The Pacific Rally & Go East Rally 2024 is now well underway! We’d love to have you join us.
We are also excited to announce we have purchased the Down Under Rally and there are going to be other options for people wanting to join from Australia or finish up in Australia as well.
Watch our Pacific Rally Online Launch webinar here.
Here is a link to the Australian Go East Rally Launch.
What is a Rally?
A rally is all about having cruising adventures with friends heading in the same general direction.
Island Cruising & Down Under Rally 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 and sail independently.
Destinations
Rally participants will have the choice to select which destinations they’d most like to visit or to follow our suggested itinerary and timeline to sail the ocean passages as part of the group.
In 2024 you can choose from:
- Tonga
- Fiji
- Vanuatu
- New Caledonia
- Norfolk Island
- New Zealand – or Australia
Or
- French Polynesia
- Cook Islands
- Samoa
- Niue
- Tonga
- New Zealand – or Australia
Or
- Australia
- New Zealand
- & then join us to sail up to Tonga or Fiji
Or the traditional Go East Route:
- Australia
- New Caledonia
- Vanuatu
- Australia
Or – choose your own dates and destinations, and we will help support your adventures whichever way you decide to go. Contact us for more details.
Returning
- To New Zealand or Australia mid October
- Or on to Indonesia and we will connect you with others heading that way too.
Dates for 2024
Sail with the group – or cruise at your leisure the choice is yours!
Late April/Early May – join us in Bay of Islands in New Zealand or the Gold Coast – Australia
Late April/Early May – join us in Bay of Islands in New Zealand or the Gold Coast – Australia for our pre-departure events and final preparations.
- A variety of social events to meet your fellow rally participants
- Fun activities with our Rally Partner businesses
- Rally briefing
Or you can choose to depart from your home port or on a different date and meet us up in the Islands.
Early May – departing for the Pacific
Early 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!
First stop – New Zealand to Minerva Reef!
Enjoy a few days exploring this special place if you wish
Or Gold Coast to Noumea – New Caledonia
- Welcome social event
- A great place to refuel & reprovision
- Easy flights for your crew to fly home & friends & family to come visit
18 May – Big Mama’s Yacht Club in Pangaimotu Island, Tongatapu, Tonga
18 May – Welcome event at Big Mama’s Yacht Club in Pangaimotu Island, Tongatapu, Tonga
- A great place for your crew to fly home from
- Some excellent restaurants
- Fascinating history
- A chance to reprovision, refuel and undertake repairs if required
Or – sail directly to Fiji or Vanuatu instead if you wish.
Enjoy cruising the Islands at your leisure.
8 July – Optional Addon – depart Vava’u Tonga
8 July – Optional Addon – depart Vava’u Tonga for boats wishing to clear in to the Lau group in Fiji (at an additional cost – $TBA)
Returning home
15 October – we will start looking for a weather window around this time to head from the Pacific back to New Zealand and Australia.
Entry Fees
The rally entry fee is NZD$1695.00 per boat (Aprox AUD$1579.00)
A deposit of $500 is due on registration and the balance is due 1 March 2023.
The skipper also needs to be a member of Island Cruising & Down Under Rally and we recommend the crew join too so they can also participate in the workshops. Membership is NZD$129.00 per person.
Join early to get the most benefit out of all the pre-departure training and Business Partner 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 webinar
- The Island Cruising & Down Under Rally weekly members workshops – covering safety, weather, navigation, passage planning, and much more.
- Additional rally specific workshops & regular updates & newsletters
- North Sails session on Sail Repairs at Sea – Opua
- Informative webinars about the amazing destinations you can visit, communications at sea, weather, passage planning and more.
- Training on how to set up your IridiumGO, Iridium Exec, offshore communications and the PredictWind Offshore App
- 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 Partners – 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
- Pre-Departure social events & briefings
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
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 in each country in the Pacific.
- A detailed 200+ page 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
- Discount and events at Paradise Resort Taveuni
- Discount & events at Viani Bay Resort & Dive Academy
- Welcome events in Vanua Balavu
- Events in Moala Island
- Welcome event at Big Mama Yacht Club – Tonga
- Social events in Vava’u
- Discounts on whale diving
- Exclusive Lau Group Entry in Fiji (details and cost TBA)
- Discount & lunch at CNC Noumea Marina
- Welcome event, goody bags and briefing with New Caledonia tourism
- Exclusive Mystery Island Clearance in Vanuatu (details & cost TBA)
- Discounts and special event at Yachting World Vanuatu Marina
- Discounts on Sail Tonga & Sail Fiji App
- Discounts on Rocket Guides for Fiji & Vanuatu
- Discounts on weather support from Ocean Tactics
- Discounts on Bato Flags
- Invitation to participate in the Citizens of the Sea project
4. Returning Home Support – Go South & Go West
- Help finding crew & advice re crew logistics
- Weather from our meteorologist
- Tracking with our PredictWind rally tracker
- Support from Passage Guardian
- SSB Radio Scheds with Gulf Harbour Radio
- Assistance with all the documentation & formalities to depart the Islands and arrive in New Zealand or Australia
5. Optional Extras
We have applied for permission to do special rally group entry at the Lau Group in Fiji. The bonus with the exclusive rally entry is that it saves you having to sail past some incredible destinations to check in to Fiji, and then having to sail a long way back upwind to visit. We fly the officials out to this remote destination to process all the formailities. We have applied for permission for the Lau Group entry for 2024 and we will advise when this is confirmed and the cost when we have this confirmed.
6. Exclusions:
- Country entry fees – these are variable costs and need to be paid locally on arrival
- 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 well-prepared vessel for the adventures ahead. New Zealand vessels require a Cat 1 Safety Certificate. Internationally registered vessels do not need to have a safety inspection but we highly recommend you prepare your vessel to a Cat 1 standard and we will assist you through this process.
- 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 receive emails via satellite or SSB connection – a backup form of communication is highly recommended.
8. Register Now!
If you have any questions please drop me an email – [email protected]
Many thanks
Viki
Thanks to Lewis from Q2 on the Pacific Rally 2022 for the lovely photo.