NEWSLETTER # 4 --- 6th June 2007.
Container
A reminder that the container will only be available for a few more days as it will be gone after this weekend.
*No Fuel, Drugs, Hazardous Contents.
*Cost is $100 per boat.
*FINAL LOADING must be the weekend of 9th/10th June.
*There will NOT be a container returning to NZ
DISCLAIMER – Onerahi Yacht Club will not be responsible for the care of or damage to items placed in the container and people using this facility must do so at their own risk..
Because of work and time restraints the container will not be accessible other than by arrangement and will only be available on limited days so you will need to phone Don Watts, evenings 6 – 9pm at 09 4327933 to arrange a suitable time to load your goods. Don can only be available on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and it will be up to you to arrange an appointment to meet him at the container which is situated at ‘Kiwi Fantastic Boats and Bream Bay Print yard at 2 Kepa Rd, Ruakaka.
Entries
We need to have those entries in, there are still quite a few that we know are coming so please get them to us and follow up with the Certificates over the next few days. Everyone wants to know who has entered and we want to move forward and promote the event in the media with outlines of the entrants.
Crew wanted
We have a yacht that has had crew become unavailable and is looking for two replacements. While one will be easy to fill from those looking for a berth in the race, the other will need to have qualified for their Safety and Survival Course, so if you know of anyone that might be interested in these positions please let us know quickly. The boat is “41 Sud”, Jean Luc Esplaas, from Noumea. Many of the experienced campaigners will know Jean Luc from his previous boat, the Young 11 called “Noumea” in which he did many races from NZ as well as putting in a very good result in the devastating 1998(?) Sydney Hobart. Jean Luc is on his way to NZ right now so the best contact meantime will be ourselves, preferably Brian Keene, Race Manager at racemanager@oyc.org.nz or ph 09 4343550 / 021 940875 or Dave Cochran at daveandpatcochran@xtra.co.nz, or ph 09 4372052 / 0274388911.
There are still quite a number of willing crew available for either the race or the return so yell if you are looking. There is also a member of our crew who does professional deliveries and would be available for that if someone wanted their boat delivered home. Once again, contact us if you want to consider that.
Travel and Accommodation
Hopefully you have most of your travel and accommodation arranged by now, if not a reminder for those that have people flying to/from Vanuatu to get travel done as we do clash with the school holidays and seats are limited to say nothing of the increase in prices as time runs down. There are a number of things to observe here;
1.
For administration purposes all of the travel booking needs to be done through ‘Stephen Gillingham House of Travel' here in Whangarei. Contact Jan Cook on ph 09 4382333 or email janc@hot.co.nz.
2.
Flying In – Flying Out or Sailing In – Sailing Out are fairly routine travel requirements and should only involve the usual formalities.
3.
Sailing In – Flying Out will require that the crew member flying out is listed on the yachts arrival/clearance papers as such and that he/she HAS AN AIR TICKET HOME.
4.
Flying In – Sailing Out requires more preparation. Crewmembers flying in to sail out will need to first apply for a one-way ticket through the Vanuatu Immigration Dept. They will need to complete a “One-Way Ticket Requirements” form which then needs to be faxed to the Immigration Office together with a letter from the skipper of the yacht undertaking that they will be sailing out onboard. Full details of the yacht including its arrival and departure plans are advised. After approval has been granted by the Immigration Dept in Vanuatu, and faxed back, the crewmember will be able to obtain a one-way ticket to Vanuatu, a process we are advised that may take up to three weeks, so if you have return crew under this circumstance they need to start early to get things in order. The fax number for the Immigration Office is 00678 25492 and if you need to contact them to follow up progress their phone is 00678 22354. We can supply a copy of this form or you can download it from the website following. Costs of 5.000 VT will be collected when this person arrives in Vanuatu.
5.
All of this information plus forms for Cruising Permit, Yacht Declaration and visiting yacht information is well covered on http://www.vanuatutourism.com/vanuatu/cms/en/activities/cruising_yachts.html plus we will provide the necessary arrival and clearance forms in the race kits.
