In June of this year we will see the start of a new offshore race, the Tusker Premiumn June of this Whangarei to Vanuatu Ocean Race, being run by the Onerahi Yacht Club in conjunction with the Vanuatu Cruising Yacht Club from Port Vila. The event offers a fresh destination for those racing offshore with a delightful cruising ground at the end for those that can find the time to enjoy it At nearly 1300 miles it is a little longer than the popular Fiji and Noumea races and should extend sailing times by another day or two.The starting area will be at Marsden Point and there will be two start days, with the Cruising Division/s leaving on Wednesday the 20 th June while the Premier Division/s leave on Saturday the 23 rd . Although the fleet will initially gather in the WhangareTown Basin, which is extremely handy for provisioning and services, having the new Marsden Cove Marina supporting as a prime sponsor will allow the fleet to join the deep draft yachts in this new marina the day prior to their start which will provide an excellent departure point adjacent to the starting area and easy for well-wishers to move a short distance to watch the yachts starting. This inaugural event sees the Onerahi Yacht Club re-entering the offshore racing scene, something it first began in 1964 with the Onerahi – Noumea events which it ran for over 20years until political upheavals temporarily curtailed the use of Noumea as a destination. The clash of dates with the America 's Cup Final is unfortunate but Onerahi have been unsuccessful in getting the AC to move their event!