Exploring the Caribbean with a Rally: Why More Cruisers Are Choosing Organized Crossings

Husband and wife Neil and Kirsten Judd decided it was time to start heading west and explore the Caribbean Islands after cruising the Mediterranean for a few years aboard their 2021 Fountaine Pajot Saona 47 catamaran, Seaduction. Last December, they did just that by participating in the Viking Explorers Rally, which departed from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria en route to Grenada.

“We had notched up around 15,000 nm on Seaduction in the Mediterranean. However, when we considered an Atlantic Crossing, we had always considered participating in a rally from a safety and a social perspective. We had met many fellow sailors and had discussed rally options with them over quite a few ‘sundowners.’  We liked the thought of a more ‘informal’ and friendly rally than a more formal ‘race-like’ rally. This perspective aligned more with our personalities, as we enjoy the social side of full-time liveaboard cruising. Hence, we chose to participate in the Viking Explorers Rally 2024.”

WHY RALLY & WHO RALLIES
The Viking Explorers and World Cruising Club (WCC) in Europe and the Salty Dawg Sailing Association in the USA all host fall rallies to the Caribbean. There’s also the re-branded Ocean Posse Rally, formerly called the Pacific Posse, with yachts that cruise at their own pace, rather than as a single group, from Mexico to Central America and east through the Panama Canal, to the Gulf of Mexico and California to the west, and the Caribbean then US East Coast.

“Most people join a rally for the security and peace of mind of an organized event; for the camaraderie and friendship of a large group of like-minded people; and the fun of sailing in a fleet of boats. It’s as much fun for experienced sailors as for those new to ocean sailing,” says Rachel Hibbard, head of communications for the Cowes, UK-based WCC that runs the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) and ARC+.

The Viking Explorers is the smallest rally with a limit of 25 boats. 

Next in size, ninety boats typically depart from Hampton, VA, or Newport, RI, on the SDSA Caribbean Rally to the Abacos in the Bahamas or Antigua & Barbuda. Bob Osborn, SDSA president and Caribbean Rally director, foresees the total fleet size growing to 120 in the next two years. 

The ARC attracts around 150 boats ranging from 28 feet to 100 feet, although the average is around 46 feet LOA, says Hibbard. “Multihulls are increasingly popular, and this year 47 (45 catamarans and 2 trimarans) are registered, the largest-ever number. Sailors come from 38 nations, with a great mix of ages of both skippers and crew, with ARC 2024 crews ranging in age from babies to 79 years.”

The ARC is the only WCC rally that includes an IRC racing division.

The ARC+, which features a stop-over in Cape Verde en route to Grenada, will set sail in 2024 with nearly 100 boats, three-fourths monohulls, and the rest catamarans. ARC+ has a slightly younger demographic, including more families sailing with younger children and teens.

The Ocean Posse Rally currently has over 300 yachts participating, says Dietmar Petutschnig, founder. “We expect 330 yachts on the route between Cartagena, Spain, and New Zealand. The average vessel size is 47.5 feet, with 50% of the fleet monohulls, 28% catamarans, and 22% trawlers.”

BEFORE YOU GO – PREPARATION TIPS
Cruising to the Caribbean can be a big undertaking, so thorough preparation is essential.

“We knew that we would cross the Atlantic at some point, so as part of our commissioning process in 2021, we made sure Seaduction was configured with the essential safety gear required to cross big oceans,” says Neil Judd. “Effective communications are essential, too, so installing the Starlink High-Performance Flat Antenna on a Global Roam plan was a high priority. Redundancy is important, so Iridium Go and PredictWind, which provide access to the latest weather forecasts, were also part of our preparation process.”

The Judds read many reviews from fellow transatlantic sailors to identify critical issues. The two most significant were auto-pilot failure and chaffing on halyards. Therefore, they invested in a backup autopilot system, new genoa sheets, reefing lines, and a spare spinnaker halyard. They also ensured friction points were coated in Dyneema to ensure minimal chafe. 

“Finally, crew selection and crew training were paramount. We opted for two additional crew members, bringing the total on board to 4. Four crew provided an excellent number for night watch rotations and ensured that all crew remained fresh, alert, and engaged for the 16.5-day crossing,” says Judd.

BENEFITS OF A RALLY: SEMINARS, SERVICES & SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Pre-rally, most organizers offer some information sessions.

“We offer seminars in Gran Canaria on topics such as provisioning, first aid kits, safety, and tips for navigating the Caribbean,” says Carlota Texeira Saavedra, the public relations and communications manager and marketing director for the Viking Explorers.

The WCC also runs in-person and online events, from informal bluewater days and simple hour-long talks to a weekend of in-depth bluewater seminars. 

“The idea of these events is for people thinking about joining a rally to meet previous participants and hear their views, talk face-to-face with the WCC team, and learn from experienced cruisers and marine professionals. These events take place across Europe and North America or online in various languages,” says Hibbard. 

The SDSA hosts an active series of webinars throughout the year. These topics are saved in an online library that members can access for free. 

“One of the popular topics is about insurance, as offshore insurance is getting harder to purchase,” says Alex Helfand, the Annapolis, MD-based SDSA education coordinator, who first sailed in the Caribbean Rally in 2022 on his Nautich Open 40, Compass Rose, after cruising offshore extensively including a transatlantic while serving as a crewmember. “Sail inventories and heavy weather sailing, which covers what sails you need, and provisioning, i.e., what to bring from home versus buy in the islands, round out the top three most popular webinar topics.”

The collection of services provided by rally organizers are not only essential, but often more comprehensive and more affordable than a boat can buy on its own.

“When the boats are at sea, there is 24-7 monitoring and support from Rally Control, daily email weather forecast, and SSB and WhatsApp nets. In addition, all boats are tracked using an Iridium tracker that provides position, heading, and speed data to the rally website and the YB Races app, helping friends and family to follow the boats and for safety monitoring by us,” says WCC’s Hibbard.

New this year, says the SDSA’s Obsorn, “ralliers will have access to 24/7 emergency medical support by George Washington University’s Maritime Medical Services. The advent and widespread use of Starlink has made this possible.”

Finally, it’s the social experiences and events before and after the passage that even the most seasoned cruisers enjoy about a rally. 

“The rally met our expectations with a perfect balance of social activities, both in the Canary Islands and Cape Verde before we departed, as well as on arrival in Grenada,” says Judd.

When ARC yachts reach the Caribbean, each is greeted, helped to dock by one of the WCC organizing team members, and given a rum (or fruit) punch and a basket of local delights, says Hibbard. “Once ashore, the WCC and local sponsors arrange local markets, Caribbean cruising seminars, family activities, and sundowners for the sailors. On the last day, there is a celebration and prizegiving, recognizing sailing achievements and those individuals and crews who contributed to the rally.”

Social activities are not mandatory.

“We like to call them a menu of opportunities,” says the SDSA’s Obsorn, whose organization also hosts rafts up throughout the Caribbean during the winter season, so even when the transatlantic passenger ends, the rally fun and camaraderie doesn’t stop.

CARIBBEAN RALLY – Salty Dawg Sailing Association
October 30: Departs Newport, RI
November 1: Departs Hampton, VA-Antigua
www.saltydawgsailing.org

OCEAN POSSE RALLY
Ongoing
oceanposse.com/

VIKING EXPLORERS RALLY
December 8: Las Palmas-Grenada
www.vikingexplorersrally.com

WORLD CRUISING CLUB – ARC+
November 10: Departs Las Palmas-Cape Verde
November 22: Cape Verde-Grenada
www.worldcruising.com

Carol Bareuther has written for ALL AT SEA since 2004.