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Spending 6 months caretaking on Maatsuyker Island in the South West National Park over the summer of Sept 2023 – Apr 2024. They shared stories of what unfolded for them through yarns, soundscape and imagery, providing a sense of what it is like to live and breathe the environment; daily tasks; breakages; weather observations; 8-10m swells; sculpted tea tree; barking seals; partying Shearwater; humidity; grass in your navel; visitors; caretaker traditions; maintenance; separation; sky country; sea country; radish leaf soup; changes; stability; heart, and (we might as well throw it in) … soul of the experience..

Insights from the 2025 Women Who Sail Australia Gathering on the Bay at Port Stephens. The event is primarily for women, but includes opportunities for Blokes on Boats (Bobs) and everyone to return with fresh ideas and inspiration.
Chrissie Rowland from our club presented on the Tasmanian South East Coast as a cruising destination. Also sharing their expertise and experience were world renowned sailors Wendy Tuck & Lisa Blair.

Ben Tucker has now spent seven summers over nine years, starting in 2015, working in Antarctica. He has taken charter boats to the Antarctic Peninsula and worked for the Australian Antarctic Division on inflatables and barges, transferring cargo from the Aurora Australis to shore, including handling up to one million litres of fuel.

Ben’s sense of Antarctic adventure began in 2006 when he sailed his yacht from Hobart to Mason Hut. Before that, in 2000, he completed a single-handed trans-Tasman voyage on his 26-foot folk boat.

Vanuatu is a draw card for many cruisers wanting to complete an ocean passage with the excitement of experiencing a different culture. Vanuatu is made up of 86 islands that were cruised from the South to North in the chain. Some villages only speak French with English becoming more popular.

Peter has recently completed a quest to circumnavigate Tasmania's coastline by foot. He showed a collection of photographs from the most remote sections of our coastline.

Member Alex in January 2024 Rusalka sailed from Hobart to Bluff at the very bottom of New Zealand. There, the weather prevented any further progress to New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands. So Rusalka sailed to Picton where it waited until November 2024 to make a second attempt. This time it successfully sailed to the Auckland Islands at 50 degrees south. Two weeks were spent exploring coves and bays, seeing the unique flora and fauna, experiencing the raw weather and immersing in the beauty of the place.

After starting his sailing life cruising on yachts, Geoff decided 10 years ago to try a simpler approach to cruising, and downsized to a 13'2" called Dinghy Spart. He has cruised around Tasmania and across Bass Strait in Dinghy Spart, amongst many other smaller voyages. Geoff will discuss his voyages and describe the challenges of dinghy cruising, as well as the advantages and lessons he has learned along the way.

Paul has been been a theatre, event and festival producer and director for 20 years. In 2019 he was hired to run the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. It has been a good ride so far and he looks forward to discussing his experience at the Festival over the past 5 years.

After starting his sailing life cruising on yachts, Geoff decided 10 years ago to try a simpler approach to cruising, and downsized to a 13'2" cruising dinghy, Dinghy Spart.
He has cruised around Tasmania and across Bass Strait in Dinghy Spart, amongst many other smaller voyages. Geoff will discuss his voyages and describe the challenges of dinghy cruising, as well as the advantages and lessons he has learned along the way.

Ian Talked about his experiences and journey in becoming an "experienced" seaman, touching on his world circumnavigations and vessels. Explaining what makes a boat and crew safe. Touching on boat handling, maintaining a state of readiness, coastal navigation, MOB, anchoring and boat handling while under sail and motor.

A session on using the club website/App;
* Update your profile so members can identify you.
* Protect your identity.
* Book events, & how to see what events you have booked
* Auto payments
* Accessing the extensive library of documents
* Where all past Albatross issues are stored

A presentation on anchoring providing practical examples with check lists of things to watch out for including dragging.

Choose to depart from Australia or New Zealand or join us in the Pacific and explore your choice of Minerva Reef, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia. Return to New Zealand or continue on to Australia. Island Cruising rallies are flexible and packed with fun events & content to help you prepare..
intensive pre-departure training to help ensure you feel confident and prepared on departure day. You can tap into some excellent discounts from our marine business partners. We support you on the passage with weather and tracking you on passage, help you find crew, assist with all the documentation and entry/exit formalities, provide detailed resources and destination information to save you lots of time doing all the research, provide assistance if you have any issues en-route, and we have fun events along the way and connect you with others heading in the same direction. Choosing to cruise with the group or do your own thing and sail independently.

Helicopter paramedic Adam shared his experience and provided some guidance for sailors requiring Helicopter medical assistance.