Skip to content

U.S. Territory Shifts Focus to Cruisers

American Samoa is working hard to steer cruisers to their islands.

©

In the realm of sailing it can take a long time to undo a bad reputation. So the task before American Samoa’s Governor Togiola is a big one: With the imminent shutdown of the island’s biggest employer, he’s attempting to clean up the harbor, as well as clean up this American territory’s image.

Because American Samoa lies along the ‘South Pacific milkrun’ from Tahiti to New Zealand, and is privilged to have U.S. postal service plus American goods and services, you’d think it would be a favorite stopover for cruisers. No so. For years, the territory has been ‘dissed by cruisers as dirty, noisy, ugly and potentially dangerous — some even referring to its harbor as the "armpit of the Pacific."

But with Samoa Packing slated to cease operations September 30, leaving 2,500 workers jobless, the government is taking dramatic steps to steer cruisers and megayachts to this often-bypassed port. Already a $2 million cruising dock with a security fence has been constructed, which will hopefully put an end to formerly frequent waterfront thefts. The project was funded, by the way, by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Fund. In addition, Governor Togiola recently issued a ten-year lease to a private company to further develop the yacht basin, with the goal of enticing foreign vessels to visit by offering a full range of services and amenities in a safe environment.

A large budget has also been allocated to develop tourism in the nearby Manu’a islands and refurbish the long-established RainMaker Hotel. While the territory’s attempts to reinvent itself would seem to be essential for the people of American Samoa, they will also be a boon to westbound cruisers.

Leave a Comment




It’s not to late too sign up for this weekend’s second annual Sarcoma Cup presented by Beat Sarcoma and hosted by Richmond YC.
If you’re reading this, you’re obviously a fan of ‘Lectronic Latitude, but did you know it’s an extension of something much, much bigger?
The sailing community is holding its collective breath this morning as the jury in the felony BUI case against Bismarck Dinius begins its deliberations.