Island Cruising Pacific Rally gets underway Sunday
by Island Cruising NZ 27 Apr 04:27 AEST
27 April 2025
On Sunday 27 April 2025, the first group of Australian rally participants sets off from Southport to Nouméa, New Caledonia. The passage is around 800 nautical miles and will take most of the vessels around 5-6 days to complete.
The Island Cruising Pacific Rally (Also formerly known as the Down Under Rally) continues to grow from strength to strength and is now one of the most successful yacht rallies in the world. With over 175 registrations this year, the fleet is made up of yachts & powerboats, monohulls and multihulls ranging in size from a 32' yacht to a 75' launch. There are 47 children and 18 women skippers, and we've matched up over 100 crew members to assist with the ocean passages.
The flexible nature of the rally means that people can pick and choose their own departure dates & destinations. Vessels can depart from Australia, New Zealand, or join in the Pacific. The main destinations on the rally include New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji & Tonga and skippers can choose which Islands they'd like to visit.
Over the past nine months, the rally participants have had access to a comprehensive training program to help them prepare for the voyage ahead. Topics include safety, weather, navigation, crew health & logistics, documentation and formalities, communication, passage planning, local knowledge and more. The content consists of webinars from expert guest speakers, templates to complete, checklists to ensure they stay on track and detailed notes and guidebooks to provide all the information they require to undertake a safe and enjoyable passage.
Rally participants also get access to great discounts and advice from a wide range of marine businesses to help them prepare their vessels for the adventures ahead.
This weekend, the 30 vessels departing Australia have gathered at the Boat Works on the Gold Coast for their final preparations and some social events to help everyone get to know each other.
The comprehensive weekend program includes wine tastings, sea shanties, anchoring techniques, briefings from Australian Border Force, a marine fashion show, demonstrations on deck hardware and power winchers, sessions on boat care & maintenance, marine first aid, tips on buying & selling boats, safety and more. "I'd love to thank all our generous partners who have put on an incredible program of events" says Viki Moore, managing director of Island Cruising.
Moore is currently undergoing treatment for cancer and is running the rally remotely from home with support from her staff Cecile de Ruijter & Gemma Dooley on the ground hosting the events. "My cancer diagnosis came as a huge shock to me and it's a reminder that life is short, so if you've been dreaming of going cruising in the South Pacific sometime - don't put it off!" She urges.
When the rally arrives in New Caledonia, they'll be warmly welcomed by New Caledonia Tourism and the local marine businesses who also provide fantastic discounts and advice. Once they've cleared into the country, the sailors can explore at their leisure. "New Caledonia is a diverse & fascinating cruising destination, with incredible food, wine, culture, sailing & diving on offer" Moore says.
From there, rally participants can choose to sail across to Vanuatu or Fiji to connect up with some of the Pacific Rally feet sailing up from New Zealand. Most will spend 6 months cruising the islands and then either return to Australia or New Zealand in October at the end of the season. Others are heading north through the Solomon Islands, Louisiades and onto Indonesia. They also collect up International cruisers in the Pacific and encourage them to join the rally on their "Go West to Australia or Sail South to New Zealand" packages which will launch soon.
Moore was in New Caledonia last year when the rioting started. With the fleet already on the way Moore was able to advise them of the developing situation and quickly re-route them to Vanuatu - a major logistical exercise. "Anything can and does happen on an adventure like this. The skippers really appreciate having us keeping them informed and being available any time for advice. If you are not on the rally, you can feel very isolated." Moore explains.
With over 175 other vessels on the rally scattered throughout the Southwest Pacific, there's often someone else nearby we can quickly call on to help if needed. "I'm humbled by how much everyone works together, and the strong friendships formed along the way are incredible" Moore says.
The cost to enter the Pacific Rally is just NZD$1795 per vessel, and the entry fee can be quickly recovered by taking advantage of all the great discounts on offer. "The information you receive in the rally content is invaluable; there's a huge amount to learn and it would be so difficult and time consuming to try and do it on your own" rally participant Victoria Murdoch says. "Its great having the flexibility to do our own thing while staying connected with others heading in a similar direction. It's a big safety factor and fun social community. I've loved every part of the preparation training and now I can't wait for the adventures ahead!"
Next weekend the New Zealand based group gathers in Northland to prepare for their departure, with another fun program of events lined up in Marsden Cove and Bay of islands Marina. Most NZ based sailors will sail to Tonga or Fiji first and then work their way west.
It's not too late to join the rally this season. You can find all the details and inclusions on the Island Cruising website: www.islandcruising.nz/upcoming-rallies
The 2026 rally will be launched in July. There is also a membership program which costs $129 and includes access to a comprehensive cruising preparation course for those planning to head offshore in the future.