Royal Belau Yacht Club

Good News for American Cruisers in Palau!

2009-05-19T10:32:00.006+09:00

On March 23, 2009, Koror State Government amended their Rock Islands Management and Conservation Act to clarify definitions of Tourist, Citizen and Non-Citizen, with respect to Koror State tourist permit requirements. For American citizens visiting or cruising Palau for extended periods this change is a welcome clarification that clearly states the rules with respect to residency and notes the process required to secure a Koror State Resident Identification Card. That’s good news for American cruisers!

Palau enjoys a very special relationship with the United States under an agreement known as the Compact of Free Association and in return American citizens are entitled to a one-year Tourist Visa at no charge. As a result, many American cruisers opt to remain and cruise in Palau for an extended period however, unless they are considered residents, they remain subject to the Tourist Permit requirements of Koror State Government, which can be burdensome in the case of extended stays.

Presently, all visitors to Palau’s Rock Islands, which are located in Koror State, are required to purchase a permit. Funds raised from permits are used to maintain a system of mooring buoys at dive sites, maintain shelters, barbeques and bathrooms at popular beaches, maintain docks and trail facilities at Jellyfish Lake, provide marine safety and law enforcement patrols including monitoring conservation areas. There are two types of Koror State permits as follows:

Rock Island Permit $25 – Valid 10 Days: Permits holder to visit the rock islands, snorkel, dive, kayak, sail, and use designated beaches throughout the rock islands.
The permit does NOT permit access to Jellyfish Lake.

Jellyfish Lake Permit $35 – Valid 10 Days: Permits holder to visit Jellyfish Lake and the rock islands, snorkel, dive, kayak, sail, and use designated beaches throughout the rock islands.

For cruisers who wish to venture beyond Malakal Harbor (official Port of Entry) to spend time in the Rock Islands an additional “30 Day Cruising Permit” is required for their vessel at an approximate cost of $10 per foot, to a maximum of $80.

For American cruisers who are automatically permitted to stay for up to a year, the Koror State permit process and costs can be both administratively and financially burdensome. The clarifications under the new law however, make it easy to understand and simple to comply with the residency requirement and should encourage U.S. cruisers to spend more time (and more moeny) in Palau. That's a win win for all!

With proof of legal entitlement to remain in the country for more than 90 days and the intention to do so (as evidenced by a Vessel Entry Permit valid for one year and a Tourist Visa valid for one year) American cruisers can register their vessels in Koror State for a nominal fee and purchase a “Resident Identification Card” from Koror State Finance Office for $5.00

RBYC thinks that's great news!

E-mail: rbycpalau@gmail.com for a complete text of the new law.

Welcome to RBYC's new Blog!

2009-04-17T12:50:00.001+09:00

Greetings from RBYC in Koror, Palau, Micronesia and welcome to our new Blog! This is just a first post to check some settings. The blog will be updated shortly and fully activated. Check back in a few days.
Port Captain

Farewell Colin! Cinco de Mayo, 2007

2009-02-01T10:24:00.000+09:00

Visiting cruisers celebrating Cinco de Mayo, 2007, at the Royal Belau Yacht Club, Koror, Palau. The club hosts a great party every Cinco de Mayo, with a Mexican Food Competition, John Mc Cready's Magical Margarita's, and lots of locally brewed RED ROOSTER BEER!

We are saddened to learn that Colin (blue shirt) died recently in an accident on board his boat "Deja Vu". We really enjoyed Colin's company during his visit to Palau and will miss him. Farewell Colin!

M/Y SURI

2009-01-31T11:14:00.001+09:00

The 173 foot motor yacht SURI, pictured lying off Malakal Harbor, Koror, Palau in Jan 2009. SURI and her fun crew spent a few months in Palau and quickly became part of the local community. Skipper Neil Anderson and his fun-loving Fijian crew were always on hand for adventure, fun and games. SURI is the penultimate gentlemans "Toy Box" with a list of on-board gadgets that includes a helicopter, hovercraft, landing craft, dune buggy, 45 foot
"Intrepid" launch, Hobie cats, Lasers, kayaks, row boats, Waverunners, jet skis......just to mention a few. SURI is the tender to the 150 foot superyacht JeMaSa, and is a superyacht herself in her own right.

