KEY POINTS:
The Island Cruising Association is, according to the couple that run it, "a friendly, informal group of yachties who enjoy the camaraderie of cruising in company".
Association heads and long-time cruising couple John and Lyn Martin organise annual rallies from New Zealand to popular South Pacific ports and back again.
The rallies are planned to avoid the Pacific's cyclone season. This year, the two rallies leaving New Zealand depart from Opua, in the Bay of Islands, on May 3; one bound for Vanuatu, the other for Tonga. They will be followed by the Martins' "South Pacific Circuit".
The first leg of this circuit departs Vava'u in northern Tonga on June 21, bound for Fiji's Savu Savu. This is followed by a Fiji-to-Vanuatu leg on August 2 and a Vanuatu-to-New Caledonia leg on September 13. The "All Points" Rally back to New Zealand departs in early November, with yachts able to depart from Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu or New Caledonia.
Despite the highly organised nature of the rallies, these are no follow-the-leader or Newmans' bus tour-type events.
Owners can do as many legs as they wish, join when they want and leave as the mood takes them. Although there are welcome parties and other activities at the end of each leg, attendance is entirely voluntary.
The Martins say the aim of the association is to "make cruising more fun" and one of the ways they do this is by making the bureaucratic component of crossing international borders as simple as possible.
Not only do they make special arrangements with all the necessary authorities, they also arrange for "their" yachts to clear immigration and customs in some of the most idyllic anchorages in the Pacific.
This means yachts sailing to Tonga will be able to "arrive" at the island resort of Pangimotu instead of having to sail into downtown Nuku'alofa. In Vanuatu, arrival and clearance is at Port Resolution on Tanna Island, instead of Port Vila. The same applies to the arrival and departure ports for the South Pacific Circuit and the rally back to New Zealand.
The Martins say the rallies are popular with people wary of sailing that infamous stretch of ocean from New Zealand up to the South Pacific Islands and keen to have the "safety net" of sailing with other boats. They are also popular with regular South Pacific cruisers who enjoy the company, the camaraderie and the vibrant social scene.
The association also organises special seminars and training days for those heading offshore for the first time, and the Martins have published a number of titles aimed at those cruising Pacific and New Zealand waters.
Over the years, the association's presence in the islands has also led to the development of a marine conservation area.
Working in partnership with the community at Asanvari, on the Vanuatu island of Maewo, they have convinced the local chief to designate Asanvari Bay as a conservation area.
This means no fishing in the bay and definitely no anchoring on the coral.
During the 2008 season, the I association will put down three moorings in the coral area and will continue with a programme to increase the number of moorings over the next few years.
