News from a Cyclone Hole
by Nancy Knudsen, Cruising Editor on 29 Sep 2007
Vudu Marina - circular in shape - notice yellow cyclone buoy in the centre to which boats tie in wheel formation during cyclones BW Media
I am writing from Fiji this week – having sailed through the pass and along the lagoon on the dry western side of the main island Viti Levu, Blackwattle is holed up in Vudu Marina (pronounced Vundu, not related to Voodoo). 'Holed up' is a meaningful expression, for this circular marina, surrounded by levee banks that are topped by a jungle of planted trees, serves as a cyclone hole during the cyclone season.
For sailors on or near the Gold Coast in the near future, we tell of yet another boat show, the Southport Yacht Club is making a big splash with their new marina extensions, and further south in Pittwater, the Smart Boating Group has something for everyone.
Lots of news from round the world this week – in Thailand, the Royal Phuket Marina gets ready for PIMEX 2007, and in Malaysia there are plenty of ways you can join the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta up the Malaysian coast. Would-be polar circumnavigator Adrian Flanagan has hitched a ride to Murmansk on the northern coast of Russia rather than be stuck in the ice for the year, and over in the Med, the elegantly cruising Treleavens are heading slowly towards the Canary Islands.
In the meantime, Blackwattle in the South Pacific is about to join the 'Port2Port' rally, a free rally from Vanuatu to Bundaberg in Australia just before the beginning of the cyclone season. Read about just why, unlike all the other rallies in the world, this one is free to enter.
On a practical note, we talk about a subject no sailor likes to imagine – a fire at sea – and how to make your boat 'fire ready', there's also a story about how the Beneteau Groupe, that crowned emperor of hedonistic cruising, has passed the Billion Euro sales mark.
So read on, enjoy, and....
Sail safe!
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/37867