From the helm

This time last month we were patiently awaiting a weather window to depart to the Islands, and since then nearly 72 Pacific Rally yachts as well as many other Island Cruising members and other cruisers have set off to various places in the Pacific!

There were a few dramas en-route, firstly a pretty rough ride out of New Zealand, followed by a glassy calm patch and a few days of motoring which chewed through the fuel. We had some impressive acts of generosity among the rally fleet with some mid-ocean fuel transfers to boats in need before the wind filled in again and developed in to a nasty low crossing NZ creating a strong northerly across the rally track.

Many of the boats managed to find good shelter in Minerva Reef, while others weathered the storm A big shoutout to the crew of Kuia who stood by when one of the other boats was having some issues with a mysterious leak when the weather got rough. You guys are awesome.

One crew member got badly bitten by a big fish they'd caught requiring 10 staples to sew him back up again, we also had a crushed hand injury, so the Cat 1 Medical kits and Offshore Medic skills learned from Oceania all got a bit of a work out!

We also had one boat lose their chart plotter for a few hours - thank goodness for the paper charts!

Thanks also to David on Perigee who created a morning VHF net for the rally boats any anyone else nearby to join in with, which was great fun and very much appreciated by everyone

There were some excellent fish caught along the way - check out the photos later on in the newsletter and thanks to Ballingers Hunting & Fishing for providing some great fishing tackle in the rally packs!

On arrival in Fiji and Tonga the rally boats were welcomed with various festivities. Nawi Island Marina in Savusavu opened early especially for the rally boats to enter and they were invited to their opening party which looked like lots of fun

In Tonga we were very warmly welcomed by Tonga Tourism who helped facilitate the officials for us and enabling the boats to get cleared at anchor.

Big Mama, Earle and their son Andrew made us all feel very welcome at Pangaimotu Island Their yacht club was badly damaged in the tsunami last year but despite this we had a wonderful time with them with BBQ's on the beach, a sports day, and lots of cold beer was drunk as well as running us all back and forth to town in their boat

Tonga Tourism laid on a fantastic welcome event with a Tongan feast, kava and dancing which was a wonderful day. We even got to catch up with David Hunt who many of you will remember from way back in the 1980's when he helped create the Island Cruising Rally!

Nuku'alofa is well worth a stop on your Pacific travels. There are some excellent restaurants, some really interesting places to visit, a rich history, lots of shops selling almost everything you could possibly need, and the International Airport is there for crew, and friends and family flying in and out. Tongan people are so kind and friendly.

One of the great things about being on a rally is the people you meet. The families have all teamed up and the kids are having a whale of a time with each other, which of course makes life a bit easier for the parents too! We've also got about 10 boats who were on the rally with us last year and they are able to share some of their knowledge of the places they've been to with the first timers.

This time next month we will be doing our special clearance in to the Lau Group in Fiji. This is not normally a port of entry, so we are flying the officials out to Vanua Balavu to arrange clearance for the rally boats and a few extras who are joining us This saves heaps of time where you'd otherwise have to sail straight past these spectacular islands to clear in at Savusavu and then sail back upwind again to get back there Thanks to our agent Yacht Help who are arranging the clearance for us.

Did you know we matched up over 60 crew members with various boats on the rally? This is a great way to be part of the action without having your own boat to sail. Check out the CrewSeeker page on our website for details

Last week I took part in the Pearls of Boating Wisdom course here in Christchurch. Ross Porter has put together a comprehensive course to learn about all the different systems on board, all excellent things to know when you are crossing an ocean. Check out the details later in the newsletter.

Welcome aboard to our new sponsors this month! All Marine - a Chandlery in Whangarei, 36 Degrees Brokers and Marsden Cove Marina We've got a fantastic stable of very generous sponsors and supporters of Island Cruising - so if you aren't a member already I highly recommend you join up to make the most of the excellent discounts and benefits they can offer you! Check them all out on our website here. You can very quickly recoup the cost of your $95.00 membership by taking advantage of the generous savings!

We've got an event at Cloud 9 in Fiji on the 13th July - all welcome! So if you are up in Fiji please do come and join us It will be heaps of fun

Thanks to all the rally participants who have been sending through their photos of their adventures and kindly allowing me to share them so you can get a feel fo

I hope you enjoy Cruise News this month

If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.