Caribbean 1500 pros/cons

[LauraleeG]

Hi all
Thinking of doing the Caribbean 1500 in 2021. Doing my research I see pros and cons of the idea of a timed rally.
Anybody done the 1500? Thoughts on the pros and cons??

[Auspicious]

The parties at both ends are fun. The seminars are useful. Off-board weather router may be of value to you. The "safety benefits" of "cruising in company" are a fantasy.

[belizesailor]

Wow, flashback...I crewed in the C1500 decades ago!

I think for less experienced boat owners it, and similar rallies, are a good experience/confidence building exercise. As posted, the parties are fun and the seminars are good, but agree the whole sailing in company for saftey is a bit of a fantasy...as boats naturally get spread out by large distances once underway. There is a 'net so boats can stay in touch, get weather info, etc...and the 'net would be another resource if things went badly.

[Breaking Waves]

we have done a few local/coastal cruises in company, like around Scotland and Newfoundland ...... but have never done a passage rally. Never saw the point. We wanted to pick out own departure dates/windows without any external pressure, like to leave and arrive in uncrowded harbors, and prefer not to have a fleet of boats around us some of which are probably keep poor watches. And we could always find passage nets if we wanted to.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

There is a 'net so boats can stay in touch, get weather info, etc...and the 'net would be another resource if things went badly.

Another pro: the chance to get used to HF/SSB. Lots of people still look at HF/SSB radio as some mysterious thing. The practice is good.

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

We wanted to pick out own departure dates/windows without any external pressure, like to leave and arrive in uncrowded harbors, and prefer not to have a fleet of boats around us some of which are probably keep poor watches.

Caribbean 1500, Salty Dawg, ARC, and similar are rallies not races. There is no crowded start line. The boats hardly constitute "crowding" of Hampton Roads. The glut of ICW boats backed up behind the insurance line is more crowded.

At the other end, if you head to one of the major end points the rally organizers make arrangements for slips and C&I which more than make up for a few more boats. A number of boats peel off and head to different destinations anyway. Others go to Antigua (for Salty Dawg) or Nanny Cay (Carbbean 1500) for the parties, reprovisioning, and move on. In the BVI the Inter-line Regatta has a bigger impact.

[jkleins]

One of the benefits of these organized things is the number of people that you meet that are going into to same cruising ground with similar interests. We did the Baha Haha in Mexico a long time ago and you could go into any anchorage in Mexico and usually there was a boat that had been in the same rally. Whether you like that kind of thing is a personal choice but we kept up with some of those folks for over 20 years after we came back to land.
Folks will say you can do the same thing by just meeting people each place. We found the Caribbean was a little more difficult then Mexico just due to the high number of charter boats. Knowing some cruisers ahead might be something that appeals to you.

[Suijin]

I'll add that there is a bit of a safety benefit to these events in terms of "cruising in company" offshore. First, there are a few cases of rally members assisting other boats in distress. When you have 100+ boats following the same general route you increase the odds of someone being close enough to assist with a breakdown, running out of fuel, etc.

Second, the Coast Guard is paying far more attention to you. They come and do seminars and demonstrations and they follow the packs progress because if the weather gets bad they could be pretty busy.

If you've never done a long week plus offshore passage these rallies are a great place to start. As far as ARC vs Salty Dawg it's kinda a tossup. The former provides a much higher level of service and support but you pay for the privilege.

[Breaking Waves]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

....ARC, and similar are rallies not races. There is no crowded start line. The boats hardly constitute "crowding"

Can I assume you have never actually been in Las Palmas for the start of the ARC?

Yea, there is an actual start line with like 150-200 boats starting in a 30 minute period.

"24 Nov Start day!
12:00 Multihulls
12:15 Racing Divisions
12:30 Cruising Divisions"

And yea, the harbor is jammed, everything is booked (long ahead).

I know some people like these things. That's fine - their preference. It's just not at all why I go sailing.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by jkleins

We did the Baha Haha in Mexico a long time ago and you could go into any anchorage in Mexico

My wife and I crewed on the 2005 Baja Ha Ha and had a nice time, but it went really quickly. By nature, I'm not much of a joiner, but I have observed that a rally like the Ha-Ha helps to set a date-certain for departure. After all, the most difficult part of transitioning into a cruising lifestyle is cutting docklines. Many West Coast sailors target a Ha-Ha as their departure date.