The 12th Annual NARC Rally (North American Rally to the Caribbean) departs from Newport, RI on Sunday, Oct. 30th or the best weather window after that date. The fleet will begin to gather at the Newport Yachting Center in Newport RI with a special discount dockage rate for the week leading up to departure. The Rally stops in Bermuda and docks at the Bermuda Dinghy & Sports Club for a few days with organized socials, including a Fish Fry and Goslings Rum tasking party. From there, the fleet sets sail for Simpson Bay Marina in St. Maarten for the final party and reception on Friday November 18th. All boats in the rally get two free days dockage at Simpson Bay Marina, plus dockage discounts from one week to the entire season depending on your plans.
If your final destination is the Virgin Islands or other Caribbean destination, boats can stop in St. Maarten for the party and for crew change, re- provisioning and repairs. The NARC Rally is a free rally with a small per head fee to help pay for the socials. The NARC Rally has been helping organize the challenging passage from New England to the Caribbean since 2000. Participants get free weather routing, an offshore radio net and parting gifts in addition to socials in Newport, Bermuda and St. Maarten, plus discount dockage, Bermuda Tax waiver, duty free fuel in Bermuda and more. Owners needing crew get free crew networking service through Hank Schmitt of Offshore Passage Opportunities, who has been organizing the rally since inception. If you do not have a boat and want to crew on a Swan for the 1500-mile passage for a fee, there is an opportunity for this.
For more information or to register, go to www.sailopo.com.