Trincomalee natural harbor inner basin moorings: 20-meter water depth and naval pilotage?
What are the mandatory VHF check-in points and anchorage coordinates for foreign cruising yachts entering the inner natural harbor basin of Trincomalee?
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3 Answers from travellers
Entering Trincomalee Harbour—one of the finest natural deep-water anchorages in the world—requires contacting Trincomalee Port Control on VHF Channel 16 or 12 at least 3 miles outside Round Island Light. Because the harbor houses active naval dockyards and petroleum storage jetties, cruising yachts cannot anchor at will. Vessels are assigned specific holding coordinates in Dutch Bay or the inner basin off Cod Bay in 15 to 25 meters of water over heavy holding mud. Foreign yachts must clear quarantine, customs, and naval intelligence checks before deploying tenders.
The inner harbor is completely sheltered from both monsoons, making it the safest emergency cyclone refuge on the eastern seaboard of South Asia.
Deploy heavy chain rodes; while water inside is calm, underwater volcanic topography creates localized currents around Elephant Island narrows.
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