On Nov. 3, after two days of waiting for a break in the weather, 18 well-prepared sailboats left Newport, R.I., to embark on a nearly 1,500 mile journey that, at its conclusion, will mark the completion of the 15th annual North American Rally to the Caribbean (NARC).
Masterminded by Hank Schmitt of Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO), the rally is free to its participants and supports the annual migration of East Coast boats heading south for the winter with either free or deeply discounted dockage at the designated rally ports (after Newport the rally stops in Bermuda, then finishes up in St. Maarten), fuel discounts, weather routing, regular on-water communication through Radio Net for SSB, and last but not least, social gatherings and camaraderie that lead to enduring friendships.
“My wife Joyce sought out the NARC Rally for comfort in numbers, but if we arrive at Bermuda and haven’t used any fuel and we’re still sailing strongly in the right direction, we’re not going to stop,” said Fran Cichowski, skipper of the smallest boat in the fleet, the Tartan 40 Lucky Lady.
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