du Prony tomorrow (about 35 miles south) and then the Isle des Pins (another 40 miles) whenever it looks good to go. Fortunately the long term forecast looks good for this, although not good for our intended passage to Vanuatu. Still, hopefully by the time we are ready to go there we will have a more favourable wind direction.
We'll keep you posted!
Cheers and love from us.
Jean (Gina) and Jim

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