As at Feb 2023. All comments still apply except re too much beauocracy. It’s not. This is the USA but the most laid back USA you can imagine. Apart from a big increase in military presence, currently, time has forgotten Guam. Love it. A great stop over for passages anywhere in the NWPac and a nice change of pace from the developing world of the SWPac. Eating out is easy but a tad expensive. Local fresh produce is hard to come by.
MYC by email remain best initial point of contact. They will provide links and forms for Port Authority.
Port Authority require an electronic advance notice of arrival 96 hours before or before leaving last port. Both the commercial port and MYC are entry points. Port Authority use CH 13. Do do do call before entering the breakwater leads this is a busy 24hr commercial and military port and everything painted grey has right of way.
On arrival we were directed to the “special anchorage”adjacent to the seaplane ramp and tank farm n the NE corner of APRA Hbr. Anchored in 12m sand good holding. Don’t take the giant steel mooringbbouy they may offer.
Customs met us ashore at the ramp, then Immigration. Both free. Nice Freindly officers and surrogate tour guides. Port Authority also met us there. My advance notice had gone astray and they weren’t expecting us. There is a Port Authority arrival and anchor fee based on LOA or tonnage. Ours was $48Usd and included a free coke. Yachts that just went to MYC didn’t have a Port Fee but one other yacht had a big port fee last year when they arrived broken and unexpected. They negotiated something reasonable. They have a new harbour master and things might change again. I suggest co-ordinate your visit through MYC. I didnt but don’t begrudge the harbour fees at all, it’s a freindly professional well maintained and administered place. And the lead lights work! Standard formalities and cheaper than most places we’ve been to in the SWP.
Authorities do expect clearance on arrival. Not next day if arriving at night and not wait till Monday on a weekend. Overtime is charged but isn’t unreasonable. A flat hourly rate no double time etc. Might be 2 officers might be 4. They tend to travel in pairs. Your total fee for customs/immigration should thus be about 80 to 160usd if arriving after hours. We have paid that in other places for in hours arrival. Given Apra Special anchorage at the seaplane ramp is an easy night entry with 24h port control on duty, if your choice is another night at sea or $150?. Choose wisely not miserly. We arrived 12 hours early and chose the night at sea because of supposedly “hefty” OT fees. Wrong choice. That night another inbound yacht lost his steering in squalls necessitating a tow in and the coastguard completed a 2 out of 3 rescue in the Rota channel after 26hours of searching. Sad.
MYC is a Freindly place with nice grounds. They had 3 visitor moorings all full. Apparently they have more blocks than balls. Cost is $7 a day, which even on anchor is worth it for it’s more scenic location navy ship watching nice grounds nice people rubbish disposal and Secure car park. The NE trades do howl through here making for some crazy swinging on anchor and for a wet dinghy trip ashore. Most of the anchorage is 15 to 20m deep necessitatng lots of scope. We had good holding in soft Mud over sand Coral rubble. MYC Anchorage or mooring is no place to be in gale.
Harbour of Refuge is the place to be in a storm. Not a scenic place. Down wind of the power station. This is administered by the Commercial Division down stairs at the Port Authority. Costs are based on LOA and should be about 10usd per day for a 40ft yacht. Was closed whilst we were here as the Authority serviced the mooring blocks and removed some derelict boats that sunk there. They will be open again in April. Usual procedure is book in Early if heavy weather or Typhoon threatening (Agat Marina boats move up here). Move into the basin and temporally secure fore n aft on the block marker bouys. These are NOT mooring balls. Secure your own lines or chains to the blocks by diving down. Port Authority will confirm that procedure on booking. I’d suggest book here before you arrive if travelling in Typhoon high season and staying any length of time.
Agat Marina. Book at Commercial office at Port Authority. No onsite manager. A standard marina. Power and water but public ablutions a bit dodgy. Nice enough overall with new docks in good repair after a 2018 Typhoon destroyed the place. A very busy place for commercial tour boats so don’t arrive at 9am midday or 1430. More sheltered than MYC. Best spot for ease of provisioning and can get tanker fuel delivered to A dock. Entry well marked but not lit. Transient slips sometimes available but not really designed for over 42 ft or cats. The monthly fee is 240USD for a 40ft slip. They will prorata so about 10usd a day. Cheap. Plus a key deposit. The likely location will be D dock. If over 40ft the reef north of D dock will restrict manoeuvrability on that side. And it’s shallower. We draw 1.5m and just snuck in with a bow thruster. If I had a spade rudder I wouldn’t risk it. Similarly the space between D and C dock is tight but deeper. Id suggest book in then drive down to check your slip. Go down early AM or late PM as If your slip buddy is a beamy commercial boat he might not be in and you might not fit when he comes back. Sensible deck security mandatory as gates don’t get locked but everyone freindly and a realy good bar n grill. A car rental is a must.
Car rental. Book it in advance when we arrived most companies had advance bookings 2 weeks out.
Anchorages at Cetti Bay and Merrizo Channel in SW Guam are scenic with easy entry and good snorkelling.
Next too no marine services on Guam and everyone resident here we spoke to does everything themselves, order from West Marine and have major repairs done in the Phillipines. In theory you can use a crane for haul out at Hagatna, talk to Port Authority, but locals say getting the crane is almost impossible and always expensive. Guam is full of sad yacht wrecks, some still floating as squats in Agat Marina, of yachts that got here in a broken state and never moved on. No marine diesel fitter although the truck and bulldozer guys will give it a go, no rigger, no sail maker, no marine electronics, limited metal fabrication. Normal big continental US home depot and grocery stores.
All up thoroughly enjoyed Guam as a stop over enroute north whilst waiting for northern winter gales to abate.