The opening of Samoa’s international borders has seen an influx of yachts as other usual Pacific Ocean ports remain closed from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yachts, in Apia Harbor, have been a rare sight since measles and coronavirus closed borders over the last two years.
Samoa Observer reports that yachts are now moored in the harbor and also docked at the Apia Marina.
“A lot of boats used to go south from Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga and then to Fiji but because Tonga and Niue borders are still closed, a lot of boats have decided to come to Samoa; which is a good chance for us to visit here,” sailor Paul Tonkin from Australia said.
He and his partner, Kersten McCarthy, had just sailed in from Bora Bora, French Polynesia, which they said was expensive compared to prices in Samoa.
Amanda Heise and her boyfriend sailed into Apia Harbour a week ago, on a planned vacation having started in San Diego, California, almost two years ago.
They praised the availability of a lot more fresh food here, than the last place they were at.
“Right now we have enough food on board for one or two months,” she said.
“We went to the market yesterday and tried to buy a couple of eggplants and they gave me, like, heaps.”
She said, it is now convenient for them with borders opening, otherwise their journey would have been much longer.
They plan to stay here for a few more weeks before sailing to Fiji to store their boats before the start of the hurricane season.
Photo: Samoa Observer
