No Go from Department of Agriculture
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Position:
Alongside RSAYS Marina Last Friday we had a bit of a set back with the bureaucracy, the Department of Agriculture has categorically stated that I will be breaking the law if I take Oli outside Australian territory and then return without an import permit and the only way I can get an import permit is to stop at another country. Now, of course, when sailing along the Australian coastline I regularly sail outside Australian territory so it would seem I have been unwittingly breaking the law each time I do so. Not to worry. I will probably engage with the Department a little further for my own satisfaction but the reality is that I am most likely wasting my time. I figure I have three options: 1.
leave Oli behind, Options one and two are clearly unacceptable so it looks like we will have plan on a Moitessier type voyage, sailing around the world and then beyond Australia and eventually stopping wherever a country will let us in, hopefully New Zealand. So, with that decision made, we continue preparations. This week I have removed some superfluous stores, namely excess charts and clothes, to my brother’s place (I don’t think I will be needing my dinner suit on board for this voyage). Thank you John and Cathy. I have now converted the hanging locker into storage for food. My application to depart Australia on 14 December has been submitted to the Department of Home Affairs and we await a response. Hopefully we will have better luck then what we have had with the Department of Agriculture – fingers crossed. If Home Affairs decides against us then we will just have to wait until international borders are opened up again, which from the sounds of things should be sometime next month. Tomorrow we will move to Marina Adelaide to have Sylph hauled out for a bottom scrape and a fresh coat of antifouling.
Breaking the Law (at least eight times here):
Oil checking out new food locker:
All is well. |
