Coastal & Offshore Cruising Intl. SOUTH PACIFIC NEWSOctober – November 2021 e-dition  2022 Destination Series LaunchedFind out more Click HEREWeather.South Pacific Summer Weather Some Resources for those staying in the Southern Tropics over Summer  The forecast prognosis for the 2021-22 Southern Cyclone season was released mid October. While the forecast is milder than last year they are still expecting 6-8 over the whole SW Pacific Region.Fiji Met – Key Messages: In total, four to six named tropical cyclones are predicted for Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre – Nadi’s (RSMC-Nadi) area of responsibility (AoR). In addition, one to three severe tropical cyclones (Category 3 to 5) expected in RSMC-Nadi’s AoR during the 2021-22 tropical cyclone (TC) season. One to three tropical cyclones likely to pass through Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during the 2021-22 TC Season. Of which One to two tropical cyclones are likely to reach severe category (Category 3 to 5).Read More C&OC Intl. – News Welcome to the October – November 2021 e-dition Newsletter What’s in this Issue!C&OC Intl. Are pleased to Announce;-The 2022 Destination Series is GO!See below for full details and how to register your interest.Feature Articles – South Pacific Summer WeatherBula Rendezvous & Cruise in Company Update.The true Cost of Living AboardAnd Much More The 2022 Destination Series consists of Two Rendezvous, one Rally and three Cruise In Company events. There’s also a possibility of a second Rally, Australia to New Zealand. For more info click the Events tab in th e main menu above. What’s the difference between a Rendezvous and a Rally? A Rendezvous has no fixed start or finish date, participants can choose to depart at any time during the season. A Rally has a fixed start date (Depending on Weather) and participants leave as a fleet. What’s a Cruise in Company? Apart from being great fun! A Cruise in Company takes advantage of the C&OC Knowledge Base taking you to some of the special places in each country while looking after all the details so you can fully enjoy the experience! PlusSouth Pacific Regional Update Funnies – Fun Facts – From the Galley Cruising Shot of the Month! Keeping a good lookout! Yachts exploring the beautiful Bay of Islands – Vanua Balavu – Fiji.  Become a Member! We’ve been working hard over winter adding benefit to C&OC Intl. Membership. In Fiji alone we now have so many Affiliates we’ve introduced a new way of presenting them, see below for a graphical view. Find out more about C&OC Intl. Membership Tap the membership tab above. Fiji Turns It On, Big Time! Many cruisers missed out this year, not taking advantage of Fiji’s “Blue Lanes”. To be honest it was almost us too but, we still had a good number of participants still willing to go.The problem was getting a good weather window, establishing it early enough to get covid tests then getting approval from Fiji, mind boggling but oh so worth it.Many of you will have seen the images and read the first instalment which covered our arrival into Fiji, quarantine and clearance then the festival at Copra Shed Marina in Savusavu then the Lau as far south as Vulaga (Fulanga) and Ogea (Ongea) if not check it out HERE For many the Lau was a first and they weren’t disappointed. Having made the introduction with the fleet many chose to head back up through the Lau at their own speed. many kept in touch via the PredictWind Tracking adding a blog entry to the C&OC page so that all could follow their progress, check it out https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/rally/coastal_and_offshore_cruising_ocean_tactics/ Ship Cove – Bay of Islands – Vanua Balavu – Norhthern Lau – Fiji The next “Muster Point” was Vanua Balavu the most northern of the Lau Islands. Ship Cove is one of those quintessential anchorages, we managed to find a spot for Windflower there and many of the remainder of the fleet got lost in the many other anchorages in the area known as the Bay of Islands. We enjoyed a pleasant week there, no phones, no internet, plenty to do if you wanted it, but not was good too. Bay of Islands – Vanua Balavu – Northern Lau – Fiji READ MORE NZ Government Exemption Process – Update At time of writing Friday 29th October 2021 New Zealand borders remain closed to all except NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents and those with Approved Vessel Exemptions. The New Zealand Exemption Process is now definitely working and we have a good number already in New Zealand for Refit and Repair. MBIE have now confirmed the Audit process to confirm compliance and have made the process simple and straightforward. Talking with the various departments, Customs, Immigration and Health this month the Exemption Process is still the rule and likely to remain in force through the start of next year. With vaccination rates climbing towards a 90% goal the government is now starting to make rumblings about opening the borders but no clear timetable is yet in place. New MIQ parameters are scheduled to come into play on teh 14th of November reducing the length of time from 14 days to a total of nine days with a negative test result, two of these days may be able to be served at home. This at the time of writing was only applicable to the air border. New forms are now available for the application so check out the government web sites to ensure you’re using the correct ones. Better still engage an Agent, C&OC are offering this service through 3Sixty Marine Ltd. The costs are very low and discounted for C&OC members. Delays in processing have seen approvals taking as long as three months. One other requisite that has caught some out is the need for a Vessel Exemption for Foreign Flagged vessels with a New Zealand owner aboard if there are ANY foreign nationals on the crew, even if they hold a current Critical Purpose Visa. For more info email admin@coastalandoffshorecruising.com The C&OC – Destination Series 2021 Destination NZ – Kia Ora Rendezvous With the official start of the southern Cyclone season starting 1 November we have now closed registration for the 2021 Kia Ora Rendezvous. There is still a small group of boats awaiting the next weather window here in Fiji with the possibility of getting away by the 10th of the month.  