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The objective of the Caribbean 1500 Rally has always been to provide the safest and most comfortable passage south for its participants. Selecting the location and the weather window is essential for meeting this passage goal. This is what we have found:
Hampton and the Chesapeake
The Chesapeake is a great place for our departure since it is the last port that a boat from the Northeast can stop in before going around Cape Hatteras. Most of our boats are too tall or too deep for the Intracoastal Waterway, but smaller boats have the option of taking the ICW behind Cape Hatteras to Beaufort before heading out into the ocean. Hampton is an easy two-day trip from Newport for most boats.
Not Newport or Bermuda
This puts the boats well south so they can cross the fall storm track in the first good weather window. Fall lows tend to form just south of Cape Hatteras and track a little north of Bermuda. This makes Bermuda a poor choice of stops in the fall since it keeps boats in the direct path of lows for their entire trip. It also makes Newport a poor starting point since the entire trip to Bermuda is north of the storm track. Remember that lows that pass below you produce strong southeast winds, while lows that pass north of you can only produce strong winds from the northwest or north. Our goal is to get south of the storm track as quickly as possible.
Ride the weather
We try to start after a Low Pressure System has passed out to sea. In about half of the years, the actual Start Date has been the scheduled one and in the other years, we have waited from one to seven days for frontal systems to pass off the East Coast. Nobody wants a difficult crossing of the Gulf Stream.
Often high pressure in the Atlantic has given us days of pleasant northeast winds allowing us to reach towards Tortola. We usually start to pick up the trades at about 22-24 degrees north latitude.
Cross the Gulf Stream at its narrowest
We leave from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Noon and reach the Gulf Stream between midnight and 4am on the first night. We cross the Gulf Stream near its narrowest point as it turns to the northeast off Cape Hatteras and are usually across it in the first 24 hours of the trip.
BVIs - convenient cruising
On the Caribbean end of the passage, we have found the British Virgin Islands have met our needs very well. Most boats reach the BVI in 6-10 days making the passage a day or more shorter with (less up wind sailing) than destinations farther east. The finish line is easy to reach --- day or night and in all weather conditions. Customs procedures are straight-forward and fees are not expensive. Air travel is convenient with lots of options. BVI purchases are dollar-denominated and English is spoken. Marinas, boat yards, and chandleries are first class. Whether your cruising plans are to travel west to the USVI and the Spanish Virgin Islands, or to head down the island chain to Trinidad and beyond, the BVI are a good stepping-off place for your travels. Or, for cruisers unable to spend the whole winter on their boats, the BVI make excellent cruising grounds in themselves.
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