A former Bering Sea fishing boat, SURI underwent a major conversion in Washington State, USA, supervised by Neil Anderson and his crew. Sam's Tours served as local agent for SURI while RBYC served as her home port and primary "wateringhole" for the ships crew.

M/Y BLUESTAR

2008-12-04T11:14:00.000+09:00

12/4/2008

Our good friends and the most frequent visiting superyacht to Palau, M/Y
BLUESTAR, completed her last stay in Palau for a few years, as she now heads
to the Caribbean for awhile. BLUESTAR has been to Palau about five times in
the last few years, spending several months at a time either on standby
awaiting the owners arrival or entertaining the owner and family who are
avid divers. Skippered by David Thornburn, of Vancouver, British Columbia,
BLUESTAR has been a fixture in Palau in between her very active travels
around the Pacific that included visits to Hawaii, Marshall Islands, Truk
Lagoon, Yap and the outer islands of Yap and Asian Pacific Rim countries.

Crewmembers Engineer Mark and Chef Chris, were always out and about sharing
fun stories and tall tales with the gang over at Kramer's, the local ex-pat
hangout when not enjoying sundowners at RBYC located at Sam's Tours. Our
good friend and former Sam's Tours staff member Kevin Davidson who had
served as local guide to Bluestar for many of her visits, joined Bluestar as
full time crew on one of her last trips and recently departed with her on
the long journey to the Caribbean. Planned route was via Truk, Marshall
Islands, Marquesas, Panama Canal, uo to Caribbean. Kevin now resides full
time in Guam when not gallavanting around the world on Bluestar.

Farewell BLUESTAR and safe sailing!

Majestic NORDKAPEREN

2008-09-11T17:14:00.001+09:00

The majestic NORDKAPEREN visited Palau for a few months in 2008. Picture is NORDKAPEREN cruising through Palau's Rock Islands 9/11/2008.

MY/ CODENE

2008-05-19T11:14:00.001+09:00

M/Y Codene just spent a few months in Palau. On board was our good friend
Jaap, formed dive guide at Neco Marine dive shop here in Palau, and before
that of Manta Ray Bay Hotel in Yap. CODENE is about 90 feet and built to the
specifications of her owner who has had several other yachts before Codene
and obviously applied that knowledge in creating Codene. She was beautifully
laid out with nice spacious accommodations, very functional work spaces, all
the latest toys, and yet was clearly well built as a sea-going exploration
vessel. Her Kiwi skipper Robhad spent many years in the southern ocean and
polar regions on research vessels.

EARTHRACE - Wave Piercing Design

2008-05-06T11:14:00.000+09:00

5/6/2008
EARTHRACE, the radical 78 foot wave-piercing trimaran, skippered by Kiwi
Peter Bethune visited Palau on both of her round-the-world-record attempts.
Fueled by bio-diesel, the space age looking machine, was chasing the record
set by Cable and Wireless many years ago. Earthrace failed in her first
record-setting attempt due to technical problems with her engines however,
despite a number of challenges on the second attempt, that included damage
to her propellor and shaft from hitting sea-debris near Palau, EARTHRACE
completed her circumnavigation in record time and beat the previous record
by about 14 days.

RBYC served as Ground Crew for EARTHRACE on her record setting second trip
and welcomed Skipper Bethune, an RBYC Honorary Lifetime Member, and her crew
back to Palau. Earthrace's Palau "pit stop" was sponsored by Budweiser
distributor Shimbros, Sam's Tours Dive Center, Royal Belau Yacht Club,
Roll'em Productions, and local TV station Oceania Television (OTV). The
program included a short welcome / farwell ceremony, crew dinner, boat tours
for the public, and media interviews, all of which took place RBYC Yacht
Club.

