A dream sailing vacation in Cuba

If I win Lotto, no, make that when I win Lotto, I'm going to get together with a group of friends and go sailing, very gently, around the coast of Cuba. I only made that decision this week when a press release dropped into my email inbox. I visited Cuba a few years ago and loved it, but my sailing skills are non-existent and I get seasick on the Manly ferry. With Cuba on the verge of an American invasion and being named on many lists as one of the hottest destinations for 2017, I'd like to get there sooner rather than later for my second, and possibly final, visit. The Moorings offers charters of luxury yachts with a crew: a gourmet chef, captain and a dedicated local tour guide. Apparently, you can explore undiscovered bays or stop off at Hemingway’s two favourite Havana watering hotels, La Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio. The Cuba all-inclusive holiday aboard a Moorings 5800 yacht is said to pair the best of Cuban sailing with a focus on the people and culture that make the destination so captivating. Most days, you'll disembark the yacht to soak up the local entertainment and attractions with your personal guide, but you'll also enjoy some smooth day and sunset sailing in Cuba's warm climate and pristine cruising grounds. Music, food, dance, exploring. The lot. An all-inclusive Cuba Crewed Yacht vacation includes all onshore activities and meals, as well as spacious accommodations aboard a premium air-conditioned 58-foot sail catamaran, professional captain and chef, gourmet meals, drinks and a full selection of water toys. Prices start at from $40,110 for up to 10 people for seven nights (that's around $4000 per person). The press release sold me. Now all I need is 40 grand and nine volunteers. For more information visit http://www.moorings.com.au/cuba-yacht-charters or contact 1800 553 720 or sales@moorings.com.au.

Watch New Zealand and South Africa behave like idiots

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New Zealand and South Africa are countries with close sporting and cultural links; but their Governments are behaving like spoilt brats and making it very hard for citizens of one country to visit the other. 

The Travel Agents Association says New Zealand started the debacle by slapping visa requirements on South African travellers in November following what it said was a rise in the number of people trying to get into New Zealand on fraudulent passports.

The South Africans retaliated by forcing Kiwis wanting to visit South Africa to travel in person to Wellington or Canberra to get a visa from the South African embassy starting from Monday.

The moves pile on cost and inconvenience at both ends. You have to wonder whether the New Zealand diplomats involved have any idea what a big country South Africa is; or if the South Africans realise how long it can take to get from say, Invercargill to Wellington.

There will also be those extra costs involved and Immigration NZ recommends that South African applicants apply for a visitor visa about six weeks in advance of their intended travel dates. Hardly convenient or efficient. 

The tit-for-tat moves will almost certainly reduce tourism numbers to both countries and are plainly idiotic.

If someone tries to enter either country on a suspected false passport, detain them until it can be checked (surely less than 24 hours) and send them straight home if it is false. The message would soon get home. Problem solved. Consultancy fee awaited.

On the other hand, not too many Kiwis would be trying to enter South Africa on a false passport. The South African reaction is churlish and stupid.

Time for airlines to crack down on unruly passengers

There seem to be more and more instances of airline passengers behaving obnoxiously.

Overnight a "family" was kicked off a Jetstar flight for reportedly refusing to take their allocated seats - and occupying those of other passengers.

Two of the fathers were reportedly angry because they had not been allocated seats with the rest of the group. This happens. Not everyone can get the seat they want every time they fly.

If it is important they can try to book the seats they want in advance (perhaps paying a premium), or plead their case at check-in. If the crew say it can't be done, tough luck. Couples are often separated, even on long-haul flights - and it is more likely to happen on low-cost carriers.

Jetstar stated the family had taken other passengers' seats in an attempt to stay together and refused to move when confronted. If that is so, they did absolutely the right thing in removing them from the flight.

It is lucky that one of the passengers whose seat was being occupied by these miscreants did not elect to take the law into their own hands.

And if the airlines to do not crack down hard, as Jetstar did, then we will see more and more of these entitled fools inconveniencing other passengers, delaying flights or causing anguished fellow flyers to lash out at them.

Any time someone doesn't like the seat they are allocated and sits, instead, in the seat of a fellow passenger, they should be removed from the seat, thrown off the plane and told to buy another ticket. No ifs, no buts. There should also be a register of repeat offenders. 

There was also a recent mid-air incident, also on Jetstar, where punches were allegedly thrown and fellow passengers were forced to intervene. The people involved should have been charged when the flight landed. You cannot behave differently in the sky to the way that you would on the ground.  

If a passenger is being drunk and obnoxious then they should be thrown off the flight if it is still on the ground, or restrained if in the air. Why should other passengers have their enjoyment destroyed, or feel threatened?

The recent case of a young woman who had a drunk making obscene suggestions and groping her was a case in point. And if the crew are not capable of restraining an unruly passenger, how would they be capable of dealing with a terrorist? And we are told that they are.

So well done Jetstar and let's see more prompt action as a deterrent to airborne bogans who think they are above the law.

Is there any way to ensure your luggage is fast-tracked?

