The eighth edition of the Transcaraibes Rally ended mid-April in Santiago de Cuba. Ten participants, half monohulls and half multihulls, enjoyed 13 stopovers in five different countries. Six nationalities were represented: Italy, Australia, UK, Malaysia, Switzerland, and France.
Mid March the fleet departed from Marina du Bas du Fort in Guadeloupe (a free haul out was included for monohulls), then Marina Fort Louis at Marigot, BVIs, Dominican Republic, and Santiago de Cuba. Each stop was an occasion for friendly drinks and buffets, as in all the islands the rally was welcomed by the authorities who greeted us with all that they could to please.
A friendly atmosphere made technical issues not so severe; some welding was done to solve a water pump problem in an anchorage which had never seen a boat before: Bahia las Aguilas on the Haiti border, a 10 mile beach with just a few fishermen offering their lobsters…like in the old days!
Only two boats were heading back to Europe, with all the others coming back to the lesser Antilles. Thanks to a letter from the Admiral in charge of the Dominican Navy, participants to the rally could rest along the coast without having to clear with the authorities. Many enjoyed a well deserved rest.
In 2008 the ninth Edition will gather at Marina Bas du Fort on the 29th of March and finish in Santiago on the April 19th.
