PAGE 10 • SPRING 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
Fleet surgeon and skipper of Karina, Dr. Miles Poor, uses his tender to assist Romany Life as she limps into Road Town with a broken
rudder. (Below) Joy For All crewmember and author Doug McLean relaxes on the boat at the marina dock.
FEATURE STORY
continued from page 1 For more information on the West Marine
can sail in one of the other CRA rallies, The Atlantic Caribbean 1500 and other rallies and
Cup. The 1500 and Atlantic Cup are not ocean races,
but widely dispersed “convoys” of sailing vessels with
activities managed by the Cruising Rally
friendly competition offered through the rally class –
Association, go to their website at
since even the most cautious and conservative cruiser
www.carib1500.com.
must occasionally give in to the desire to beat an
adversary to the finish.
More than a race
Unlike an offshore race, it is permissible, sometimes
recommended, to motor-sail, and engine hours as well as
handicaps (considering boat size and sail area) are
factored in to arrive at final rankings. Many rally
participants sail in the cruising class to simply share in
what the rallies are really all about: mandatory advance
preparations, safety in numbers and great before and
after social events providing fun and opportunities for
networking and establishing long-term cruising contacts.
This was my second crew gig in a CRA rally. I had sailed
up from the Virgins in The Atlantic Cup last May,
transporting a 43-foot ketch to Road Island via Bermuda.
In the 1500, I joined a skipper and two other crew on a
brand new Farr 50 Pilothouse — a “performance
cruiser” with state-of-the-art everything, including
hydraulic roller furling on fore and main, electric
winches and an oversized autopilot that stood up to the
sometimes nasty seas without as much as a whimper.
Some of the other boats were not so fortunate.
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