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Alotau town anchorage
Anchorage · Milne Bay & Alotau · Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Open Alotau town anchorage in the interactive mapThe guide
- Position
- 10°18.53'S 150°27.03'E
- Depth
- 6–25 m
- Wind shelter
- exposed in E, S, W
- Shelter
- Exposed E, S and W and very deep - "a lousy anchorage".
- Bottom
- steep; fine mud west of the position is poor holding
- Holding
- poor
- Ashore
- Customs in town, Immigration and Quarantine at the wharf/cruise terminal. Supermarkets and a good fresh market; banks (ATMs unreliable - Visa worked at the fuel wharf). Fuel at the main wharf (forms at the Transport Office, early) or by hose at Cheong's wooden jetty in Sanderson Bay (2-2.5 m LT on the south side; reef off the north side; ~Australian prices). Wifi at the Waterfront Lodge. Dinghy on the hotel slipway.
- Fuel
- Main wharf (get the forms at the Transport Office early) or by hose at Cheong's jetty in Sanderson Bay (2014-2016 reports).
- Cautions
- A yacht anchored west of the hotel was robbed at gunpoint (~2013); armed robbery at Tawali Resort (2018); dinghy pirates working the waters to Sideia and East Cape (2020). In 2024 locals warned us to come only if armed. Clear in by day, prefer Driftwood's dock or Waga Waga, and don't stay overnight off town. See Health & safety, Clearing in at Alotau.
Our sketch map
Drawn by us from OpenStreetMap, Sentinel-2 and our GPS. Not for navigation.
More in the Milne Bay & Alotau
Driftwood Resort (Alotau)Waga Waga (Discovery Bay)Kana Kopi BaySamarai IslandHemoe Bay (Basilaki Island)Oba Bay, Sideia IslandBlack Rock - Wiyaloiki IslandSuau IslandTube Tube (Engineer Group)
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♥ Join us on PatreonOpen the interactive mapSources: compendium p255-258 (Maranatha 2009; 2XS 2016; Alk 2016; Free Bird 2014; Yawana 2014; Songlines 2011)
Thanks to Soggy Paws PNG Compendium, Maranatha guide: their notes are summarised in our own words.
This guide is a set of personal cruising notes shared in good faith. Information can be out of date or wrong, and positions can be out by hundreds of metres. It is not a substitute for official charts and notices, your own eyes, local knowledge, or professional medical, legal or customs advice. You use it at your own risk: the skipper alone is responsible for the safety of the vessel and everyone on board, and the authors accept no liability for any loss, injury or damage arising from its use.
Thanks to Soggy Paws PNG Compendium, Maranatha guide: their notes are summarised in our own words.
This guide is a set of personal cruising notes shared in good faith. Information can be out of date or wrong, and positions can be out by hundreds of metres. It is not a substitute for official charts and notices, your own eyes, local knowledge, or professional medical, legal or customs advice. You use it at your own risk: the skipper alone is responsible for the safety of the vessel and everyone on board, and the authors accept no liability for any loss, injury or damage arising from its use.