Cruising Rallies - Ocean Navigator

05 Dec

Sailor Lost at Sea During ARC Rally

Theresa NicholsonBoat Accidents, Cruising Rallies, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing, Seamanship & Navigation

Second vessel abandoned after taking on water. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers community, along with the extended sailing community, is mourning the loss of Swedish sailor Dag Eresund, who was lost overboard from Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday. A mayday call went out at 2:30 UTC on December 2 from Ocean Breeze, sailing approximately 1,300 nautical miles east of Bermuda in challenging conditions with winds gusting more than 30 knots. A search was initiated by the vessel. The U.S. Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Norfolk, Va., (MRCC) put out an emergency alert to all shipping for…

15 Sep

The 36th SSCA Annapolis Cruising Conference and Gam 2022 begins on Sept. 30

Ocean NavigatorCruising Rallies

The 36th SSCA Annapolis Cruising Conference and Gam 2022 is Sept 30 to Oct 2, 2022 at the Maryland Yacht Club, Pasadena, Maryland. Registration is open for both SSCA members and for non-members. Go to this link to see seminar schedules, sign up for meals and CPR/Ham exams. Speakers and presenters at the 2022 Annapolis Gam/Conference include our keynote speaker Pam Wall, cruising consultant, on "Outfitting Your Boat For Blue Water Cruising" and "Atlantic Circle: From Florida to Europe and Return." Chesapeake Bay magazine cruising editor Jody Argo Schroath will share special places up and down the Chesapeake Bay. Learn about…

31 Dec

Fall rallies recover from COVID slowdown

Tim QueeneyCruising Rallies

Rallies are a popular way for voyagers to cross oceans in the company of other boats. The transatlantic rally known as the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) (www.worldcruising.com) has been around for 35 years. In this year with the COVID pandemic still lingering, there seems to be pent-up demand and the ARC event has 150 entries and even spawned added interest in the ARC’s associated rally the ARC+. The ARC starts from Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands and proceeds 2,700 miles through the northeast trades to finish at St. Lucia. The ARC+ also starts from the Canaries, goes to…

31 Dec

Managing a power rally to Mexico

Pat RainsCruising Rallies, Power Voyaging

Christy Steinman-Crawford Donnelly herded a fleet of 30 recreational powerboats on a 1,000-nautical-mile voyage down to Mexico, as communications director for the 2019 Cruise Underway to Baja Rally (CUBAR), a bi-annual cruise from San Diego to La Paz, Baja for 30 to 50 powerboats. It was an odyssey that included one medical evacuation at sea. Of course, that was not her first rodeo. Donnelly has navigated and sailed with the “best of the best.” She navigated the race boat Kialoa in Britain’s famous 1979 Fastnet Race; she navigated for Tom Blackhaller to win the 1980 Bermuda Race, and she was…