There was an interesting short piece by Michael Gebicki on Traveller.com.au the other day, canvassing what flyers can do to help ensure their baggage comes off the carousel first.

His suggestion was that travelling in a class or with status credits that entitle you to a priority baggage tag might help.

In my experience, that only works a very small percentage of times. On a recent Hobart-Sydney flight with Virgin Australia, my clearly marked "Priority" bag was one of the last three off the plane.

And as baggage coming off international flights in Sydney and Melbourne generally takes at least half an hour to reach the conveyer belt, the advantage of being priority tagged is limited at best.

My tip is to go with hand luggage only whenever possible. Get off the plane, clear customers and immigration (if appropriate) and you are free and clear well before those passengers who checked their luggage.

I do this now on all trips of 3-4 days, although obviously it is not practical if you are returning from a fortnight in Nicaragua. When you check in, early or late, makes no difference.

Gebicki's piece pointed out that "exactly when your bag will come off the carousel is a roll of the dice. On a wide-bodied aircraft, checked baggage is loaded into cargo containers or "cans", big metal boxes that are transported as a single unit.

"Since weight distribution is a crucial factor in aircraft performance, the loadmaster will take account of the weight of each can and determine where it is placed within the aircraft's cargo bays."

No say. Random chance.

Gebicki says: "Some flyers suggest that identifying your bag as "fragile" at the check-in desk means it's more likely to be placed on top of other non-fragile items, and therefore ahead of the pack at the carousel."

That, however, is a little dishonest and having seen the way the Jetstar baggage crew dealt with all bags on a recent flight, also far from foolproof. Sometimes you'd almost think crew were targeting bags marked "fragile".

Cellar door experience helps boost sales for small wineries

Small winemaking businesses generated $1 billion in wine sales revenue in 2015-16, an average increase of 12%, Wine Australia figures show.

While retailers and wholesalers generated 47% of income, cellar doors have become increasingly important sales channels, accounting for 27% of revenue.

With food and wine tourism on the rise, many small wineries are now also attracting consumers to their region via on-site restaurants, cafes, tours and boutique accommodation, in addition to the traditional cellar door.

Garry Sweeney, owner of Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills (pictured), said his business has benefited from a strong cellar door focus.

"I’ve definitely seen a rise and increased diversity in visitors from interstate and overseas in the past year," he said.

"I believe it’s important to offer visitors more than just pouring wine, so you give them a ‘sense of place’ to associate with the wine," he said.

The survey also showed that on average, production was up 7%, with the highest average growth in wineries that produce 8000–20,000 cases (up 11%). 

Wineries that produce approximately 4000–8000 cases saw the highest average revenue growth (up 16%).

Australia’s small winemakers rely heavily on the domestic market, with 88% of wine sold locally. For wineries producing more than 20,000–40,000 cases, exports accounted for 27% of sales.

If you are carrying a vine disease please make sure you have a mobile phone on you

Several leading wineries in South Australia are trialling a "virtual" fence aimed at keeping pests and diseases out of vineyards.

The software was initially developed to safeguard the Canadian poultry industry and now the vineyard cyber monitoring system known as Project Boundary Rider is in action here.

It is designed by Canadian company Be Seen Be Safe to keep South Australia’s $1.78 billion wine industry free of diseases such as phylloxera and Pierce’s disease.

Vinehealth Australia, based in South Australia’s capital of Adelaide, is overseeing the project and has begun a six-month trial at 30 vineyards in the renowned Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine regions.

It will include the busy vintage period, which runs from February to April, when vineyards and wineries are susceptible to pests and disease partly due to high traffic volumes in and out of properties.

The Boundary Rider app places a virtual fence around vineyards, tracking the movements of people across boundaries via GPS on a smartphone.

Movements are recorded in real-time, with vignerons benefiting from an up-to-date electronic visitor record of anyone with a smartphone who has moved across their geofences.

In the event of a pest or disease outbreak, the technology provides instant data to enable a rapid response to contain the spread and minimise loss.

Of course, if anyone without a smart phone accesses the vineyard then nothing is recorded. And the intruder has to have voluntarily have downloaded the relevant app, as well, which makes the system rather less than foolproof, as I know people in the wine industry who find it hard to remember to get up in the morning let alone take their phone from their car. 

Also, some vineyards are in remote areas with phone range; and animals and birds do not usually carry iPhones.

Vinehealth Australia technical manager Suzanne McLoughlin said while it was still early days for the project, initial feedback from users had been positive.

“Having it run over vintage and in the lead up is good because it is one of the times of the year when vineyards are experiencing high numbers of visitors and contractors coming onto properties,” she said.

“The program also helps us to raise awareness of biosecurity in general for a wide range of people from fruit pickers to wine tasters.”

Australia was the world’s fifth largest wine-producing nation in 2016 - behind Italy, France, Spain and the United States.

South Australian growers taking part include Chapel Hill Winery, Charles Melton Wines, D’Arenberg, Gemtree Wines, Henschke Cellars, St Hallett Wines, Torbreck Vintners and Wirra Vineyards.