Issue date
There might not be a major race on the cruising calendar but New Zealand's yachting inspectors have been as busy as ever issuing category 1 certificates for offshore sailing.
Each year about 80-100 category 1 certificates are issued. This number was closer to 115 last year, with a handful taking part in the Auckland to Fiji race. Previous years have also seen races to Noumea, Tahiti and even Japan.
"This year without a race, I expect there will be well over 100 category 1s issued for cruising boats for everything from 32-footers to 62-footers," Yachting New Zealand safety and technical officer Angus Willison said. "This year seems to be a bit busier, and that's pretty exciting. People are preparing boats to go offshore. Maybe that's a reflection of the economy."
All New Zealand registered boats leaving the country need a customs certificate, which includes a category 1 certificate. The busiest centres for safety inspections are the Bay of Islands, Auckland, including Gulf Harbour, Tauranga, Wellington and the top of the South Island.
"We will always do a good number of category 1s and the majority of those are cruising boats," Willison said. "People think it's all about racing but people are going boating."
