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The 22nd Caribbean 1500 rally (www.carib1500.com) will set sail from Hampton VA on November 7, bound for the sunny seas of the Caribbean. The fleet of about 70 boats will include veterans who join the rally every year, experienced blue water cruisers, and crews making their first ocean passage.
Starting off historic Fort Monroe, the boats will make a stirring sight as they set off on their adventure to Nanny Cay on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, or the alternate route to the Bahamas.
Why Rally?
Joining a rally provides peace-of-mind, with full support ashore and afloat and someone to help with all the details. No one is ever alone when sailing in a rally. The social program before the start helps everyone make new friendship and renew old ones quickly - friends to talk to on the radio net to swap thoughts on the weather, share the thrill of a great catch, or ask for advice. Friends who will become cruising partners in the Caribbean and beyond.
Friends and family back home can follow each boat's route on the 'Fleet Viewer' on the website, as all the boats are fitted with automatic satellite trackers. The armchair fleet followers feel part of the adventure by reading blogs, following the rally news and checking out photos on the rally website.
Before the rally, all participants receive a Skipper's Handbook, full of advice for preparing the boat and useful contacts in the rally ports. A Volunteer Crew List of experienced offshore passage makers is available, and each boat is inspected to ensure that required safety equipment is on board. Pre-start weather briefings include up-to-date weather charts and a Gulf Stream analysis.
Four nights of dockage are included in the event entry fee, and discount programs for marine products and services are a welcome benefit.
At the finish in Nanny Cay, all the crews celebrate the achievement of sailing 1500nm with a fun prize giving party. The Caribbean 1500 is a rally, not a race, but there is the option to join a handicapped class for some fun competition where motoring is allowed (with penalty), or to sail as part of the untimed cruise-in-company fleet.
"Participating in the 1500 was the best decision that we could have made. The expertise in getting our boat read for offshore sailing, as well as the safety in numbers aspect once we were offshore, makes this the only way to go." Dave and Patty Alderson, Jeanneau 50DS Patriche II Caribbean 1500 2010
People Like Us!
There is no age limit for the Caribbean 1500, and ralliers of all ages, from babes in arms to great-grandparents will be sailing in the fleet. Boats vary too, with all popular builders represented, including multihulls and motor sailors/trawlers. So far this year, the smallest boats are Jeanneau 39 O2 (ON) and Shearwater 39 Centime (ME), and the largest is Oyster 62 Golden Gate, from Denmark.
Returning veterans of the Caribbean 1500 include Saga 43 Kinship (VA), Hallberg Rassy 53 Destiny (VA), Cabo Rico 45 Kallisa (DE), J/42 Althea (CT), Pacer 42 Madrugada (VA) and Hallberg Rassy 46 Trillium (MI).
For three of the Caribbean 1500 boats, the rally will be the start of a round-the-world adventure. Ed and Zoe Butt on Beneteau 461 Zoe (CA); Gary Onik and crew sailing Fastwater 52 Ice Wars II (FL); and Mark and Janet Gorrell on Island Packet 465 At Last (MA) will be using the Caribbean 1500 as their 'warm-up' before joining World ARC in Saint Lucia in January 2012 - to Panama, the Pacific Islands, Australia, Bali, Mauritius, South Africa and Brazil before returning to Saint Lucia in April 2013.
Getting Ready: Ocean Sailing Seminars
Some people are apprehensive before making an ocean passage. They need help in their conversion from coastal cruising to offshore passage-making - not just the sailing, but advice about all the spares, medicines, food and paperwork that need to be organized beforehand. World Cruising Club offers a popular two day Ocean Sailing Seminar to help dispel these fears, and to share the wisdom of experienced cruisers and industry experts.
Marcia Gray (OH) attended the sell-out Ocean Sailing Seminar in Annapolis "We found the seminar extremely helpful to us at this stage in our planning. We were so grateful to be able to ask so many questions and get such expert advice!"
The next 2-day fully-inclusive Ocean Sailing Seminar is in Hampton VA on September 24-25 See www.carib1500.com/seminars/ for more information.
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