Members of EARTHRACE crew were awareded with Honorary Lifetime Membership in
RBYC for their contributions to circumnavigation and the spirit of
adventure. RBYC is proud to be associated with EARTHRACE and honored to have
such distinguished and accomplished individuals as Peter Bethune and crew on
our membership rolls.

CADENCE cruises by.

2008-04-27T10:18:00.000+09:00

The catamaran "CADENCE" cruises by "Anthea" on Sunday, April 27, 08, in Malakal Harbor, Koror, Palau. "Cadence", whose homeport is Half Moon Bay, CA, is now resident here in Koror and is frequently out on the water with skipper Frank and friends onboard.

ANTHEA - Just another fun day!

2008-04-27T10:12:00.001+09:00

Just another fun day on board the classic 8 Meter "Anthea", owned by Gary Pione. Gary has kept Anthea in Palau for a few years and visits frequently in between assignments as a shipwright. The day was a little overcast but with a perfect sailing breeze. We cruised out Lighthouse Channel on the east side and headed a few miles off-shore before turning for a nice run downwind back in to Malakal Harbor, then out the west side for a spectacular sunset. Thanks Gary!

INSOUCIANCE with Captain Chris onboard

2008-04-25T17:04:00.001+09:00

4/25/2008
Our dear friend Chris Christiansen paid us a visit from Palawan, Philippines his latest abode and joined us for a day of sailing on board INSOUCIANCE, the beautiful CT-34 he had built for himself and singlehanded for many years before leaving her in Palau in the care of his friend Sam Scott. Left to Right are Erik, Sam, Chris, and Gary.

M/Y SORCHA

2008-04-19T11:14:00.001+09:00

Motor Yacht "SORCHA" lying off the west side of Malakal Island with the
Royal Belau Yacht Club in the distance off her bows. Sam's Tours served as
local agent for Sorcha and provided all of their ground services and
logistical support. RBYC played host to Sorcha's crew for some fun in
between trips with the owner and his young family. Kevin Davidson, Palau's
in-demand superyacht guide played master of ceremonies for Sorcha's rock
island adventures and showed all a great time.

Sam's Tours (RBYC Homeport) - Images after Remodel

2007-10-17T16:22:00.002+09:00

As promised, here are a few images from the newly remodeled Sam's Tours Dive Center.

All images courtesy of our good friend Gunther Deichmann. Check out www.deichmann-photo.com for stunning images from Gunther's latest travels to Palau and elsewhere.

SAM WELCOMING EVERYONE TO THE RE-OPENING AND 17TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY:

VIEW FROM THE WATER:

ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE WATER:

VIEW FROM PARKING LOT:

RENTAL LOCKER:

COMPRESSOR ROOM:

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ECLIPSE starts eighth season at Sam's Tours!

2007-09-18T16:23:00.001+09:00

Eclipse at Sunset

November 1st, 2007 marks the start of the eighth season for Sam’s Tours unique dive offering in Palau, Eclipse, still the only chartered live aboard exploring this diving paradise. What makes Eclipse unique is that it is small enough for just one or two couples to afford exclusive use of a fully equipped live aboard, complete with very experienced captain, dive master and chef.

Eclipse underway with Charlie at the helm.

How often have you wished you could just have your own boat for a week of diving? How often have you wished you could have visited fabulous dive destinations when there were no other divers? That is the reality of diving with Eclipse, and in Palau, yet, famous for big fish encounters on remote pristine reefs, dozens of miles from the hotels and resorts in the developed parts of the country.

Guests enjoying the relaxed atmosphere on Eclipse.
But that is not all. Since Eclipse is just for a small group of friends or family the trips are totally customized to the desires of the guests. In addition to diving where and when you most want to dive, Eclipse also has enough sea kayaks aboard for all, plus fishing gear and the time to explore a few of the hundreds of uninhabited islands that fill the huge lagoon. Perhaps the biggest thrill is that Eclipse is also a fine sailing yacht, allowing guests to take the wheel and feel the surge and power of the Pacific Trade Winds as she charges south to the best diving most people have ever experienced.

