Written by Louay Habib
With yachts ranging from 21-63ft already signed up for the cruising division of the Christmas Caribbean Rally, the event will now have an IRC racing division under the auspices of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club.
“Since we launched the CCR a few months ago we have been asked repeatedly if we will have a racing division in the rally” confirmed Sailing Rallies founder, John Simpson. “We are very excited to announce the arrival of the Christmas Caribbean Race! We have been working hard with Royal Southampton Yacht Club and we are delighted to announce that we will be able to run a full racing division for the 2013 event. The Royal Southampton has enormous experience in organising well managed racing and Rear Commodore of Sailing, Brian Hinde, Bob Trimble Racing Captain, and Commodore, Sue Lamb have been very enthusiastic about the race.
The Christmas Caribbean Race will be run under the guidance and race rules of the RSYC. This means that any charter/racing boats will be able to join in and whilst the cruising division will have an element of fun competition, those who want to take it more seriously and dash across the Atlantic can now do so. The good news is that the price is the same whether you are racing or cruising and you pay one price for the boat (no extra cost for extra crew). There will be slightly different safety requirements which will be posted on our website shortly.”
Transatlantic Forum
In preparation for the Atlantic crossing Sailing Rallies is launching a Transatlantic Forum Weekend, 11 - 12th May taking place at the Cruising Association, Limehouse Basin, London. Sailing Rallies’ Events Manager, Mikaela Meik explains the format for the forum.
“The weekend is designed to be informative & fun, covering preparation, planning and what you are likely to experience during an Atlantic crossing. Whether you are planning to sail the Atlantic this year, next year or if you have only just started dreaming about it – the Transatlantic Forum will provide expert advice and plenty of hints and tips to make your trip a success.
The forum will showcase the Christmas Caribbean Rally and a variety of speakers, all of whom are experienced ocean sailors, eager to share their in-depth knowledge & experience. There will be a wide range of useful topics – all relevant to those embarking on a long ocean passage. Guest speakers include Jane Russell – author of ‘The Atlantic Crossing Guide’, weather forecaster & routing specialist, Mike Broughton MD of
Winningwind.com and John Simpson, Managing Director of Sailing Rallies. There will also be representatives from a wide variety of companies including Advance Yacht, Mailasail, Peters & May and Berthon on hand to offer advice and answer questions.
Places are strictly limited so advance booking is essential if you would like to come! Contact Mikaela on 0845 257 5004 or
mikaela@sailingrallies.com
The Christmas Caribbean Rally, including the IRC racing division starts on Monday December 16th from Rubicon Marina, Lanzarote bound for Jolly Harbour Antigua. The package includes 15 nights free berthing, one fixed price for each yacht regardless of the number of crew, all yachts will receive a Christmas and New Year party pack and Sailing Rallies have negotiated many more discounts including lift-outs, yard work, chandlers and insurance. Sailing Rallies offer assistance in cutting through the ‘red tape’ of official paperwork and will be organising lots of social and fun activities in the Canaries and Caribbean.
For more information go to:
www.sailingrallies.com
