Port Denarau Marina boss denies turning yacht away

According to Government’s Blue Lane initiative, foreign yachts have to follow stringent requirements to enter Fiji.

Port Denarau Marina chief executive officer Cynthia Rasch has denied turning away a foreign yacht from entering the government-designated facility.

She said this in response to claims that an American yacht, Zatara, on its way from New Zealand, was denied entry because it didn’t adhere to requirements for foreign yachts entering Fiji during this COVID-19 pandemic. According to Government’s Blue Lane initiative, foreign yachts have to follow stringent requirements to enter Fiji, which includes a health clearance, last port of departure and 14-day quarantine period out at sea. Should the yachts not have a 14day quarantine period out at sea, then they are required to anchor at a designated area outside the Port Denarau to complete the quarantine period.

Ms Rasch said Zatara followed the process of their departure from NZ.

“They will send it prior to their arrival and that was already getting confirmed when they left NZ, they followed and they were already given the OK by the border agency,” she said.

“What they have been told is that they are not allowed to film anything until they are cleared because as of this moment they are in quarantine, they haven’t done any videos, but they have not been turned away.

“I think they have five days remaining to complete their quarantine then they will be allowed on dock.”

The “Zatara”, a Privilege 585 Catamaran carrying a family of five, left New Zealand’s Marsen Cove on June 29.

The Whitakers family told their viewers via their video log that they didn’t want to winter over in New Zealand because they would have nothing interesting to film on the boat and were trying to figure out how to get into Fiji. Ms Rasch said there were seven yachts anchored at the designated area.