Cruising Rallies Buck the Economy

Big cruising rallies are continue to do well despite — or perhaps because of — the poor global economy.

World Cruising Ltd. reports that their 2,700-mile Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia, has once again filled all 225 slots. Usually they sell out in May for the late November event, but this year it took them until June. A total of 28 countries will be represented in this granddaddy of all cruising rallies, including America. Unfortunately, they don’t break out the entries in a way that enables us to tell if any boats are from the West Coast.

Steve Black’s Caribbean 1500, from Hampton, Virginia, to Tortola in the British Virgins, lists a total of 35 entries for their November event. This will be the 20th anniversary running of the cruising rally, and it appears likely it will reach its norm of about 50 entries. As of this date, none of the entries are from the West Coast.

And here in Baja Ha-Ha-land, where we’re all blessed by how easy it is for us West Coasters to get to the tropics, and where cruising in the tropics can be very inexpensive, the numbers are looking good again this year. With seven weeks to go before the September 10 entry deadline for the late October event, 121 paid entries have been received. It’s unclear if we’ll break the 180 mark again this year, but it should be pretty close. Click here for the complete list of entries, but for now, here are the latest:

101. Scott Free, Gulfstar 44, Scott Stoner, Seattle
102. Eupsychia, Cal 36, David Addleman, Monterey
103. Jabiroo, Island Packet 35, John Limb, Dover, OR
104. Monitor, 55-ft Monk trawler, John Wilson, Coos Bay, OR
105. Little Lara, Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, Jay Bowden, Santa Barbara
106. Seaduction, Catalina 42 Mk II, Dan Lawler, Salt Lake City, UT
107. Old Moon, Hylas 49, John Cogan, Ventura
108. Raindancer, Heritage West Indies 38, Daniel Eastman, Federal Way, WA
109. Harrier, Finn Flyer 31, Ken Roper, Los Angeles
110. Willful Simplicity, Catalina 27, Steve Baker, Sausalito
111. Passage II, Hunter 410, James Cassidy, Channel Islands
112. Sapphire, Hunter 30, Luke McDonald, Portland
113. Mahalo, Cal 40, Holly Scott, Long Beach
114. Escapade, Catana 52 cat, Greg Dorland, Newport, OR
115. Adios, Columbia 43, Craig Shaw, Portland
116. Albatross, Island Packet 32, Kevin Foley, Clear Lake Shores, TX
117. Prufrock, Santa Cruz 52, Jim & Diana Freeland, Ko Olina, HI
118. Albatross, Seamaster 46, Douglas Schneeman, Marina del Rey
119. Bequia, Gulfstar 50, Richard Coleman, Richmond
120. Espirirtu Santi, Atlantic 57, Santiago Becerra, San Diego
121. Aventura, Hunter 41, John Rollins, San Francisco

For Ha-Ha entry information, visit the Ha-Ha’s online registration site.