True cost of living on board  Courtesy Cruising Helmsman Magazine Brett Campbell has interviewed over 20 live-aboards after he and his wife moved onboard their yacht. These and their own experiences form the basis for a series of articles on living on board which Brett wrote for Cruising Helmsman. In this article from September 2016, Brett looks at the right time to turn the dreaming into cruising.One of the most common questions asked about living on board is how much does it cost?READ MORE Marine Electrician Needed. Do you have either vehicle or marine 12 – 24 or 240v electrical skills and would like to work in a top outfit in the bay of Islands Ne w Zealand then get in contact with Bruce Fulller on +64 27601 1492 or for more information email sales@seapower.co.nz or tap the logo above for the Seapower website. Ocean Tactics Fee Structure has changed! Click for details. OCEAN TACTICS The start of the 2021/22 southern hemisphere cyclone season is close and boats, skippers and crew are keen to get moving. Having the assistance of a weather routing service giving sound advice, keeping confidence high and helping make passages safer giving peace of mind for all aboard as well as those following from ashore. With the help of our mates at PredictWind all skippers working with Ocean Tactics are eligible for Vessel Tracking allowing those ashore and those sailing your route too, to not only see where you are but with the Blog Post Tracking Feature you can tell them how you’re getting on and have a conversation too. C&OC members already get this service at a favourable rate so to encourage Non Members to get on board we’ll give you a one year Complimentary Membership in C&OC plus a 20% discount on the Passage Management service, as an added incentive. (Valid for one passage, conditions apply). The recent article, Avoiding Weather, gives an inside view into what’s involved in making safe passages with the help of a Weather Routing Service. READ ARTICLE Ocean Tactics service fee is $300NZD per passage and is discounted for C&OC Members.* Conditions apply.Membership has it’s benefits!  From the “Nautical Trivia” file.Where did Port and Starboard come fromThe word ‘starboard’ is the combination of two old words: stéor (meaning ‘steer’) and bord (meaning ‘the side of a boat’). The left side is called ‘port’ because ships with steerboards or star boards would dock at ports on the opposite side of the steerboard or starboard.  South Pacific Regional Updates French Polynesia French Polynesia are again processing Long Term Visa and Vessel Approvals can again be made via an agent, we recommend Tahiti Crew.Anchoring restrictions are tightening up further in French Polynesia and several anchorages have been closed on Mo’orea and others reduced in capacity. Cook Islands Work has begun on dredging the entrance channel at Aitutaki so that cruising yachts can enter the harbor basin. While the maritime border remains closed the commencement of these works perhaps indicate a possible opening in 2022. Tonga Last information from Tonga suggested they will relook at opening borders in June 2022 Fiji Fiji is opening the Air Border in a two stage opening in November with quarantine free entry from Green Countries for fully Vaccinated travelers. There has been no update on the Maritime Border which is still operating under the Blue Lanes initiative. Vanuatu and New Caledonia are still closed. New Zealand Maritime Border is still closed to all but NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents and those with Exemptions. The Vessel Exemption process is scheduled to remain in place until at least the new year. Air border MIQ requirements have been reduced but this has not filtered through to the Maritime Border. Australia Several yachts have had success with application on Humanitarian Grounds (Cyclone Season Relief) all successful applications have been done through an agent. Indonesia Indonesia has now opened a limited number of ports for maritime entry. An agent is still required plus Covid tests and all crew must be vaccinated. For more information click HERE From the Galley Moroccan Lamb Pot Pie 1 Tbsp olive oil1 onion, finely chopped500g lamb mince1 Tbsp Moroccan seasoning1 tsp crushed garlic400g can diced tomatoes1 cp water1 small eggplant, diced75g baby spinach or frozen spinach2 Tbsp sultanas1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 220°C.Heat oil in large frying pan. Cook onion for 5 mins until softened. Add lamb and cook until brown. Add Moroccan seasoning and garlic and cook a further minute or two until fragrant. Add tomatoes, water and eggplant. Simmer for 5 mins, until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and stir through spinach and sultanas.Spoon mixture into 4 ovenproof ramekins. Cut pastry into 4 equal squares. Place on topof mince mixture, scrunching edges of pastry around ramekin. Brush with a little egg. Bake for 10-15 mins, until puffed and golden.Serve with salad and crusty bread. VARIATION: Try topping mince with mashed cauliflower, potato, pumpkin or sweet potato. Copyright © *3Sixty Marine Ltd*, All rights reserved. T/a Sail South Pacific, Coastal & Offshore Cruising Intl. & C&OC Intl. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 534 Paihia BoI NZ* |