Gizo Cruise - Brisbane to Solomons - On Again

by Sail-World Cruising on 19 Jan 2007 Plans are firming up for this year's Brisbane-Gizo cruise, the Gizo Yacht Club's annual organised cruise from Australia to Solomon Islands.

This is a fun event for yachties of all experience grades and a great opportunity to make your first ocean crossing to a place you might otherwise not go to, in the company of others, with someone looking out for you and smoothing your arrival in Solomon Islands.

Ian Hawes, Commodore of the Gizo Yacht Club, says that organisers are planning a similar event to the successful 2006 cruise with a stopover at Frederick’s reef, breaking the 1200 mile trip across the Coral Sea and allowing participants to regroup. A warm welcome is planned in Gizo, the centre for cruising in the Western Solomon Islands.

Currently 22 yachts have registered their interest. Departure dates have been set for 28th April and 5th May and the people of Gizo have begun working towards the yachts' arrival timed to coincide with Vaka Tepe, the local festival of the sea.
This is a traditional celebration of Solomon Culture, last year this included fishing competitions, dugout canoe races and traditional dance and costume competitions. The young at heart were treated to the best Solomons live bands keeping happy crowds of tourists and locals hopping well into the night.

Cruise participants will be welcome guests throughout the Vaka Tepe event, which is planned to start with a sail-past of the cruise yachts escorted by a fleet of Tomoko, Solomon Island’s traditional war canoes. This was certainly the highlight for most of last year’s sailors.

As happened last year, Gizo Yacht Club will host the event and will be providing pre-departure information and briefings, expedited customs/immigration clearance, plenty of entertainment on arrival and advice on everything from cooking local vegetables to where to get your gearbox fixed. And of course GYC will advise on where to go and what to see

The rewards are the festivities are alluring as well. Cruising in the Western Solomons offers many very sheltered anchorages and some of the best snorkelling and diving in the Pacific. Not only are the reefs spectacular, but there are wrecked ships and aircraft from World War II in good condition and shallow water.

For further information on the Gizo Yacht Club, go to their Website .