The Salty Dawg Sailing Association has announced a new rally for this coming Spring – a Rally to Cuba. The Rally is structured for American vessels and citizens, set up to comply with US regulations on visiting Cuba. Vessels from other countries are welcome to participate as well.
The Rally departs Virgin Gorda, North Sound in late March and will be in Cuba April 5 – 20, 2017. While most vessels are coming from the B.V.I., others will come from the US East Coast and the Bahamas. The 14 day visit will support an educational-based people to-people exchange. The Rally complies with OFAC and U.S. Coast Guard regulations. With the structured nature of the visit, in order to properly manage the activity, the Rally is being limited to 24 boats.
The Rally is a natural, downwind passage from the Caribbean back to the US, via Cuba. In order to conduct the proper research in support of this educational activity, and with the time constraint from various regulations and American insurance companies, the Rally will make landfall in Havana and conduct its research activities in NW Cuba. This is still a large area to visit including in and around Havana, and villages and countryside on the north and south shores.
Rally Director Hank George says “With the extreme interest in this rally, we could have subscribed over 75 vessels. But, we need to keep this a manageable effort to comply with US regulations. All crew will be extremely busy in conducting our planned research.” The rally will develop reference material of intense interest to the American cruising community.
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that hosts several rallies, rendezvous and a series of blue water sailing seminars. Memberships in the Association are available for anyone interested in blue water sailing. Over 1,900 sailors and 480 boats have participated in Salty Dawg Rallies, and over 1,300 sailors subscribe to notification of Salty Dawg events.
For more information and to join the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, visit the SDSA web site at www.saltydawgsailing.org .
