(updated 18 June)
1800hrs Bar Open
1900hrs Seminar Begins
For those in the Noumea Fleet who have questions regarding the software they have been given to use during the race
Open to the general public who wish to listen
1900hrs at RAYC
New Caledonia Inspired Nibbles
Cash Bar
All friends and family welcome
Fantastic Door Prize for all Declared Crew (you must be here on the night to receive it)
* Two economy class return tickets Auckland/Noumea/Auckland courtesy of Aircalin
* Airport transfers from Tontouta Airport to Noumea and return for two people courtesy of New Caledonia Tourism
* Three nights accommodation for two people (twin share basis) @ Le Nouvata, Noumea, courtesy of GLP Hotels
Prize is valid from 30 July 2009 - 29 April 2010. Subject to availability.
Conditions apply.Friends and Family back here in NZ or anywhere else in the world will be able to track you and your competitions progress in this year’s race. A free standing GPS tracking device will be put on every boat for tracking and also for safety reasons.
We are pleased to announce that the South Province in Noumea has come on board with sponsorship to cover the tracking. Boats will now only have to pay for the hire of the stand-alone units and thes costs for each boat have now been reduced to NZD250 per boat.
A one on one session of approximately 15 minutes is to be organised with Navitec, so they can explain how the unit works and find the best spot on your boat for them to live during the race. The units run off their own power supply.
The Navitec representative who will be here in New Zealand is Antoine Baranzelli, and he is available from Monday 22 June until Friday 27 June. Please advise Tash a time that suits you best, so we can coordinate this session.This year we have really good entries are coming in under IRC, PHRF and ORC for the race. If you haven’t considered either of those rating systems before, maybe it’s a good time to re look at it, as competition will be strong in all three rating systems this year.
IRC – an amendment to the NOR is currently being made official. It will mean that for this race, a boat may carry one more spinnaker than shown on her current IRC certificate. The amendment will be sent out as soon as it is complete.
All handicap/ rating systems (IRC, PHRF & ORC) certificates expire on 31st May, 2009. Both the IRC and ORC revalidations need to be sent to the UK and can take up to 2- 3 weeks to come through.
Revalidations were due on 18th May - All applications for your new certificates can be sent through now. Please do this early so you get your certificates on time. Contact Jenny@yachtingnz.org.nz to get them done.Both Trade-a-Boat and Boating NZ have gone to print. Keep an eye out in the next issues for the run down on each boat and on the race. Trade-a-boat is launching their new website, and the live tracking will be hosted through this.
The DFS Galleria, Custom House, Albert Street can provide Duty Free for when you leave NZ. Contact them direct either on 0800 112 000 or call.customhouse@dfs.com. They will need details such as the boat name, passengers on the yacht and of course what you want.
There are some forms that are needed to be filled in to clear customs.
Auckland Departure and Noumea Arrival forms - please ensure you collect these from RAYC in plenty of time to hand them in prior to briefing on Friday 26 June.One Way yachtsman airfares are approximately $400 + taxes.
Please contact New Caledonia Vacations on 0800 287 283 or www.newcaledoniavacations.co.nz for more information and to book. On sale from 1 March to 15 June 09.
Don’t forget to state that you are entering in the Auckland to Noumea Ocean Race and you’ll be given special discounted packages.
Accomodation packages from 2 Star to 5 start to suit all tastes and budgets.CNC will provide berths for all yachts in the race for approximately 5 days after they finish.
We must have your LOA, Beam, Draft and duration you require for a berth so we can make sure you get one. This information is required ASAP. You must also have third-party insurance, which CNC must sight prior to the start of the race.
The container has now left - it should be arriving in Noumea very shortly if not already there.
Access to the container once you are in Nomea can be organised with either Fendall Halliburton or Tash Paget who will be on site.Limited spots are still available on the late June course (20 & 21 June). Don’t forget 50% of crew must hold this certificate.
Thanks to our sponsors Trade-a-boat, New Caledonia Tourism, Aircalin, GLP Hotels, Reef Shipping, Predictwind.com and the South Province.
The International Yachting Trust has once again supported the IRC division by awarding a cash prize to the first placed boat on IRC in this year’s race. This is dependent on the number of entries, and we are aiming for 15+ entries in the IRC division.
PredictWind… The Choice of Experts to partner with Auckland – Noumea Race
Organisers have announced a new partnership with PredictWind, specialists in worldwide wind forecasts. PredictWind will sponsor the entire competitive fleet by providing Professional subscriptions giving participants access to a revolutionary set of tools to pre-empt weather conditions. PredictWind combines sophisticated wind prediction technology with local topography maps to create the highest resolution marine forecast available. The forecasts can be viewed in Map, Graph, Text or GRIB formats utilizing the Free GRIB viewer. Used by a number of navigators in the recent Volvo Ocean Race PredictWind is the choice of experts and boasts outstanding feedback from some of the worlds best (see here). Competitors will receive passwords and instructions allowing access to forecast site and Expedition Software. As part of their sponsorship PredictWind has also announced that prizes will be awarded to race winners.
Competitors can learn more about PredictWind's forecasting products at www.predictwind.com or by emailing sales@predictwind.com