AIS: A sailing must have in SE Asia
The port light looked like it was getting closer but was somewhat difficult to tell as the wind howled and the rain sheeted down. It is always the way, I thought, as I wondered how far away the ship was….
Cruising
Dedicated to Cruising the world under sail including destinations, navigation, sailing tips, safety ideas, yacht & multihull reviews along with stories and insights for the sail cruising life in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Noumea couple rescued after classic yacht runs on to rocks at Cape Raoul
January 16, 2018. A 51-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man from Noumea were rescued by Tasmania Police with assistance of tender craft from the cruise ship Coral Discoverer after the couple's 12m yacht Claire de Lune ran on to rocks…
Phuket ‘ghost yacht’ washes ashore on Sumatra, captain safe
Phuket News PHUKET: The skipper sailing a yacht from Phuket to Langkawi, Malaysia, that washed ashore unmanned in Sabang, Indonesia, has been safely rescued by a passing cargo vessel off Sumatra. Paul Van Isacker reported reported himself to be alive…
New year brings new adventures for World ARC rally circumnavigators
Saturday 6th January marked a special day for close to two-hundred intrepid cruising sailors chasing new adventures with annual editions of World Cruising Club's round-the-world cruising rally World ARC. In the rally's Caribbean home port of Saint Lucia, the World…
Notice of Race published for 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta
PATTAYA, Thailand – The Notice of Race has been published for the 14th Top of the Gulf Regatta Presented by Ocean Marina and entries are now being taken. Scheduled for 27th April to 1st May, 2018 at Ocean Marina Yacht…
Hong Kong: Riding the crest of a wave
Hong Kong proudly welcomes the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 (VOR) to Asia’s world city for the first time. As one of 12 VOR Host Cities, a Hong Kong Stopover from January 17 to 31 features a Race Village and…
Jon Sanders completes tenth circumnavigation of the world
Fremantle, NSW, 21 December 2017 – Jon Sanders AO OBE CitWA left Rottnest Island on the last leg of his mostly single-handed circumnavigation last week. The passage was approximately 500nm. He arrived in Carnarvon, WA aboard s/v Perie Banou II,…
Eden wave attenuator selection process called into question
In the December issue of Cruising Helmsman we ran a news item announcing the call for expressions of interest to construct a wave attenuator in Snug Cove, Eden. We have just received a letter that denounces the image used in…
Special celebrations in Saint Lucia conclude ARC+ 2017
As the sun set in Saint Lucia on Wednesday 6th December, crews of ARC+ 2017 came together to mark the end of a wonderful ocean adventure with a special prize giving ceremony held at Pigeon Island National Park. The experience…
Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally makes a splash
A fleet of multihulls took Pittwater by storm in late November at the hugely successful Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally. Thirteen multihulls participated in the biennial three-day event which incorporated laidback cruising in Pittwater’s marine wonderland and an itinerary of relaxation…
Missing Polish yacht drifts to Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago NEWSDAY. A Polish yacht whose skipper fell off, leaving only his untrained wife on board, was recovered in Lambeau last Friday where it had run aground on the reef. A search was mounted for the yacht last…
Jon Sanders: Leaving Sydney and the Tamar River
While in Sydney I waited for a weather break before my departure. It would be silly if I didn’t; there was plenty of wind, wave and surf warnings. I would now be able to sail comfortably south down the Australian…
'Lunch with La Vagabonde' is a one-off opportunity
Multihull Central is presenting YouTube cruising sensations 'Sailing La Vagabonde' to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron for one exclusive day, sunday 17 December, sharing their adventures of sailing around the world. On Sunday the 17th of December, Riley and Elayna…
Missing Canterbury man's yacht found abandoned
The New Zealand Herald reports that a search operation has begun for a missing 66-year-old man whose 25ft yacht was found abandoned on Lake Benmore in the country's South Island. Police say they are concerned for the safety of George…
How a love of sailing helped Einstein explain the universe
ABC News. By Michael Troy. If the world's most famous physicist Albert Einstein is any guide, modern-day scientists need to get out of the lab more and onto the water. Around 1900, a cheeky Swiss patent clerk wrote to a…
Sailboat towed into St George’s Harbour after losing mast
The Royal Gazette. By Owain Johnston-Barnes. A sailboat was towed into St George’s after losing its mast, boom and propeller in a squall. A member of the public called Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre at around 1am last Wednesday to report that…
Into the Atlantic – ARC 2017 Sets Sail from Gran Canaria
An international fleet of yachts taking part in the 32nd edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) set sail today from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, beginning an amazing transatlantic journey to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Under…
Naval fliers rescue British yachtsman
The News Portsmouth HELICOPTER crews launched a rescue to save a British yachtsman whose boat was ravaged by storms in the Bay of Biscay. Wildcat helicopters from 825 Naval Air Squadron were scrambled from RFA Argus after an SOS…
Two solo sailors rescued in separate incidents off Norfolk Island and New Zealand
NZ City A 67-year-old Norwegian solo yachtsman has been rescued east of New Zealand a day after a solo Kiwi yachtie was rescued east of Norfolk Island. The Norwegian man is in good health after being picked up from the…
Mooloolah River bar update – Be aware
Maritime Safety Queensland has issued a Notice to Mariners (465(T) regarding the Mooloolah River Bar. Anyone using the coastal bar is advised that a hydrographic survey of the Mooloolah River and its coastal bar on Thursday 16 November showed a…
Abell Point crowned Queensland’s Major Tourism Attraction
The 2017 Queensland Tourism Awards held this weekend saw Abell Point Marina awarded gold for Major Tourist Attraction, above some very well-known Queensland operators. The final award category of the night was announced with Australia Zoo winning bronze, Hartley’s Crocodile…
New rally to round off CRC Bay of Islands Sailing Week 2018
For the five hundred-or-so Auckland-based sailors who travel north to compete in the annual CRC Bay of Islands Sailing Week regatta, the passage home can be an arduous affair. But the January 2018 edition of New Zealand’s biggest keelboat regatta…
Jon Sanders writes about his stay in Sydney
Jon Sanders is nearing the end of his 10th circumnavigation of the globe. On his way back to Fremantle in Western Australia, he took some time to enjoy Sydney. I have entered lots of harbours, but few are as natural…
UN Security Council calls for co-ordinated approach to Somali piracy
http://www.defenceweb.co.za While acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia have subsided substantially, the United Nations Security Council still wants to see a comprehensive response to prevent and suppress such acts and tackle the underlying…
Tickets now on sale for Whitsunday Clipper Race Carnival
The Whitsundays will come alive with festivities and fun when the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race arrives in January 2018. The Whitsunday Clipper Race Carnival will be a two-week celebration of exciting regional events and activities from January 13…
A chance to save some history – can you assist?
