'The Biggest Little Yacht Club in the World' on Niue Island is gearing up for the island's peak sailing season which begins this month.
New developments include the deployment of 20 new moorings in Alofi Bay and a new premise at Niue Backpackers where yacht crews can relax and enjoy the use of free Wi-Fi.
The Niue Yacht Club is the only club in the world which has no yachts and nobody on the management committee has ever sailed. However, Niue's increasing reputation as a 'must do' for keen sailors sees the island's mooring field in Alofi Bay fill with boats during the peak season.
Niue Island has a number of features which attract sailors including; unique geology, fantastic diving and a very welcoming community. Since the island has started taking accurate records of arrivals since 2004, 28 per cent of all arriving visitors have been yacht crews.
Commodore of Niue Yacht Club Keith Vial says "We go out of our way to help cruisers when they come ashore. We assist with refueling and point out where other facilities are but most importantly of all we try to ensure that cruisers arrive as visitors and leave as friends."
The Niue yacht Club is run by a very small group of volunteers as a not-for-profit organisation.
Niue is one of only twenty SailMail stations around the world which allows sailors to use email communication via radio frequencies and the closer they are to Niue the stronger the signal gets. Niue Yacht Club uses SailMail to offer a unique service that provides important information to potential visitors such as mooring availability.
"We may be small but we are organised" says Vial.
Niue's sailing season coincides with the whale season which beings in June. The humpback whales are a major attraction for boaties as they are often right in the mooring field. Boaties are treated to amazing sights such as mothers basking on the surface with their calves and can drift off to sleep listening to the whales sing to each other in the bay.
Many of the boating visitors to Niue are also divers who are amazed by Niue's incredible visibility and rich marine life.
Yachties who are interested in visiting Niue Island can find a wealth of information at the Niue Yacht Club's website – www.nyc.nu.
www.niueisland.com