Just one of the many wonders that awaits you in Palau!

Another great treat aboard is getting to know the crew, John and Charlie, the husband and wife team that show what total immersion in the diving life can be. John has had the rare opportunity to sail his own boat and dive all over the Pacific, living the dream so many divers harbor. Charlie is a talented chef from China who went crazy for diving after starting work on Eclipse. Now one of the best dive masters in Palau, Charlie’s enthusiasm is overwhelming, extending even after dinner for the most amazing night dives imaginable. Sounds good?

For more info, visit: http://www.palau-divensail.com

The Global Adventure visits Palau

2007-06-21T16:21:00.002+09:00

Radio and television financial and political commentator Keith DeGreen, a U.S. Marine veteran and author, lecturer and lawyer is the owner of The Global Adventure, a beautiful Nordhavn 55 Motor Yacht presently visiting Palau. The Global Adventure is berthed at the Royal Belau Yacht Club at Sam's Tours. The boat is a floating television and radio station from which Keith now broadcasts his weekly show. Keith and his crew originally departed from San Diego, California and have visited Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and Pohnpei, Micronesia before arriving in Palau.

Keith just completed his PADI Open Water Course today at Sam's Tours PADI 5-Star National Geographic Dive Center with Sam's Tours Instructor, Jeroen JB Beckers. Congratulations Keith and welcome to the underwater world!

To learn more about Keith's amazing vessel and his exciting world circumnavigation adventures, log on to http://www.theglobaladventure.com Those who love the open ocean and passage making will really enjoy reading Keith's wonderful log entries and trip reports.

Crew member Bryan Wallace, who serves as engineer on board, is from Ireland as am I. We had a good old session at Bottom Time Bar & Grill at Sam's Tours savoring the local Red Rooster beer but all the while dreaming about those creamy pints of Guinness back home!

Wolf and Alida, captain and deckhand respectively, also joined our wee session at Bottom Time. Wolf who hails from Austria was intent on convincing Bryan and I that the Irish descended from the Austrians! When that didn't work he started on the locals and was doing a pretty good and convincing job telling the story of how the Austrians first settled Palau and the Palauans later descended from them! Maybe, just maybe....there was a wee bit too much Red Rooster involved!
Dermot

M/Y Octopus visits Palau

2007-06-20T16:20:00.002+09:00

Another recent visitor to Palau was the large private motor yacht M/Y Octopus, owned by Paul Allen. Mr. Allen visited Palau previously on board his vessel M/Y Tatoosh. M/Y Octopus is equipped with a helicopters a submarine and 2 ROV's and fully equipped for all sorts of diving adventures. The vessel was only here for about ten days but we made many great friends with crew members on board who all enjoyed Palau's world class diving.
We hope to see them all again soon. Sam's Tours served as their Land Agent and Ground Services provider, as we do for most of the large private yachts that visit Palau. At 414 feet long and about 70 feet wide, Octopus is hard to miss. Keep an eye out at your local harbor, just in case.

RBYC Supports Earthrace World Record Attempt!

2007-04-24T16:18:00.002+09:00

The Earthrace team led by Peter Bethune skipper of the radical
"wave-piercing" vessel "Earthrace" is presently in Palau, Micronesia making
engine repairs on day forty five of their world record attempt. The race
began on the island of Barbados on the other side of the world. Sam's Tours
and the Royal Belau Yacht Club (RBYC) have been supporting the team with
meals (and just a few of Palau's local micro-brewed Red Rooster beers!).

At a small but lively function last night at Sam's Tours, official home of
the Royal Belau Yacht Club (RBYC), Commodore Sam Scott presented the four
Earthrace crew members with Perpetual Honorary RBYC Membership Awards in
recognition of their valuable contributions to seamanship and the art of
world circumnavigation and for promoting the development of environmentally
friendly technologies including bio-diesel. Earthrace is fueled by
bio-diesel and hopes to be the first boat to go around the world using this
environmentally friendly alternative fuel.

