I'm going to try and catch some of you who may not be following Ken's blog. I'm reposting with his permission. John Ford PUP Admin Begin forwarded message: > Greetings all! > > The countdown is on. In just five days, barring weather surprises, > fifty-three yachts will depart San Diego on the first leg of our > journey to La Paz Mexico. This is an amazing number. If there has > ever been a larger long-distance power boat rally, Im not aware of > it. Our goal is to cover the approximate 1,100 mile distance in > approximately 16 days, including time in port. > > I was asked a few days ago: Ken. I keep hearing you are going on > the Fubar Rally. I know what Fubar means, but what is a rally? Is it > a race? > > Although I have participated in one rally (Nordhavns Atlantic > Rally) and am an escort vessel on the Fubar, I wasnt exactly sure > how to respond, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. The word rally had > lots of different definitions. All definitions, except the one that > pertains to boating, have a lot of great information. For boating, > there is only one short sentence: A long-distance non-competitive > race or passage-in-company for cruising boats. > > As short as this definition is, only the latter half applies to > rallys as I know them. A rally is a passage in company for a > cruising boat. This ties out with a survey I did a couple months > back. I asked all the participants why they were doing the rally, > and the #1 response was because it would be fun to travel with > other boats! The rally itself reflects this goal. Virtually every > evening in port or at anchor includes some sort of social event. A > lot of long-term (and, long-distance) friendships will be established. > > The #2 reason given for rally participation was Safety. This is a > real issue. I would be very surprised if 100% of the boats that > depart San Diego arrive in La Paz without incident. Well be moving > a collective 56,000 miles (53 boats at 1,100 miles each) along the > Pacific coast of Mexico. I know personally that it is very > comforting to be surrounded by a group of very smart people. Theres > a good chance that if I have a problem I cant solve, there will be > someone who has the knowledge or tool Im seeking. The west coast of > Baja is mostly barren and uninhabited, with essentially no marinas > between Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. Fuel availability is limited > and random. Its a wonderful country, but it can also be a > particularly difficult environment if things go wrong. As I said, > Ill be surprised if there arent some hic-ups along the way, but > Ill be even more surprised if the entire group doesnt arrive > together. > > If I were to add a third item to the list, it would be that it is > awesome having someone else research and figure out all the > logistics. Entering a foreign country aboard a boat, for the first > time, can be intimidating. There are local customs, procedures, > currency, legal, language, visa, cultural and other issues which > require planning. When participating in a rally, this burden is made > simpler for a boater. The rally organizers have worked hard finding > space in marinas for the group, arranging for fuel, facilitating > customs, etc. This rally has been in the planning phase for over a > year. Ultimately, each captain is responsible for his own ship, and > shouldnt just blindly follow the plan as laid out by the rally > organizers, but any way you look at it, a rally does make life > easier when venturing into unknown waters. > > Perhaps there are rallys that are races, but this is clearly not one > of them. Every boat on this rally could make the run in under five > or six days if they really wanted to, but this trip isnt about > speed. Its about companionship and safety. Its about meeting new > people to cruise with, adventuring places we might not have > otherwise, and moving our skills as boaters up another notch. > > Although power boat rallys are a fairly new phenomena, there are > sailboat rallys that have been around for a long time. In fact, the > Baja HaHa, a sailboat rally with a whopping one hundred seventy- > eight boats has just left San Diego this week for Cabo San Lucas. > Theres an even bigger sailboat rally, claiming two hundred and > forty boats that goes across the Atlantic each year, The ARC Rally. > > My boat will be an escort vessel on the Fubar, but I still have a > lot of planning and learning to do between now and when we leave > port next Wednesday. The logistics of cruising with that large a > group puzzles me. Im not sure how we plan to handle all of the > various speed boats. Looking through the list of boats, there are > some which probably wont be comfortable traveling at under 15 > knots, and others that wont be comfortable above 7.5 knots. I know > that the rally organizers have this all thought out, and that there > is a plan. I just cant tell you yet that I know what it is. > > My short-term focus is on getting last minute repairs made to the > boat. Our air conditioning has been fragile (for lack of a better > word). In the Pacific Northwest this wasnt a big deal, but after > the rally, as we head south to Costa Rica, the air conditioning will > shift from being a convenience to a necessity. Ive been getting > hourly updates from the boat, on this and a few other items, and all > is on track for a 100% operational departure. Starting Monday well > be fueling and loading on provisions. On Tuesday there are a series > of briefings where well go through all of the logistics, and on > Wednesday, we leave the country! > > Im sorry to report that my wife Roberta and our dog Shelby will not > be along for the ride. Roberta has been working on a book (non- > fiction, about the Irish Immigration), and wanted some quiet time to > get some serious writing done. Shelby was forced to choose between > the boat and our home in Cabo. I was crushed, but she picked Cabo > and Roberta. Oh well > > On the other hand, Im pleased to report that we will have on board > my father Dave, my son Chris, Jeremy Henderson (a Project Manager > for Nordhavn), and Jeff Sanson (who oversees the boat when Im not > aboard). Over the next few weeks as I publish my blog updates Im > sure Ill be referring often to these fine people, so perhaps a > quick bit of background on each is worthwhile: > > Dave Williams  My father and I have a tremendous relationship. > Aside from having known him literally all my life, we have played > chess via the internet virtually every afternoon for many many > years. He has been struggling with some serious medical issues the > past couple of years, but the doctors have been working miracles, > and both he and I are looking forward to his being on this trip. > > Chris Williams  My son Chris is recently back from Tokyo, where he > has lived for six years, going to college there and art school. > While going to school he supported himself working as a software > engineer. Neither Chris nor my dad have ever really spent time on a > boat. Chris has always had a fascination with maps, and I think the > chance to play with all the navigation electronics on the boat is > the real reason he is going. > > Jeremy Henderson  When I first met Jeremy he was an assistant > project manager working on the Nordhavn 68 project. Hes a bright, > resourceful young man, and my understanding is that he is now a > project manager on the Nordhavn 47. Jeremy and I spoke many times > daily while our boat was being built, but I really dont know much > about his boating skills. My belief is that this will be his first > major run. > > Jeff Sanson  Technically, Ill be the captain of the ship. But, > behind the scenes, Jeff will be the guy Im looking to for guidance. > Jeff is a professional captain who runs a yacht management service > in the Seattle area. Should things go wrong, on my boat or > elsewhere, Jeff will be a handy guy to have around (an > understatement!) > > This said, my hope is that we will be the most boring boat in the > rally, and that the majority of my future blog updates will focus on > the other rally boats, and the wonderful country we are visiting. > > Thats it for now. Its time to stop writing, and start packing. My > next report will be from San Diego! As always, if you know someone > who you think would enjoy receiving the rally updates, have them > subscribe by CLICKING HERE. > > Thank you, > -Ken Williams > Sans Souci, nordhavn68.com > > PS I just noticed that Nordhavn has released the latest edition of > Circumnavigator Magazine, with our boat on the cover, and a 16 page > article about it inside!!! I havent gotten a copy yet, but it > should be fun reading. The latest copy can bedownloaded from > Nordhavns site. Although, probably theyll give you your own real > copy free if you order a boat.