Australia Fiji Rendezvous 2025 strengthens regional marine connections
by AIMEX 19 Aug 19:25 NZST
14-15 August 2025
Participating Members – Australia Fiji Rendezvous © AIMEX
Now in its fifth year, the Australia Fiji Rendezvous brought 17 Australian and South Pacific marine representatives to Vuda Marina and Port Denarau Marina on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 August 2025 to connect with captains and crew from vessels cruising Fiji.
Over two busy days the Rendezvous delivered valuable updates on Australia's world-class marine infrastructure, from marinas, shipbuilding, refit and maintenance facilities to service providers and cruising routes along the vast coastline.
The inclusion of Indonesian and Melanesian representatives added an important regional dimension, highlighting the collaboration between Australia and the wider Asia Pacific regions in both service offerings and cruising grounds.
Superyacht Australia Members represented at the Rendezvous included - Pacific Provisions, Carter Marine Agencies, Coral Sea Marina, Eighth Degree South, Jones Bay Superyacht Marina, Marine Structures, Nawi Island, Port Denarau Marina, Rivergate Marina & Shipyard, Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay, Southport Yacht Club, Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef, and The Yard Brisbane.
Attending members seized the opportunity to join a dock walk at Port Denarau Marina, meeting crew from some of the 26 vessels currently in Fiji, inviting to them to the Rendezvous events and sharing goodie bags generously gifted by Pacific Provisions, who also sponsored the cocktail-making competition and crew networking party.
Members then took part in a dedicated tour of Vuda Marina led by CEO Adam Wade, who shared insights into the marina's self-built facilities including a West Basin with 3 docks measuring 80 feet. He highlighted their unique yacht storage system, featuring 80 cyclone pits designed to safeguard vessels during the cyclone season by carefully lowering each vessel into a pit, cushioned with tyres and the keel resting below the ground, ensuring maximum protection.
The first event began with an outdoor afternoon Networking Expo at Vuda Marina, where each attending member hosted a booth to display their offerings. The Expo brought together over 60 participants and provided a relaxed opportunity to connect, with visitors guided directly to the suppliers most relevant to their interests to ensure meaningful introductions and conversations.
On Friday crews filled Sails Restaurant overlooking Port Denarau Marina for the always-popular Aussie-inspired crew cocktail-making competition and party. With crew from 15 vessels attending the event, it came down to four crew teams vying for the coveted title of best cocktail, including M/Y No Comment, S/Y Southern Cloud, S/Y Encore, and M/Y Glaze. The win was claimed by crew from M/Y No Comment, impressing the crowd with their delicious lamington-inspired cocktail creation.
The Aussie-themed crew party followed with novel costumes including the Australian White Ibis, more colloquially known as Bin Chickens, along with Aussie inspired Spice Girls and home-grown Bogans. The evenings activities continued with a traditional Fijian dance performed by VOU Dance Fiji and a local band providing entertainment.
Following the Australia Fiji Rendezvous, four cruising yachts that were unable to attend the Networking Expo at Vuda Marina proactively reached out for information on Australian shipyards and marinas, a testament to the event's strong visibility and relevance in the region.
This response also emphasises the value of the international events in generating meaningful engagement beyond those physically present and highlights the importance of continuing the Rendezvous events in Fiji, Thailand and Tahiti to connect the international cruising community with Australian marine expertise.
Nick McGuire, General Sales Manager at The Yard Brisbane attended the Rendezvous and commented; "This is a very busy year in the South Pacific for Yachts, and it was not surprising that Fiji was busy! We appreciate events like the Fiji Australia Superyacht Rendezvous as it enables us to see our customers (old and new) and more importantly the influential local yacht support businesses who can send ships our way. This event is now part of our business development plan and we look forward to returning to Fiji next year."
David Good, CEO, Superyacht Australia concluded: "Superyacht Australia enjoys working alongside Fiji to encourage vessels to visit the South Pacific with Australia's refit and maintenance complementing Fiji's cruising grounds. The large number of vessels currently in the Pacific shows that our collective marketing is having the desired impact for the whole region."
Superyacht Australia hosted this Australia Fiji Rendezvous with the local Fijian support of Vuda Marina and Port Denarau Marina and the on-the-ground agents Yacht Help, Yacht Partners Fiji and SEAL Superyachts.
Superyacht Australia extends our gratitude to our Australia Fiji Rendezvous Sponsor Pacific Provisions and each of our members who made the journey to Fiji along with the superyacht captains and crews who participated in the networking events.