For captains doing yacht deliveries around Northern Australia, be careful to avoid the Special Quarantine Zone through the Torres Strait, which runs directly north of Queensland.

Currently I am delivering a 47 Shuttleworth catamaran from Queensland (eastern Australia) to Mauritius. Thankfully a fellow yachtsperson gave me a savior of a warning about passing through the Torres Strait.

Under the current -- and in my estimation, extremely strict -- Special Quarantine Zone rules, if you pass through this zone, you are required to get an inspection by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Once given an AQIS number, you will be free to go. This inspection is designed to keep foreign weeds, insects, and other foul creatures out of the islands in the Torres Strait, specifically the Thursday Islands group. 

All of that is great and fine; the fly in the ointment is simple. Upon inspection, you can count on losing all of your provisions that are not of Australian origin. Not a problem if you have only provisioned in Australia, but many of the vessels that us delivery skippers pick up routinely have stores from many countries through which they have passed.

Under this set of rules, even if you are not planning on a landing on the islands in Torres Strait, you are required to submit to complete inspection. This link shows the effected areas, http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/quarantine/naqs/pubs/torres-strait

There is one route only that can be used to avoid this loss of ships stores. When heading north, pass through Albany Passage; be aware of tide ranges. Closely but safely hug the coast of the un-effected small group of islands/rocks off of Cape York, then make a rum-line toward Bamaga. Turning to due west, make a direct rum-line route toward Cape Wessel. In doing this you will pass just south of the effected quarantine zone.

Suggested route way-points from east to west that you do not want to cross are: 1. 10.47'S, 142.46'E 2. 10.36S, 142.27E 3. 10.52'S, 142.10'E 4. 10.52'S, 142.00E

If you chart these coordinates, connect with a line, and then navigate to the south of your charted line, you will pass outside of this wide-ranging quarantine area, and probably save yourself much time and headache of dealing with loss of ships stores, and re-provisioning for the remainder of your voyage.

Rory J. Kremer Delivery Captain, USA