wow i’ve scarily settled into a happy-ish routine

sailing season has ended in boston (effectively, for me) which means it’s time to think about sailing / prep / plan / learn instead

what made me fall in love with sailing? the peace and calm of the water lapping on the dock as I looked out from my (absolute moldy, unplumbed, unwired wreck of a boat that i couldn’t stand up in) before going to sleep. the days when i woke up in a different harbor to a quiet view.

sailing at night, under stars, viewing land from afar — twinkling lights and the fireworks going off town-after-town.

the wonder of discovering the glow of bioluminescence in the boat wake, looking up at the mast and the universe beyond.

seeing sights like a red glow and a ship on fire on the horizon out on the ocean, before realizing it was the moonrise.

the challenge of routing and scheduling and plotting about the weather to reach destinations. seeing sights that few other people have the privilege to see.

the surreal BVI trip, seeing manta rays pass underneath the docks at night and dolphins and beautiful weather. sharing food and water and the work of sailing among a little circle of friends, new and old. that’s when i decided i wanted to be a skipper.

(after that, i paid money for a course instead of mooring fees for a boat, and the sailing included after that was when i really started sailing on my own where i was the most experienced sailor in charge of other people’s safety)

for reasons, i think next year will the year to cross the ocean. it sounds daunting but i have methods to make it more approachable. for one, i’m not skippering my own boat across the ocean but rather plan to join as crew. for the other, i’ve researched cross-ocean rallies, like car caravans, that go leave around roughly the same time, so that other people are a day or two away rather than weeks away. additionally, there are safety-at-sea classes organized and taught due to cross-ocean races like the newport bermuda race.

without further ado (in particular as somehow even during funemployment I am behind on work)

it’s roughly, safety at sea classes nearby start in late feburary. late spring / early summer the rally leaves to europe. thanksgiving is is rally from europe back. newport bermuda race is also early summer. my bvi trip was late july.

okay honestly that makes it sound like the year-after-next is when i’ll sail but we’ll see.

rough timings:

• 10 May – 23 June 2025 ARC Europe (MD to Bermuda to Azores to Portugal) https://www.worldcruising.com/arc_europe/arceuropeitinerary.aspx
• 23 Nov – 15 Dec 2025 ARC https://www.worldcruising.com/arc/arcrouteitinerary.aspx
• ARC Europe (might be bad timing with the race)
• Newport Bermuda race June 19, 2026
• (hurricane season according to insurers in bahamas, as linked from ARC: june 30 – nov 1 inclusive)
• https://www.smbsf.org/safety-at-sea/
• Rhode island has a bunch starting in february or so
• cities on cross-ocean:
• This is the NYC rally https://sdsa.memberclicks.net/azores-rally
• Set sail on an unforgettable adventure across the North Atlantic! Join us for an exhilarating rally to Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores, departing from Bermuda on June 1, 2025. Whether you’re sailing from the US East Coast (Hampton, VA) or the Caribbean (St Maarten), our feeder rallies promise an exciting start to this epic journey.
• https://bermudarace.com/resources/safety-at-sea-seminars/
  These are the newport bermuda certification requirements– the alternative to safety at sea is a World Sailing approved “Offshore Personal Survival Course”
• more safety from https://worldcruising.com/articles/first-aid
• this is pelagic in boston — my friend said he learned a lot sailing with different people on different boats. https://pelagicsailingclub.org/
• I haven’t watch this yet but it seemed relevant. from a nyc sailing club, re: trip logistics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weSr6i5kfI8oh
• I skimmed through most of this book and have a paper copy. https://www.amazon.com/Caribbean-Back-Sailing-Atlantic-spare/dp/1671122259
• 2026 ARC itinerary. https://worldcruising.com/events/arc-europe/arc-europe-2026
• safety equipment links. They’re kind of intense. https://worldcruising.com/safety-equipment
• PDF at https://worldcruising.com/storage/08-preparations/documents/vE3bIRHdfrfLOLSObKnrlqH3FivjEl8duh8s4ymB.pdf