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Festival of Sails 2026

The Great Barrier Rendezvous a success despite the weather

by Michael Bartlett on 12 May 2010
The raft up - The Great Barrier Rendezvous Paul Shanahan

Our Great Barrier Rendezvous was an 'On again ~ off again' affair as the weather forecast worsened as last week progressed.

We had 11 boats still make it to Great Barrier Island, 50 miles from Auckland, NZ after an initial 23 had expressed an interest in coming.

The weather forecast put a number off. However, the conditions at the Barrier were rather pleasant and we enjoyed good day fishing on Saturday, followed by a shared party on Saturday night.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast we headed home. A number of boats from Whitianga and Pauanui headed back to Great Mercury Island for lunch and punched through beam on seas with winds approaching 30 knots. While uncomfortable, there were no dramas and lunch at Mercury Island was a welcome relief from the rough passage.

The photos tell the story:






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