Round the World Rally

[Gerry]

Has any one taken part in the Blue Water Round the World Rally? Am quite interested in the concept of at least starting off looking at this idea, not really sure though that I want to team up with others or not. See the next one starts in 2003. What do you think?

 

[ccscott49]

I personally wouldn't join a rally, but there's plenty who do and enjoy it. I feel it takes away some of the challenge and freedom, but thats me. The ARC seems to be the starting point for a lot of peoples blue water aspirations. I think they have a website etc. One thing is for sure, there's a lot of experience out there for this kind of thing. As one guy on here put it "if you want somebody to hold your hand".

 

[Boatman]

Gerry,

Lots of people that start out on the Blue water cruise of a lifetime, want to share their feers with others often they haven't done many or any serious crossings before starting and this is probably on of the main reasons that the ARC and the Biscay rally are so popular.

I have heard of one recent example of a couple doing the Biscay rally followed by the ARC they had one party after another all the way always being surrounded by people, at the end the wife virtually flipped out, it had all got too much, too many people, no time to yourself etc etc

I think if you are worried about the first big trip then the organization that goes with a rally is useful but after that disappear on your own and don't get sucked into a constant non changing group. where's the freedom with all that peer presure?

 

[bedouin]

There was a piece in one of the IPC mags about a year ago - the authors enjoyed it, but managed to make the whole thing sound horrific (and expensive).

I can't imagine wanting to do it that way myself - but I might try an ARC to get experience of blue-water.

 

[Guest]

Hi Gerry, we looked at this quite seriously and read Dick Allen's book "Sailing my Dream", which gives an excellent account of the Blue Water Rally. He did enjoy it but seemed to find the pressure of time, always having to motor or move on to keep up with the rally timetable. It is also rather expensive about £6000 when we looked at it. In his book Dick Allen felt a bit like the poor relation and had one of the smallest boats in the fleet but they do organise everything for you, visas etc., and will source parts if anything goes wrong. They also let you take a year out now and rejoin the next rally as it goes round, so I suppose it wouldn't be so pressured . We decided to do our own thing and hope to leave here in June.

 

[Guest]

Blue Water Rallies also have an alternative to the ARC which leaves Gibralter on 27th October 2002 - then Canaries and Antigua. There website is yachtrallies.co.uk. But you must sign up by the end of March. We are thinking that we will join this one - although there is a lot of work do be done to be ready in time. If we sign up then it might just make us get on and do it!

 

[Guest]

Not really qualified to talk about this as I have never been involved in one or crossed an ocean yet but from what I have read it is a bit of a 'rich mans' game, not just the fees but the equipment and social life!
It occures to me that you might be able to pay an experienced instructor to go on a passage with you and teach you what you need to know plus give you the confidence needed for less, depends if you want the sailing experience or the social life/organisation?

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster http://www.voya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk//MW1/Intropage.htm

 

[Gerry]

definitely the sailing experience-perhaps this may not be for us really.

 

[rallyveteran]

Yes, I sailed round the world with Blue Water.

The rally is good for
- giving you the confidence to go
- binding you to a group of like-minded yachties. To my mind this is the main thing you get for your money. Ironic, as you haven't paid them anything, but because you have all paid so much to BWR, you tend to stick with it.
- getting parts procured and delivered
- arranging transits of the Panama and Suez canals
- finding crew if you need to
- arranging social events in far flung parts, but some would say that the fee is a lot to pay for a few parties
- organising safety cover in potentially dangerous parts of the world such as the Gulf of Aden
- when disaster strikes. They were excellent when a participant sank (see below), and would I'm sure be just as good if some one were to be dangerously ill, arrested etc.

However. be aware that
- the organisers are master salesmen. The seminars and website gloss over a lot of the discontent of the ralliers. In port, conversation quickly got round to the latest complaint about the rally organisers and as the rally wore on, there were so many complaints it was sometimes hard to find anything else to talk about.
- the numbers taking part have been reducing, from over 40 in 95, to mid thirties in 98 to barely a dozen in 99 and 2001. This has a good side in that some ports can't take the high numbers, but it makes the organiser's margins thin and their support more sparse eg the 99 rally did not get the advertised support in San Blas, Bora Bora, Tonga, Kupang or Bali.
- the small numbers mean that 'esprit de corps' is not as strong. This is accentuated by the huge size range of the fleet, from 70' down to 35' which means that some boats will be leaving port as others are sailing in. BWR reaction to this in 99 was to cancel the scheduled parties due to lack of support!
- the rally tends to attract less well-prepared yachts and crews. The 98 rally had three septuagenarian skippers who sailed sections of the rally single handed, relying on other rally members for support. One sank more than 100 miles from land in the South Pacific, bought another yacht in NZ and sank that in Fiji while off the rally, then bought a third in Australia one month before being welcomed back into the 99 rally with open arms. She was towed into the first four ports with no engine and finally gave up in Thailand. The rally organisers were quite happy - they had her cheque!
- the need for help with officialdom is overstated. Apart from the Canals (see above) your best source of help and advice is other yachties, who can advise you on 'going with the flow'. Early in their existence, the rally organisers ended up on the wrong end of some litigation (unrelated to sailing) but this has governed their actions ever since, so they have an overdeveloped sense of compliance which is simply misplaced in many parts of the world.

