A lucky rescue, illegal apples and an ARC report—World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 25 Dec 2014 Even as the world relaxes and enjoys a well-deserved holiday season, the rules of safe boating always apply, as two boaters in Australia’s state of New South Wales recently discovered when their small boat capsized, leaving the two men swimming in the drink. Fortunately, they were spotted by a passer-by, who alerted the rescuing authorities at the Marine Rescue Base at Batemans Bay. The authorities scrambled a rescue response team (some of whom had to cut short their last-minute holiday shopping) that quickly located the stricken boaters, thanks to the brightly colored lifejacket that one of the men was wearing.

'The two men were very lucky,' said Skipper Glenn Felkin of the Marine Rescue Base. 'First that at least one of them was wearing a lifejacket, and second that they were seen by a member of the public. Marine Rescue NSW urges all boaters to wear a lifejacket when they go out. No exceptions – everyone on board should be wearing one.'

Get the full story on this near miss, inside, and be sure to pack your PFD every time you head out on the water, even it’s just for just a quick holiday cruise (read: escaping your mother-in-law and the mistletoe).

Meanwhile, any cruisers who are headed to New Zealand would be well-advised to read the story of the cruising yacht that arrived on the nation’s northern island with a cargo of hidden fruit, which is expressly forbidden in order to protect the country’s $3.5 billion dollar agricultural industry. According to reports, inside this issue, the yacht ran afoul of New Zealand’s strict biosecurity laws by failing to comply with the rules-an offense that Snoop, the biosecurity team’s trained dog, quickly sniffed-out.

While it is still unclear if the two yachties will be prosecuted for their offense, New Zealand’s biosecurity authorities believe that the sailors deliberately concealed their forbidden cargo.

While most cruisers who arrive at Northland are compliant with the country’s strict biosecurity laws, visiting cruisers should carefully read up on New Zealand’s laws and jettison any perishable organics prior to making landfall.

And speaking of holiday celebrations, the crews that completed the 29th annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) have extra reason to smile after pocketing a big ocean passage in the final days of 2014. According to reports, more than 1,000 ARC sailors enjoyed their traditional prize-giving ceremony in Saint Lucia’s Rodney Bay, as well as an opportunity to swap sea stories with their fellow sailors.

'We saw more south-easterly winds than we had in the past,' mentioned one skipper, who just completed his fourth ARC. 'But otherwise, it was slow and steady; 19 days this year compared to 16 days in 2012. But this year we didn't even encounter a single squall, so I can't complain!'

As the prizes were handed out to the lucky crews, Andrew Bishop, the ARC’s organizer, also took the time to thank all ARC sailors for their diligent pre-ARC preparations. 'With the arrival of 'Antares' on Friday evening, I can safely say that the 2014 ARC was notable for the lack of at-sea incidents,' said Bishop. 'We'd like to give a special thanks to the few yachts that did offer assistance at sea, and thankfully it was only to transfer fuel.'

Get the full report, inside this issue.

Also inside, learn more about the phenomenon known as 'internal waves', find out about the new 'Nereid' under-ice robotic vehicle that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution recently built, and get the latest updates from the Atlantic Ocean, which officially saw a quiet 2014 hurricane season (June 1 to November 30).

And finally, best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy holiday season and for a successful 2015.

May the four winds blow you safely home,