Opua Cruising Club is proud to shine the spotlight on our June Sponsor of the Month, CMC Design.

Based in Opua, CMC Design is a specialist cabinetmaking, marine fitout and custom woodworking company creating exceptional projects throughout Northland and beyond.

CMC Design have shed space at their Opua workshops for boat restorations and can fit vessels up to 36 foot / 12 meters long and 11 foot /3.5 meters wide.

All your restoration work, both large and small projects, upgrades and paintwork can be done onsite.

Master boatbuilder Craig McInnes has been in the industry for nearly 40 years and has worked on many classics including the Lady Crossley, Otehei, Alma G II and Marline as well as many, many other sailing and motor vessels.

Anything over this size can be booked into sheds or hard stand at the nearby Bay Of Islands Marina, where they can work on your boat in situ.

Their most recent restoration out of the shed was the 75 year old Marline. A beautiful classic kauri launch built by Leon Warne and lovingly cherished by a further two generations of the Warne family.

Marlines current custodian Kennedy Warne was thrilled with the result, as was his father Ken Warne who made a special trip to see Marline relaunched in fine form.

Kennedy noted:

‘For me, one of the great benefits of putting Marline in the hands of the CMC team is that the team not only has deep expertise in boatbuilding, but also in cabinetmaking. The two skill sets come together when the requirement is not just in functional aspects of the vessel (such as a new anchoring system, or a walk-through at the transom) but in creating beautiful interior features that are consistent with the period in which Marline was built (a new skylight featuring native timbers, new galley cabinetry and benches.)’

For enquiries or to discuss an upcoming project, contact CMC Design on 09 402 5020, email info@cmcdesign.co.nz, or visit their website at www.cmcdesign.co.nz.

Photo credit: Dean Wright

The Race Committee formally confirmed the 2026 Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge will start as scheduled at noon Saturday. Sixteen solo sailors will leave the Bay of Islands for Southport Yacht Club on Queensland’s Gold Coast, 1,170 nautical miles across the Tasman Sea. It will be the first time the event has started from Opua Cruising Club..

Click this link to read the full article.

The Solo Trans Tasman Race will start at Midday this Saturday. Opua Cruising Club’s bar and restaurant will be open from 10.30am

Great viewing of the start from OCC, on the Opua Wharf and on headlands on the way down the Veronica Channel.

Boat owners are welcome to join the fleet on the water. For those on the water, please keep clear of competitors. And observe the exclusion zone around the start area (see below).

Click this link for a larger version.

Check out the boats and meet the skippers before they race to Australia!

The magic is coming to Opua Cruising Club!

We’ve got the incredible Ngati Soul bringing his signature sound to the waterfront — think laid-back live music, good vibes and an easy Sunday evening with friends.

Come down, grab a drink, settle in and enjoy 🙂

Sunday 24 May 2026
From 6:00pm @ Opua Cruising Club
Free Entry

Full bar and bistro menu available.

Coming to Opua Cruising Club on Saturday, 23rd of May, join Andrew Fagan for ‘Time and Tide’ – a captivating evening of storytelling, live music, poetry, and a powerful visual journey sharing the raw reality of solo sailing in a 5.1 metre yacht.

Tickets are just $15 available at the Opua Cruising Club. The club’s bar and the Galley Bistro will be open.

The Opua Cruising Club AGM is coming up on Saturday, 23rd June and we’re on the lookout for a few enthusiastic new faces to join the committee.

If you’ve never been involved before, don’t worry, it’s a great way to connect with the club, meet people, and have a bit of fun along the way. It’s also not nearly as daunting as it might sound!

From experience, it’s easy to drift a little when you’re not involved, so being part of the committee is a great way to stay connected to the club and have a say in what’s happening.

If you’ve been thinking about getting more involved, now’s the perfect time to put your name forward and come aboard. We’d love to have you!

As part of its Annual Prize Giving Opua Cruising Club will be enjoying an evening of live music and great vocals from local singer Thera van Poppel from 5.30pm on Satuday 9th May. Come along and enjoy the vibe with a cold drink and some awesome food from the Galley bistro.