If you are not sure whether the rally is for you, sign up for Rally Antigua, pay 500 pounds only, attend all the seminars, and wait till Antigua to decide if you want to sign up for the rest of the rally, sail on without the rally, stay in the Caribbean or sail home. If you pay the whole fee and drop out you won't get a refund.

Rally Veteran

 

[RTW_Wannabe]

Thanks Rally Veteran

It's really good to have some real life experience feedback from this event and thanks for the tips.

I guess the main reason we are considering going with these guys is that we were banking on there being other families on the rally. We think this is important as we have an only child and want her to have some consistent interaction with other children. The jury is still out as to whether this will materialise. There are 3 other families who are potentially entering but no committments so far (and 2 of them are only starting from pacific side of Panama). If this does not come off then I am considering attempting to organise my own small (and not for profit) rally with others in a similar position. If BWR are struggling to recruit though maybe this means that there probably aren't too many families who are in a position to do this, unless they are put off by the £10K entry fees and other aspects of the itinery.
One way to find out would be feedback in this forum from anyone who would be interested ?



Regards

Steve.

 

[AndrewB]

If social contact is your main concern, you'll find that easily enough on the blue water circuit, whether or not you are with a rally. All cruising yachts out there are 'in the same boat', and in any main port or anchorage you will find people quickly get together on one another's boats, share tips on local facilities, help one another fix things, combine forces for shopping and looking after children, eat out together and party.

And to a some extent there is always a group going much the same way. Its perfectly normal to stay cruising with the same two or three yachts with whom one has struck up friendship, perhaps for several weeks before breaking out again. No reason why your child shouldn't make friends. It used to be that friendships had to be quickly made and were soon broken, but ocean cruising kids now seem to keep in touch by internet.

 

[BrendanS]

Wonderful post, and very informative.

Been thinking about blue water sailing and RTW myself for a while, and been investigating more recently. Until I arrived at these forums I had no idea that anyone organised rallys of these sort. I think you've given me enough information that I'd stick to the original plan of doing it myself. The support and logistics help sounds like a good idea, but the idea of large numbers of yachts partying and arriving together is not what I want to achieve out of such an adventure.

 

[Guest]

Hi

Brendan there is a Co called ship to shore who can arrange spares, mail, ETC ETC and have them sent to your next port of call for you to collect ( at a cost of course )...when are you thinking of leaving ?

Ian

 

[BrendanS]

No plans for imminent departure - more of a long term dream. Still need to broach subject with SWMBO and convince her that it would be a good idea - should have stayed single instead of getting married next year!!!

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Sorry to ask again ,But does anyone have info on the EMYR. I have spoken to one yacht that has taken part. only I would like a larger viewpoint , cheers bob t

Bob T

 

[sailbadthesinner]

I have a mate who was whisked off RTW by his folks for three years. he said it was unbeleivable how you would bump into the same people in Carib then NZ then Azores etc. there is a big community all drfiting around at various paces but most welcoming

their pace was broken up for his dad to do short jobs etc but he certainly did not miss out and always found company form other cruisers and local kids. he is sailing for a living and is richer than me in the most important ways and is truly happy.
the idea of paying ten grand to ushered around seems a bit odd and would rather take the gloss off it for me. my friends stayed in NZ for almost six months cos they likes it so much. it shouldn't always be about collecting miles and passport stamps.
just a thought.

Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'you're making a scene'.

 

[RTW_Wannabe]

Max

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Certainly I am not so keen on having to keep to someone else's timetable and agenda. Of course also not so keen on shelling out an additional 10 grand although if the benefits from it are/were worth it then I wouldn't be so bothered about that. The original reasons for me wanting to go with the rally seem to be diminishing though as it appears there will be few if any families participating, less total no. of boats than I thought, and some of the logistical benefits not quite as key as first thought.


Regards

Steve.

 

[sailbadthesinner]

May I wish you every luck with your enterprise
I am sure you will do succeed in however you wish to go about it
fair winds
max

Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.

 

[ccscott49]

Have you cruised the meddy yet? It would be a great place to start your wanderings, plus give you lots of confidence and ideas, it also serves as an apprenticeship in all things boaty with ideas from a multitude of different people, who have already cruised worldwide and some who are planning to do so. Thrutching about on the open oceans is fine, if thats what you want most of all, but a lot can be learnt from smaller passgaes and cruising.

 

[Spacewaist]

Did the ARC in 97. Waste of money. Only real benefit is meeting other people and organising an SSB net during the passage. You can do that with other like minded yachties making the same passage.

Yotties are always willing to share experience and advice - you will be among friends. Stooge around in port, you'll soon meet other boats of similar size making the same passage who will also be looking for a "buddy" to sail with - and keep in contact - with on whatever passage you are contemplating.

If you need to establish credentials, you might see if you can spot anyone flying an Ocean Cruising Club burgee (distinctive flag - see below) - they are a gregarious club of people who have done it before (qualification for membership is a 1000 mile passage, at least 100miles offshore).

(OCC Burgee: Half blue at the hoist - other half yellow at the fly end - yellow flying fish stitched over the blue area)

D'ya've a gd weekend?
We're through the worst of it now.....Oh!Gybe Ohhhhh..!