Opua Cruising Club is proud to shine the spotlight on our April Sponsor of the Month, Great Escape Sailing.

Discover the Bay of Islands with Great Escape Sailing Sail-Yourself Yachts

For over 20 years, Great Escape Sailing has been helping people experience the magic of sailing in the Bay of Islands. Based in Opua, this well-established sailing school and yacht charter company offers unforgettable on-the-water adventures for beginners and experienced sailors alike.

Whether you’re looking to learn the ropes, build confidence as a skipper, or simply enjoy the freedom of exploring under sail, Great Escape Sailing provides a unique way to experience one of the world’s great cruising destinations.

Learn, Sail, Explore

Great Escape Sailing specialises in hands-on sailing experiences that combine learning with adventure. Their offerings include:

• Learn-to-sail courses for complete beginners
• “Learn then sail yourself” adventures
• Private sailing experiences with your own instructor
• Bareboat yacht charters for experienced sailors
• Skill-building courses for those looking to advance

With a fleet of well-maintained Kiwi yachts and personalised instruction, you can go from novice to confidently sailing your own vessel in just a few days.

Experience You Can Trust

Great Escape Sailing is an accredited sailing school with certified instructors who bring thousands of miles of offshore and coastal experience. Their passion for sailing and deep local knowledge of the Bay of Islands ensure every trip is not only safe but truly memorable.

All experiences are tailored to your group, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace while exploring secluded bays, sheltered anchorages, and some of New Zealand’s most stunning coastal scenery.

Your Sailing Adventure Starts Here

Whether you’re a local looking to build skills or a visitor wanting to experience the Bay from a different perspective, Great Escape Sailing offers something truly special.

Supporting local marine and tourism operators like Great Escape Sailing helps keep our vibrant boating community strong and thriving.

Step aboard, embrace the adventure, and discover why so many people fall in love with sailing in the Bay of Islands.

Since coming under new ownership in December 2025, Great Escape Sailing has celebrated a successful summer season alongside its long-standing team of instructors and is looking forward to building on that success in the future. The new owners, Chris and Erena, warmly welcome anyone who would like to get in touch or chat in person, by phone or email – call 021 2GR8 ESC (021 2 478 372), email info@greatescape.co.nz, or visit www.greatescape.co.nz.

Great Escape Sailing
W10 Main Wharf
Bay of Islands Marina
Beechey St, Opua

We Have Our Winners!

After receiving nearly 60 amazing entries, we’re thrilled to announce the winner of our Opua Cruising Club Wedding Venue Giveaway!

A huge congratulations to our lucky couple, Sefa and Anapela. We can’t wait to help bring your special day to life here at the club. Set right on the water’s edge in the stunning Bay of Islands, it’s a truly unforgettable place to say “I do.”

To everyone who entered, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us. We were blown away by the love, creativity, and heartfelt entries.

If you missed out this time, don’t worry, our venue is still one of Northland’s most beautiful and affordable waterfront wedding locations, perfect for everything from intimate gatherings to celebrations with up to 200 guests.

Get in touch to find out more about hosting your own special day at Opua Cruising Club.

This year’s Opua Cruising Club Easter Cruise will kick off on Good Friday at 5pm with a BBQ at Indico Bay on Urupukapuka Island.

Once we’re all there and well fed, the assembled group can then discuss what they plan to do for the next couple of days.

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Coming up on Saturday, the 11th April at Opua Cruising Club. An evening of amazing vocal talent, from local talent Thera van Poppel!

This Sunday’s Otehei Bay Cup Weekend Sailing Festival has been postponed due to the weather forecast. A tropical low is moving into the Tasman Sea and is set to bring strong northeasterly winds (up to 40kmp) and heavy rain to the Bay of Islands towards the end of this week.

Opua Cruising Club decided to postpone the weekend’s sailing until the weather improves. As soon as a new date is chosen, we’ll let you know!

Thanks, everyone and remember you can always drop into the club for a hot meal and a cold beer, no matter what the weather is doing!

Sunday’s Club BBQ in the Bay at the southern end of Onewhero Bay was a small, relaxed afternoon. Due to a slightly wobbly weather forecast, we only had five boats on the day. Luckily, the bay was sheltered from the southwesterly winds, the food was delicious, and a good time was had by all.

