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Skippers meeting – click to enlarge
Steve Black is the founder of the Cruising Rally Association and organiser of the Atlantic Cup Rally which started today (Sunday 3rd May) from Nanny Cay, Tortola. The Association announced its plans earlier this year to make Nanny Cay – the flagship marina in the British Virgin Islands – their hosts for both the Atlantic Cup Rally to Bermuda and also the popular Caribbean 1500 Rally, which will be welcomed here in November.
Following three days of busy preparations, participants from the 19 yachts taking part in the rally, took the opportunity to enjoy the facilities and hospitality here at Nanny Cay before their 4 to 5 day crossing. The docks were busy with sailors doing last minute provisioning and tuning before the trip.
The majority of the sailors are returning home to the US and Canada after sailing across with the Caribbean 1500 Rally and spending the winter enjoying the delights of cruising around the Islands. The Atlantic Cup offers the opportunity for returning cruisers to enjoy the camaraderie, competition and adventure of an 850-mile rally.
Yesterday afternoon, a skippers briefing was held and crews then enjoyed a cocktail party at the beach bar. Later that evening a farewell buffet dinner and gathering was held at Peg Legs to give everyone a good send off.
Heading for Bermuda
Nineteen boats departed Nanny Cay for the start line near Soper’s Hole on the West End of Tortola at 11 AM EDT today. Commanders’ Weather predicted 12 to 20 knot SE trade winds for the majority of their sail to Bermuda. Four boats led by Miles and Anne Poor on Karina, will sail directly to the Chesapeake Bay.
Many of the crews have previously taken part in one or several of the Cruising Rally Association’s events. Most are from the US and Canada, but there are also crew members from France, Germany, Ireland and the UK.
When asked about his decision to base his rallies out of Nanny Cay, Organiser Steve Black commented: “We are extremely happy to be here with the Atlantic Cup Rally. An awful lot of our participants have visited Nanny Cay during the course of the winter and enjoyed it so much and we are happy to have our event hosted here.
“One of the great additions to Nanny Cay has been the beach. It always was one of the most hospitable marinas in the Caribbean, especially with the pool, but it is now great to also enjoy the beach that the team here have worked so hard to improve. It’s another element of the marina that very few other marinas have. The wonderful service and hard working team here at Nanny Cay have made it very easy for participants that are under a lot of stress getting ready for the long passage. They’ve needed a lot of repairs and equipment adjusted. Rigs tuned and that sort of thing and the fact that Nanny Cay have a lot of skilled tradesmen makes it all much easier.”
To follow the fleet, go to www.carib1500.com.