My grandfather, Ivan Jones, was a dentist living at Bundaberg in the early 1920's when he decided he wanted to build his own yacht to sail along the reef. As far as I can work out, he would have…
ARC+ Cape Verde sets sail from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Sixty-eight boats sailing with ARC+ 2017 set off today, 5th November, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for the first leg of their Atlantic crossing, bound for Mindelo, Cape Verde. Twenty nations were represented on today's start line with 300…
Have you entered the Festival of Sails yet?
The 175th Festival of Sails in Geelong, proudly presented by Rex Gorell Land Rover, will be an event not to be missed, with some great names joining the racing on Corio Bay. Recently named as Victoria’s Yacht Club of the…
The prudent mariner – ignore risk at your (and crew and boat's) peril
In these modern times the dream of sailing the world has never been more accessible and I would add that it probably never will be again. It is an enticing and appealing dream to just sail away over the horizon…
Two American women and their dogs rescued after claiming to have spent five months at sea
When I first saw this one, a few things didn't ring true. Tiger sharks that big? Attacking a boat? And a broken spreader that couldn't be jury rigged? The mast was still up. They managed to contact a fishing boat…
Just 80 days to go until the Whitsunday Clipper Race Carnival
The countdown is on to one of the biggest parties the Whitsundays has ever seen, with just 80 days until the Clipper Race Fleet sails into town and the Clipper Race Carnival begins. The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race…
32nd Atlantic Rally for Cruisers prepares to set sail
The bustling city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is set to welcome the 32nd edition for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) this November. Over 1600 sailors from all over the world congregate in the port city to begin…
Jon Sanders: Gold Coast to Sydney – yacht club musings
Queensland’s Southport Yacht Club is located inside the Seaway, waterways of the Gold Coast. The Seaway runs parallel to the ocean beach, its construction helped to make the Gold Coast what it is today. Big towers and lots of people…
Last chance to join stellar weekend of Pittwater cruising
It’s the last chance to join in one of Australia’s best weekends of cruising with registrations closing soon for the 2017 Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally. Held from 24-26 November, the Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally incorporates laidback cruising through the stunning…
Missing sailor, last heard from in Fiji, found in yacht off Saipan
NPR News. By Scott Neuman. One thing you can say about Rimas Meleshyus: He's definitely persistent. “I'm a very determined person,” he told the Whidbey News-Times in 2015. “I'm very strong.” Meleshyus, who is in his mid-60s, departed Hilo, Hawaii,…
Piracy declines in first nine months of 2017
The Maritime Executive In its third quarter report, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported a total of 121 recorded incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery for the year to date, an improvement over last year's numbers and a significant…
Singapore fling: using AIS to cross the Strait
The ‘Wonderful sail 2 Indonesia’ rally was over and we were being checked out of Indonesia at Tanjung Pinang. Once the checkout formalities were finalised and we had the port clearance papers in our hot little hands we had a…
Owner's bad behaviour leads to change in cruising regulations for Langkawi
I confirmed the information below through a number of sources in Langkawi over the last weeks. Please add this for Langkawi check in and anchoring in Langkawi. 1: It is a requirement for yachts checking into Langkawi that they…
BVI Regatta definitely racing despite hurricane damage
With most of the Caribbean islands caught in the wrath of hurricane Irma and then Maria – two category five hurricanes that hit land and made history – the message from the organisers of the BVI Spring Regatta is strong…
Double gold for Abell Point Marina at Whitsunday Tourism Awards
It was a record attendance at the 2017 Whitsunday Tourism Awards at Hamilton Island this weekend. Over 340 attended the gala dinner with representatives from local tourism operators, regional and state tourism bodies, and local and state government, all gathering…