Imagine challenging the world – not in a sprint, but in the longest, most daring marathon of all: circumnavigating the globe by sailboat, non-stop, without assistance, and faster than anyone ever has before. That’s the Trophée Jules Verne, a race inspired by the spirit of adventure in Jules Verne’s classic novel ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. This race is about pure speed and endurance, pushing both sailors and boats to their limits.

Opua Cruising Club member Rebeca Gmuer-Hornell, who is now the fastest Kiwi to sail around the world, has recently returned to Opua after competing in the Jules Verne challenge.

She was part of an all-women crew who completed the race in 57 days, making Rebecca the fastest Kiwi for the challenge. Rebecca is a local girl who learned to sail with her dad and she has done some amazing sailing on the world stage.

Rebecca will be at Opua Cruising Club this Friday (13th March) at 7.30pm. This is going to be a great talk, so come along and hear all about her adventure.

As preparations continue for the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge, the Race Management team recently had the opportunity to visit two of New Zealand’s key maritime safety operations: the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) and the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ).

It was a fascinating look behind the scenes at the people and systems that help keep sailors safe when they head offshore — particularly when they’re doing it alone.

While the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge is all about seamanship, endurance, and the adventure of crossing one of the world’s great ocean passages solo, a great deal of preparation goes on ashore to ensure the event is run as safely and professionally as possible.

Daily Race Skeds – The Role of the MOC

During the race, the Maritime Operations Centre will assist with handling the official race communications — known as the “skeds”. These scheduled radio check-ins are a long-standing offshore racing tradition and remain an important safety and reporting tool.

Each day during the crossing, competitors will call in at the designated time to report their position, weather conditions, and how things are going on board. For solo sailors, these skeds are an important point of connection — a moment to check in with race management and fellow competitors across the Tasman.

During our visit, Tony Graham from the MOC generously walked the team through the centre and explained how their communication systems operate. From a room filled with screens and communications equipment, the team monitors maritime activity across a huge area of ocean.

For the Solo Trans-Tasman fleet, it means that experienced professionals will be listening and recording the skeds and assisting race management in ensuring communications are received and logged correctly.

When RCCNZ Becomes Involved

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand plays a different — but critically important — role.

RCCNZ is responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations across New Zealand’s search and rescue region, which is one of the largest in the world, covering millions of square kilometres of ocean.

For the Solo Trans-Tasman race, RCCNZ will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the event. Their role only comes into play if there is a genuine emergency — such as a competitor making a Mayday call or activating their EPIRB distress beacon.

During the visit, Sam Blackmore and Patrick William from RCCNZ gave Race Management an overview of how distress alerts are received and handled. The technology involved is impressive. Modern satellite systems detect EPIRB signals very quickly and can determine a vessel’s position with remarkable accuracy.

They also explained how rescue coordinators bring together information from multiple sources — satellite alerts, vessel tracking systems, weather data, and communications — to assess a situation and determine the appropriate response.

It was reassuring for the team to see the level of expertise and professionalism that sits behind New Zealand’s search and rescue system.

Technology Helping to Track the Fleet

While traditional skeds remain part of offshore sailing culture, today’s technology also provides additional ways to keep track of vessels at sea.

All competitors in the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge will be carrying Yellow Brick satellite trackers, allowing Race Management to monitor each yacht’s progress across the Tasman in real time.

The good news for club members and supporters is that you’ll be able to follow the race yourself. The tracker positions will be available on the race website, so everyone can watch the fleet make its way across the Tasman and see how the race unfolds.

It’s always fascinating to see how different boats and skippers choose their routes as they deal with the changing Tasman Sea weather patterns.

Appreciating the People Behind the Systems

One of the most valuable aspects of the visit was the chance to meet the people who operate these systems and hear about the work they do.

The Race Management team would like to extend sincere thanks to Tony Graham at the Maritime Operations Centre, and Sam Blackmore and Patrick William from RCCNZ, for their time and generosity in sharing their knowledge.

Their willingness to talk through procedures, technology, and coordination processes has helped ensure that the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge is well integrated with New Zealand’s wider maritime safety framework.

Our next Club BBQ is next Sunday the 15^th of March. It looks like we have a bit of a weather event coming our way this week but it should all be passed by next weekend.

Low water on the 15^th is conveniently at Lunchtime so I suggest we all meet again at the southern end of Onewhero Bay, which should be sheltered from the forecast south westerly winds and I have ordered some sunshine.

Any queries please call Ian on 0277126898.