Earthrace crew on the leg to Palau consisted of Peter Bethune, Skipper;
Marty Mead, Engineer; Ryan Heron, Navigator; Joe Grabill, Sponsor.

Ground support team members Scott Fratcher, Allison Thompson and Lance
Wordsworth also received Perpetual Honorary Membership cards and club
t-shirts.

Today while the technical team is poring over the engines one Earthrace,
Skipper Peter Bethune and a few of the crew members are taking advantage of
the down time to enjoy some of Palau's spectacular diving which includes
visits to the Helmet Wreck and Chandelier Cave in Malakal Harbor. Next stop
for Earthrace is Singapore.

Skipper Peter Bethune and support crew Scott Fratcher spent a generous
amount of time explaining the advantages of using bio-diesel and how to
produce it to Sam and several other interested boat owners. For more
information on Earthrace and bio-diesel fuel log on to
<http://www.earthrace.net/> http://www.earthrace.net/

I just spoke to Peter and the crew as they got back from their day trip and
they were ecstatic! "Best day of my life" said both Peter and Ryan!... and
that from two guys who are half way around the world! Wow! A bit of wreck
diving, some cave diving and a little cliff jumping. Check out their blog.
I'll have to post my pictures later.

Dermot Keane
General Manager
Sam's Tours Palau
<http://www.samstours.com/> http://www.samstours.com/

For RBYC info: <http://www.samstours.com/services-yachtclub.html>
http://www.samstours.com/services-yachtclub.html

Hokulea Visits Palau

2007-04-17T16:53:00.001+09:00

April 17, 2007

The Polynesian Voyaging Society vessel Hokulea, recently visited Palau during a tour of the Pacific. Hokulea was accompanied by another vessel Alingano Maisu which was built by members of the PVS and gifted to Mao Pialug, the traditional master navigator from the nearby island of Satawal. Pictured are Nainoa Thompson, skipper of Hokulea, and Sam Scott, Commodore of the Royal Belau Yacht Club.

S/Y Andromeda La Dea

2007-02-26T11:25:00.001+09:00

2/26/2007
Andromeda La Dea, the Perinin Navi 150 foot sloop, spent a few months in
Palau where he owner and family enjoyed the scenic Rock Islands along with
some diving, snorkeling and lots of beach time. Long time Palau resident
Kevin Davidson, professional underwater photographer and videographer, PADI
Master Instructor, former liveaboard dive yacht skipper and USCG Licensed
Captain served as their guide. Kevin operates KD Photo Center at Sam's Dive
Tours providing underwater photo and video services, instruction courses and
equipment repair when not otherwise engaged by visiting superyachts as their
local guide. Kevin can be reached at: kdphoto@guamcell.net

Andromeda La Dea's former owner is Tom Perkins who now owns the spectacular
"Maltese Falcon" with it's hi-tech dyna-rig.

When not out in the Rock Islands, Andromeda anchored up right in front of
the Royal Belau Yacht Club and provided a beautiful addition to our already
spectacular scenery and sunsets.

2006-01-26T10:49:00.002+09:00

Former racing trimaran "Spirit of Ireland" on a mooring at the Royal Belau Yacht Club, Koror, Palau. The skipper, Thomas, refurbished the boat in a field near Galway, Ireland before taking off for a circumnavigation. Safe sailing!

Sailing Palau with my brothers on Anthea

2006-01-04T10:44:00.000+09:00

Another great day on the water onboard the 8 Meter "Anthea". I love sailing this boat and on this particular day I have the pleasure of having my oldest and my youngest brother on board. Rory (aft) and Conor (in blue) are visiting from Ireland on a dive trip. Rory is an active diver in Ireland and Conor just got certified here in Palau at Sam's Tours. Just aft of the traveler is Thomas Schubert, long time resident of Palau and Germany's Honorary Consul to Palau. Gary is down below painting his nails! Ha ha ha!

That's Anthea's owner Gary, with the big grin. Anthea will do that to you! It's just hard not to smile when you're onboard this boat in any kind of breeze. She's a beauty! Thanks for another great day Gary!

Dermot