Alofi - Docking

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Important Note: End of May/early June and early July are busy times here as World ARC and ARC Pacific stopover, therefore it is best to avoid Niue when the Rallies are in town. Contact the NYC [keithvial@gmail.com] for exact dates.

Approach

Although there are navigation lights marked on most charts, some of these north and south of the wharf approach have not been repaired after Cyclone Heta damage. There are two red leading lights that indicate the approach to the wharf and two bright white lights illuminating the wharf area after dark which can be seen for a distance seaward.

See notes above about the FADs in Alofi Bay which should be avoided.

It is advisable to approach in daylight and, if possible, to use radar to establish distance off. Provisions have been made for a night approach – see below – however, the FADs are not lit. Depth soundings will offer no help due to the steep-to nature of the coast.

Alofi Bay, the town and wharf from Niue Yacht Club.

Anchorages:

Anchoring is discouraged because of the seabed topography where anchors can get into crevices.

Niue seabed topography photo from Niue Yacht Club.

Moorings:

Moorings are installed in April and removed in November for cleaning, checking, repairing and replacing.

Three (3) moorings will be installed by April 2023.

The NYC need to replace concrete blocks that have been lost/buried by storm action and aim to have 19 moorings available for World ARC.

During rally visits throughout the cruising season, there is limited availability. Whilst advance booking is not possible, it’s worth contacting the NYC in advance of your arrival to check no big fleets are due in (see note at top of docking).

The mooring field in Alofi Bay – pre COVID 19 photo from Niue Yacht Club.

Moorings are available at $20NZ per night.

All moorings for Niue Yacht club are regularly inspected and photographed, made even easier with the NYC’s ROV (underwater drone) introduced in 2018.

The moorings are approx. 5-ton concrete blocks with polyester lines and pink pick-up floats (detailed mooring specs can be found on the NYC website). The concrete blocks have been placed on sand patches between the coral outcrops, to minimize environmental impact. Pass your rope through the stainless steel eye on top of the mooring, tie off on board and put the float back in the water.

Note that the far north mooring is a privately owned mooring for a local fisherman and is not available for yacht use.

All mooring buoys have reflective tape on the pick-up float to ensure easier mooring in the dark.

There is also a large Niue Fisheries mooring available all year round that is designed for very large yachts. A $25 per night fee is payable to the Niue Fisheries Department

Contact Niue Yacht Club on Channel 16 (monitored throughout the day) for mooring allocation. You will be asked to go to CH 10 by their operator. Niue Radio also monitors these calls.

Getting Ashore

Landing with your dinghy can be an interesting experience as there is no beach, just a concrete jetty/wharf (see image above of wharf).  Your tender must be lifted out by the dock crane onto the wharf, where there is a trolley for moving it clear of the landing zone.

You will need a 3-point bridle for your dinghy, be sure to have this prepared beforehand.

Last updated:  March 2023

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  1. December 2, 2022 at 11:41 AM
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    sue-richards says:

    Niue Yacht Club
    “The Biggest Little Yacht Club in the World”

    An incredible group of volunteers – all non-sailors – have been helping out cruisers for over 40 years on the delightful, small Pacific atoll of Niue – lying on the direct route from French Polynesia to Vava’u in Tonga. The “Biggest Little Yacht Club in the World” (or Niue Yacht Club) has provided safe moorings, shoreside assistance, a club house and the warmest welcome anywhere to visiting yachts since 1975.

    Just in time for the start of Cyclone season, Niue’s Maritime Borders have re-opened after three seasons with no entry to transiting yachts. While this is great news for cruisers planning a 2023 Pacific crossing, the length of border closure now means that the Niue Yacht Club is in trouble and may well be facing closure.

    Fighting to find some solution to rising Government fees, lack of volunteers due to a very small adult population on Niue and no headquarters for the Club, long-time member Keith Vial has launched a search for a Commodore at Large for the 2023 cruising season.

    For Niue to remain a destination for yachts crossing the Pacific, the legendary NYC must survive and get back on its feet, so now it’s the cruising communities’ turn to support the Club that has helped them so much over the years.

    If you have been to Niue and enjoyed the NYCs hospitality, please e-mail keithvial@gmail.com with your support and let’s try and keep this cruisers’ paradise on the Pacific crossing map.