Following a successful season in 2022, we are looking forward to next year's adventures in the Pacific and we would love you to join us!

If you missed our webinar you can watch a replay on Facebook here.

 

What is a Rally?

A rally is all about having cruising adventures with friends heading in the same general direction.

Island Cruising takes this a step further. Our rallies include intensive pre-departure training to help ensure you feel confident and prepared on departure day. We support you on the passage with weather, and tracking, help with crew, assist with all the documentation and entry/exit formalities, provide detailed resources and destination information to save you lots of time doing all the research, have fun events along the way and connect you with others heading in the same direction. 

You can choose whether to cruise with the group or do your own thing. 

Destinations

Rally participants will have the choice to select which destinations they'd most like to visit or to follow our suggested itinerary (coming soon) and timeline to sail the ocean passages as part of the group. 

In 2023 you can choose from:

• Tonga
• Fiji
• Vanuatu
• New Caledonia
• Norfolk Island

Or

• French Polynesia
• Niue
• Tonga

Or - choose your own destinations and we will help support your adventures. 

Returning 

• Home to New Zealand
• Or onwards to Australia with Down Under Rally. 

 

Dates (preliminary)

Friday 5 May - join us in Opua for our pre-departure events and final preparations at the Bay of Islands Marina in Opua. 

We will have some fun events on the Friday with some of our rally sponsors and supporters, followed by a social night at Opua Cruising Club.

Saturday will be rally briefing day. We will have final run over safety, weather, passage planning, documentation & communications.

Sunday will be a free day to get your provisions on board and do a thorough safety briefing & drills with your crew.

Monday 8 May - Fingers crossed for a suitable weather window with the aim of completing all the customs formalities, getting some duty free fuel on board and then departing for the Pacific! 

Please note - we will wait for the best weather window on or after 8 May for your departure, so ideally it would be good to get your crew on board over the weekend and be ready to go.

 

Returning home

15 October - we will start looking for a weather window around this time to head from the Pacific back to NZ. 

 

Entry Fees:

The rally entry fee is NZD$1595.00 per boat.

A deposit of $500 is due on registration and the balance is due 20 March 2023.

The skipper also needs to be a member of Island Cruising and we recommend the crew join too so they can also participate in the workshops. Membership is NZD$95.00 per person.

I recommend signing up early to get the most benefit out of all the pre-departure training and sponsors discounts.

Any rally payments are transferrable to a later date if it turns out for any reason you are unable to get away this year. 

 

Your entry fee includes:

1. Rally Pre-Departure Support

• A printed Yacht Manual to help you track your progress towards Cat 1
• A printed Passage Plan and a passage planning workshop
• The Island Cruising weekly members workshops - covering safety, weather, navigation, passage planning, and much more
• Additional rally specific workshops & updates
• North Sails session on Sail Repairs at Sea
• Informative webinars about the amazing destinations you can visit, communications at sea and more.
• Training on how to set up your IridiumGO and the PredictWind Offshore App
• A bundle of all the documentation you need for each country you are going to visit and some tips on completing, saving, storing and sharing the information
• Discounts on the Marine Medic & Advanced Sea Survival Courses
• Assistance with finding crew and sorting their travel logistics
• Heaps of amazing discounts from our rally sponsors - check them out here.
• A rally pack with lots of goodies from our sponsors and other information
• Connecting & socialising with your fellow rally participants on the WhatsApp group

 

2. On Passage Support:

• Daily weather updates from our meteorologist
• Tracking on the PredictWind Rally Tracker
• Support and check-in's with Peter Mott - Passage Guardian
• SSB Radio users can have a daily sched with Gulf Harbour Radio
• RCCNZ back up if required

 

3. In the Islands Support

• We will ensure you understand all the regulations, know the entry costs and have the correct paperwork ready for the arrival formalities
• A detailed rally guide book with details of the best places to visit, cultural considerations, weather, tides, health, repairs and much more
• Lining up any repairs for things that may have broken en-route
• Social events and activities along the way
• Shore crew support if you need any advice or help.
• Discounts at Vuda Marina Fiji on marina fees & haulout
• Discounts & inclusions at Nawi Island Marina in Savusavu Fiji on marina fees and more

 

4. Returning Home Support

• Help finding crew
• Weather from our meteorologist
• Tracking with our PredictWind rally tracker
• Support from Passage Guardian
• SSB Radio Scheds with Gulf Harbour Radio
• RCCNZ back up if required
• Assistance with all the documentation to depart the Islands and arrive in NZ

 

5. Optional Extras

We have applied for permission to do special rally group entries at the following places. The bonus with these exclusive rally entries is that it saves you having to sail past some incredible destinations to check in to each country, and then having to sail a long way back upwind to visit. We fly the officials out to these remote destinations to process all the formailities. We have applied for permission for the following places and will advise rally participants of the additional costs and dates when we know if we can make it happen next year:

• Fiji Lau Group Entry 
• Vanuatu - Mystery Island Entry 
• New Caledonia - Loyalty Island Entry 

 

6. Exclusions:

• Country entry fees - these are variable costs and need to be paid locally on arrival
• Agents fees in French Polynesia
• COVID tests if required
• Insurance - vessel & crew
• Marina/mooring fees
• Personal expenses
• Meals & drinks at events 

 

7. You Will Need

• A sense of adventure & a sense of humour
• A Cat 1 Safety Certificate for NZ Vessels - Internationally registered vessels do not need to have a safety inspection but are expected to be suitably prepared and seaworthy for an offshore voyage. The skipper is solely responsible for the safety of the vessel and crew. It is up to you to make the decision to set sail or participate in any of the rally activities and you do so at your own risk. 
• The ability to recieve emails via satellite or SSB connection - a backup form of communication is highly recommended.
• All crew must currently be fully vaccinated to enter Fiji & New Caledonia. 

 

8. Register Now!

Keen to join us on the adventure of a lifetime? Register online for the Pacific Circuit Rally 2023 here. 

If you have any questions please drop me an email - info@islandcruising.nz 

Many thanks

Viki 

Thanks to Lewis from Q2 on the Pacific Rally 2022 for the lovely photo.