Lately, even some of my friends who think my nervousness regarding the folks running the political show is somewhat extreme are beginning to catch the paranoia...
Truth be told, it's hard not to be a little concerned when all around you are examples of folks in office doing stupid things that seem... kinda stupid. That real oompa loopa tan dude who was all about "Where are the jobs" until just recently when he changed his tune and now is "So be it" about his policies losing the odd million or so jobs... To be fair, the "Can do" guy in the other party thinks the way to pay off the debt from wars started by rich folk and paying huge bailouts to rich folk is best done by taking away benefits from the poor...
Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense...
Sadly, political stuff is a real hassle for us as cruisers as well. Right now we are having to rethink our cruising plans because the hassles of cruising Europe has become somewhat more than we can deal with because of the Schengen treaty...
St Kitts and Nevis due to their idiocy regarding pets and new rules involving mooring and suchlike has made our need to drop in and spend money there a thing of the past.
Michael, maker of the most excellent LED lights (BEBI) writes to mention that fees in Fiji are going up...
In the 2011 Budget, the Government of Fiji has required a number of Ministries to become self-funding, so in response, there have been a number of new user fees, as well as increases in existing fees implemented.Now it's not that we make our cruising choices simply about money and fees, but places with high fees tend to get rather silly quickly. Once they realize they can gouge (some might use the word "extort") large sums of money from folks on sailboats, they tend to keep at it untill the goose that lays those eggs is no longer with them... Greed, my friends, is a truly heinous thing!
The Department of Health Fees have been increased from $F33.00 to F$150.00 (as of this instant, the exchange rate is roughly F$1.80 = US$ 1.00). Although not specifically stated, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that overtime fees have also to reflect the increase in VAT from 12.5% to 15.0% (VAT is charged on almost everything in Fiji, including govt services).
What was formerly the Department of Quarantine is now the Department of Biosecurity has also increased their fees, but are yet to 'officially' announce them. In December 2010, they stated that they were going to implement the following fees:
Clearance F$102. If you have a dog or cat on board, there will also be a fee of F$52.00 per animal, as well as a bond of F$1000/animal. The bond is a direct result of boats who have persisted in leaving a 'dirty wake' by not observing the regulation to quarantine their animal on board, but taking them to shore instead. The bond will be refundable, unless the animal is caught on land.
On a related note, Fatty Goodlander just came out with a new book "The Red Sea Run" all about his adventures getting to the Med via Suez and suchlike and his ramblings on such things are enlightening and well worth a read...
