The crew of Offshore Passage Opportunities’ flagship, the Swan 48 Avocation, prepares to depart Newport on a recent NARC Rally. © OPO
The 19th Annual North American Rally to the Caribbean departs Saturday, October 27, 2018 from Newport, RI (or the best weather window after that date.) Now a free rally, the NARC Rally is offering a new Mid-Atlantic departure point. “Boats are invited to depart from the Chesapeake Bay to join the NARC Rally in Bermuda and sail south to St. Maarten,” said Hank Schmitt, President of Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO). “They would leave about the same time as the Newport fleet, and meet up in Bermuda.”
All seaworthy boats are welcome to begin gathering the last week in October at the Newport Yachting Center in Newport, which offers a deep discount for the week prior to departure. The NARC Rally also offers discounts on fuel and dockage, weather routing, a radio net, a welcome dinner in Newport and a fish fry in Bermuda. “We will be hosted by the St. Georges Dinghy & Sports Club,” said Schmitt. “You can dock at the club, which has water and electricity, or anchor out for free. God put Bermuda there for sailors heading north and south, and it’s a sin not to stop.” For more information, visit sailopo.com.
