Issue date
Vanuatu has just experienced the worst cyclone in its history with wind gusts in excess of 340km per hour during cyclone Pam’s peak and the Vanuatu Sailing Association (VSA) has contacted Yachting New Zealand with the following appeal for help.
The loss of life and damage caused to the national infrastructure, homes and property is extreme. The nation is extremely grateful for the abundance of international aid that has already arrived, and is still arriving, that will restore some form of normality, especially for the indigenous Ni Vanuatu who have suffered the worst.
The VSA also lost nearly all of the equipment used for our youth development sailing program that is now either at bottom of or drifting somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
In addition to most of our classroom material and equipment the youth sailboats, Optimists and rig were either lost or damaged beyond use. These craft were all stored at and sailed from The Beach Bar on Mele Bay that was very much blown and washed away together with our boats.
Fortunately our 3 RS Tera, 1 RS Quba and RS CAT16 donated to VSA by RS Sailing Vanuatu, that are used to introduce and coach older Ni Vanuatu youth and adults in the sport of sailing, are stored at our Paradise Point (Port Vila Harbour) base were not lost and suffered only minor damage.
RS Sailing Vanuatu has already offered to replace any equipment needed to enable the 4 adult sailors, currently being coached on the RS CAT16 for selection to sail at the Pacific Games, to continue with their campaign to be part of the first ever sailing entry to the Games from Vanuatu.
However, the critical dilemma we now face is our sponsor who had pledged to purchase and donate to VSA ex-charter Laser sailboats post the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth Worlds Emerging Nations Program (ENP) Performance Clinic and Oceania Championships in Suva, has advised that consequent to their own damage and loss from cyclone Pam they are no longer able to afford this sponsorship and have had to reluctantly withdraw their pledge.
Whilst we understand and accept the reason our sponsor had to withdraw their sponsorship this has devastated the future of the VSA development sailing program and left us without any prospect of obtaining craft suitable to develop a youth sailing and performance sailing squad to develop our sport. Our vision of Vanuatu participating in the Pacific Games, ISAF Youth Worlds for the first time ever and ultimately the 2020 Olympic Games could now become a mere dream for Vanuatu.
The Lasers Vanuatu have been offered at a greatly reduced price of AU$7,925 by the manufacturer, Performance Sailing Australia, are new ex Oceania Champs charter boats.
Each boat will be supplied with all three Laser sail rigs making them perfect for coaching all abilities, and not just our upcoming performance Ni Vanuatu sailors.
The VSA and our sailors were relying on being able to acquire these ex-charter Lasers from our sponsors to train and prepare for the Pacific Games. We have lost nearly all of our local fleet to race against, have a great desire to find replacements and ultimately participate with chance of performing well for our country in the ISAF Youth Worlds. This has now, almost been snatched away from us and the sailors.
The VSA, and our very active program to introduce as many Ni Vanuatu to the sport of sailing as possible, is managed by volunteer National Federation members who also use their own resources and time to fund all of our training activities.
After RS Sailing Vanuatu donated the five new craft to us in October 2014 the VSA introduced free weekly and school holiday sailing programs for indigenous Ni Vanuatu youth.
Since then in excess of 110 youth and 14 adults have experienced time sailing. Of these 18 sailors have continued to complete formal coaching equivalent to RYA level 1 and 2.
