We’ve been to the final official gathering of “the group” – trophy presentation time. We’re happy to announce that everyone came away a winner – with trophies going to all the boats that entered and finished.

There were even “Spam” trophies (canned meat, not e-mail) for various special skills.

And Beowulf? It appears she now holds the official record – 5 days, eight hours, and 35 minutes – roughly 27 hours faster than the previous record. We sailed 1501 miles for a daily run of 281 miles. We also sailed fast enough to win our class on handicap as well as correcting out first overall in the fleet.

A lot of folks have asked us what we think of “rally” cruising in the past, and this is our first chance to experience it first hand. It is certainly an easy way to make a bunch of good friends in a hurry – folks with whom many anchorages will be shared in the future. There is already a Thanksgiving get-together planned for “Foxy’s” on Jost Van Dyke.

For those just starting out, the twice daily radio schedules offer a means of getting advice on everything from balky regulators, to weather, to dealing with sick crew members. Of course you can put your own groups together, and this is the norm once you begin to follow the usual cruising migrations. But starting out from the East Coast of the US it is hard to form up a group and rallies like the 1500 offer an efficient means of doing this.

There are also benefits to be had at the starting end, with boat inspections, and getting stuff working which may be having a problem. So on balance, overall, we have come away thinking this is a pretty good deal. And the fact that so many folks have entered multiple times or crewed multiple times, speaks for itself.

If there is a negative, however, it is on the preparation and skill side. Joining any group or rally is no substitute for proper preparation of the vessel or learning the art of seamanship for the crew.

We did come away with the feeling that for some in this group of 55 boats, they were really not ready to head offshore – but the rally offered the perception of security. If the fleet had been hit with even a moderate gale, that perception would have evaporated in a hurry, and there would have been far more problems than should be the case – due to lack of preparation.

What we are trying to say is that joining a rally can be a fun way to cruise in company. The competition is stimulating and can teach you how to get more out of your boat. If you get into difficulty you can get advice on the radio to help deal with problems. But in stormy weather, the rally is no substitute for sailing skills on the part of the crew. If you feel you need the security of the “group” to supplement a lack of knowledge, our advice is to postpone going offshore for a while and work on your seamanship skills until the rally becomes an excuse to make new friends and have a good time.

We want to close with a word about Steve Black and his crew of dedicated helpers. This is a huge organizational undertaking, one fraught with many variables and potential problems. Keeping such a diverse group of individualists happy by itself must take the patience of a saint. Our hat is off to Steve Black and his crew for a job well done.