Free Air Vanuatu Return Tickets
We are pleased to announce that with the support the race has generated for Air Vanuatu they have reciprocated with support for the event that will allow us to give away a LUCKY DRAW PRIZE of two return Air Vanuatu tickets that we will draw from the crews racing up.
Handicap Revalidations - H'caps expire May 31st
Hopefully you have your PHRF, ORC and IRC Handicaps revalidated or under way by now, they seem to be returning promptly thanks to YNZ, even the IRC form, which starts out with telling us that they need 28 days. We will wrestle with slow certificates if we have to, meantime get your entries in anyway.
Customs
Following close of entries we will send out the Customs Departure of Yachts Advanced Information form for completion and return so that we can get you into the clearance system. Please attend to this promptly. The main paperwork will be supplied at the Briefing and your session with customs will take place at the Marsden Cove Marina the day before departure, with a final ‘faces to passports' clearance on the morning of departure. We appreciate the exemption Customs have given to allow us to do these procedures at Marsden Cove.
Duty Free Shopping
There will also be duty free shopping available for the fleet and we will give entrants details of how to proceed with this shortly. It will work from a list of available product and will be ordered ahead in boat lots - not individuals – to be collected and paid for here in Whangarei prior to the race.
Departure - Programme and Briefing Time
A reminder that boats will required to be in Whangarei at least two days prior to their start, although we can accommodate them for up to a week and no doubt several will deliver here the weekend before. Contact us to arrange berthing, but on arrival in the harbour boats that draw 2.5m or less should move up the harbour to the Town Basin, appreciating that the last mile or so must be done at a high period of the tide. Once in the basin there is comfortable water depth but the approach is limited through soft mud. Deeper draft boats will need to go to the new Marsden Cove Marina at Marsden Point at the lower end of the harbour. Two days before their start (i.e. Monday pm for the Wednesday starters and Thursday pm for the Saturday starters) there will be a compulsory Skippers and Navigators Race and Safety Briefing at 5.30pm/1730hrs at the Onerahi Yacht Club's premises. Other crew are welcome. This will be followed by a social “sip and chat” evening for everyone, supporters and all, the more the merrier, with a $10-00 BBQ meal available.
On the day before their respective starts (i.e. Tuesday or Friday) the boats will move down to the Marsden Cove Marina, collect any duty free and then complete customs formalities. That evening there will be refreshments and food available at the marque at the Marina, followed by a crew breakfast, which will be provided to all crews the following morning. Customs will complete formalities during the morning (faces to passports) before the yachts move out to the nearby start-line. Supporters will be able to move down to the starting area to watch the start.
Mooring in Port Vila
There will be opportunity for most of the fleet to moor up to the sea wall at Port Vila but there are restrictions on draft and possibly room. Boats drawing much over 3.0m will have to moor off and likewise there is a similar draft restriction to get into the inner harbour area with a 3.0m (at low tide) entrance. Once in the inner area there are areas with ample water but the seawall is limited to about that 3.0m It is also important to remember that Vanuatu is a very popular cruising destination and there will be lots of cruising yachts in port at the same time as our fleet and we all have to share the facilities available.
Return Race to Noumea
We visited the CNC Yacht Club in Noumea which has expressed interest in hosting a ‘delivery' race back to Noumea after our race and there are several boats that are leaving Port Vila promptly that are considering this as breaking the deliveries home or to Australia for a day or so. We imagine that it would leave on Tues or Wed, very soon after the Prize-giving Night, which is planned for Monday 2nd. Still to be confirmed but it would be low-key, recognising that crews are only delivering but could add interest to the trip home. Each boat will have it's own agenda after the race and we recognise many will try to get a glimpse of the wonderful cruising Vanuatu has to offer however this may suit a few that have to return promptly, let us know if this is of interest to you.
Other Information
We will keep you posted as we get more details for you, meantime, keep an eye on our website www.oyc.org.nz , which will carry display positions throughout the race and other info meantime, but feel free to contact Brian Keene, our race manager, or me should you need information on any aspect of the event.
* * * * * * *
Dave Cochran, for Onerahi Yacht Club. My contacts 09 4372052, 0274388911, daveandpatcochran@xtra.co.nz
Or contact Brian Keene at racemanager@oyc.org.nz - best to copy to both.
