Andaman Sea Pilot - the definitive cruising guide for the Andaman Sea...and more

The definitive guide to 380 anchorages in more than one million square miles of ocean

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PORT BLAIR & THE SURROUNDING AREA

Port Blair
Port Blair is the main town and the only Port of Entry in the Andaman Islands. It is a quaint, dirty, crowded and friendly Indian town that looks as though it has been ripped out of the colonial 1930s and dropped into the 21st century.

Port Blair has an airport with daily connecting flights to Chennai and Kolkota.

Yachts are still an unusual sight in the Andaman Islands with only 30-40 visiting yachts each year. Port Blair is however a busy commercial and naval harbour – it has all of the facilities you are likely to need but you may have to look harder than usual to find them.

Your dinghy
You will need to leave your dinghy tied up at one of the jetties near Chatham Island. Theft from dingies or yachts is not an issue in Port Blair.

A local entrepreneurial boy called Mupardee will magically appear and offer to look after your dinghy, move it around the ferries and fishing boats, make sure it is not chafing against the jetty, keep it clean and fetch and carry for you. He does a good job.

Provisioning
Aberdeen market has excellent fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and fruit. It also has very fresh (walking!) chicken and mutton. If you are used to supermarkets with pre-packaged goods the market will be quite an experience.

Anumod Bakery has fresh bread, homemade biscuits, tinned goods and ice cream. It does not make sense to buy fish in the Andamans as it is so easy to catch. Alcohol is difficult to buy in Port Blair.

Fuel and Water
Good quality fresh water is available from barges or the dockside – enquire at the harbourmaster’s office.

Diesel fuel can be brought by tanker to the dockside by prior arrangement with the harbour master. As this is remarkably complicated it is best to employ an agent to arrange this for you. Alternatively you can jerry can fuel by taxi from the India Oil station at Phoenix Bay. Fuel is relatively expensive in the Andaman Islands.

Spares and Repairs
Port Blair has excellent boat repair facilities but no experience of yachts. Boats of up to 500 tons can be lifted, there are skilled mechanics, sandblasting and spraying facilities and fabricating workshops. Most spare parts can be flown in overnight from the Indian mainland by arrangement with “Agency House”.

Restaurants and Hotels
Bay Island Hotel is the best in Port Blair with spectacular views of the harbour entrance and a good restaurant.

The Gem Continental has great Tandoori in the evenings. TSG and Sinclair Hotel also have good restaurants but it takes hours for the food to arrive.

Communications
There are a variety of Internet cafes, GSM mobile coverage, GPRS and hundreds of manned phone booths with ISD/STD signs in Port Blair.

Officialdom
The Andamans is very bureaucratic and even the simplest thing requires reams of paperwork. Your visit is unlikely to change this.

Dress smartly and be polite and everything will go smoothly. If you turn up at a government office wearing shorts, sandals and a string vest and are rude and arrogant then expect whatever you want to take several days to a week.

Port Blair Anchorages

Use of this anchorage has been largely discontinued due to increased ship traffic in the area. If you have a very small dinghy then ask Port Control if you can anchor here for check-in and check-out. Anchorage B is now the preferred anchorage for yachts.

Anchor in 4-6 metres with good holding in thick black mud. Only suitable as a day anchorage.

Use this anchorage for clearance and visiting Port Blair. Approach from the south and anchor in 8-14 metres with good holding and excellent protection. The bank comes up very quickly further north.

From here you need to run your dinghy across to Chatham Island to go ashore. Do not swim here – following the tsunami there are several crocodiles in the harbour that have been eating the local fishermen.

Anchor in 6-8 metres just south of the jetty ashore. You need to ask permission from Port Control before you anchor here.

Ross Island used to be the administrative centre of the Andamans under British Colonial rule. It now has limited interest with crumbling brick buildings, spotted deer, a variety of ornamental dustbins and a local coconut seller.

This is a very useful anchorage to use if you want to return to Port Blair without re-entering the harbour (and all the associated paperwork to get back out again).

From the anchorage take your dinghy across to Aberdeen Jetty. There is a small boat marina here with a tidal sill so arrive at mid tide or above. Aberdeen Jetty is in the middle of Port Blair town.

Corbyn’s Cove provides a reasonable anchorage in light North-East conditions. Enter the bay north of Snake Island to find a spot in the middle on a sandy bottom in 6 – 10 metres. This anchorage is very exposed to ground swell if the North-Easterlies are blowing strongly.

While there is road access to Port Blair 7 miles away, it can be very difficult to find transport.

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While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate, the charts of anchorages are based on personal experience and satellite imagery and are intended as a guide only. They should not be used for navigation. Please refer to Official Hydrographic charts of the respective countries.

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