Benefits of Membership

Escape the ordinary. Set sail on your dream voyage.

With Island Cruising, you turn plans into passages — backed by training, resources and a friendly community across New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

Why join?

For just NZD $129/year (≈ AUD $120), your membership helps you go farther, safer and with more confidence.

What you get:

Weekly Members’ Newsletter with tips, updates and opportunities.
On-Demand Online Training (videos, templates, guides) covering vessel prep, crew safety, routing, weather, provisioning, living aboard and more.
Exclusive Member Discounts from trusted partners across NZ, Australia and the Pacific.
CrewSeeker Network to match skippers and crew.
Priority Rally Booking for our supported cruising events.
Monthly Member Magazine packed with stories and lessons learned.

What this means for you:

Join as a member and take the first step from thinking about it to doing it confidently.
Replace uncertainty with a clear plan, training and support.
Save money — take advantage of all our member offers & you can quickly recoup your membership investment.
Join a practical, welcoming community of offshore-curious sailors.
Enjoy the Island Cruising advocacy on behalf of all cruisers in the South Pacific.
When you're ready to head offshore - join one of our rallies for additional training & support all along the way.

Included: Offshore Preparation Course

Unlimited access to our signature online program:

Vessel Readiness: registration, safety gear, rig & sails, anchoring, water/power, electronics, engines, fuel, charts.
Crew Readiness: watchkeeping, sea survival, seasickness, personal safety gear, medical kits, insurance, log-keeping, team dynamics.
Comms & Weather: radio/satellite email, tracking, weather forecast sources and routing decisions.
Provisioning & Emergencies: smart provisioning, health, SAR, sourcing gear and services.
Real-world case studies from past rally crews.

What Our Members Say:

"I've saved so much money with all the excellent deals your partner businesses offer - got great service too!"

"I love the regular member updates, I feel like I am kept informed about all the important issues relating to cruising in this part of the world."

"Thank you for advocating for us and all cruisers in the South Pacific. It is amazing knowing you've got our best interests at heart."

"Honestly, such great value, excellent info, great savings - it's brilliant!"

“The preparation course & rally resources are brilliant. We learned so much before we even left the dock.”

→ Testimonials

Ready to go?

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You don’t need to own the “perfect boat” to get started. There's lots of preparation you can do in advance to help get you underway — and we’re here to help.

Cruising Preparation Online Course

Our Comprehensive Offshore Cruising Preparation Course is available online and on demand

The course content is broken down into easy to digest 1 hr sessions,
View the course content as often as you wish.
View when it suits you.
Learn at your own pace.
Pause / Rewind at any time.
Contact the course presenters via email or telephone at any time with questions.

Course Content:

Preparing the Vessel

Ship Registration: Guide to ships registry
Category 1: What is ‘Cat 1’and how does it apply to you and your vessel
Safety Gear: Vessel specific – EPIRBS, MOB devices
Rigging: Tips for extended cruising & safety including deck layout, preventers and more.
Sails: Selection, balance, tuning, maintenance, furling systems.
Anchors & Anchoring: How many, types, warps, windlass
Water treatment: Filtration, purification, disinfectant, watermakers.
Vessel Systems: Plumbing, gas, fuel
Battery Systems: Capacity, measuring power consumption, troubleshooting, preventative maintenance and charging systems
Power generation: How much do you need to generate and the pros and cons of various options including wind, solar and mechanical
Electronics: Radios, charting, GPS, Radar, autopilot, AIS, etc.
Steering: Tiller, wheel, wind vanes, autopilots & emergency systems
Diesel Engines: Troubleshooting, spares
Fuel systems: Filters, injectors, avoiding ‘bugs & bad fuel’
Navigation: Basic equipment requirements
Charts: Tables, filing, requirements

Preparing the People

Sea Survival: Coastal and Offshore
Watchkeeping & safety protocols
Safety Gear: Personal EPIRBS and MOB devices, personal AIS
Seasickness: Remedies, management & avoidance
Log Keeping: How to keep a ship log and why plus basic record keeping
To Crew or not to crew: Pros and cons of having crew aboard, where to find crew and your responsibilities.
Sailing to a schedule: A recipe for disaster
Medical Kits and medicines
Money Matters: Credit cards, foreign currency, Power of Attorney
Insurance: Vessel & Travel
Staying Sane: Identifying roles, communicating aboard & sharing small spaces

Offshore Communications

Voice Communication options including Satellite, Radios – VHF/ SSB/ HAM & Radio Schedules
Electronic communications including email at sea: why is it important?
Vessel tracking and position reporting
Computer’s, Tablets, Phones and apps
Weather Forecasting: Coastal & Offshore
Weather information: Sources of weather info, how to interpret and use weather info.
Weather routing for Passage Planning & Passage Management

Personal Health

Preparing and maintaining the Mind & Body

Search and Rescue

How to Contact, Response times, authority & scope of SAR.

Provisioning

What to take, where to put it & what is available when you get where we are going.

Sourcing Products & Services

Where to get great discounts and deals on marine and cruising lifestyle products and services
Cruising Guides & Reference Books: Recommended, pilots, reference manuals, cruising guides