Let’s face it. We’re all animals.

Like dogs, and dolphins most of us are naturally attracted to be with others (as long as they don’t bite!).

After giving our long southward journey some research and thought, we decided to join the Salty Dawg Rally and sail from Hampton, VA on November 2, weather permitting, to the BVI’s, home of “nature’s little secret”. Currently El Gato is in Connecticut getting some wonderful improvements (new freezer, oven, props, awnings, outside cushions, etc) and we need to sail to the Chesapeake in less than 2 weeks for the rally. Once we arrive, our good friends Gloria Borrego and Simon Garland will bring their expertise, experience, and animal instincts to our herd.

It always feels good to be with an adventurous group of sailors. And unlike the ARC+, which claimed it was not a race but had start times, finish lines and prizes, we will pull anchor when the weather window looks good anytime from November 2 onwards. Remember hurricanes don’t care if the season is officially over on November 1st so rest assured everyone will be studying the forecasts diligently. We’ll have our Iridium Go on and use Predict Wind Offshore for daily routing. And that means we can text and e-mail too! There is no organized ready set go time so once we all decide it looks good we’ll leave for warmer waters. The destination is North Sound, Virgin Gorda near the Bitter End Yacht Club. It’s one of our favorite playgrounds on the planet. Free moorings until December 19th? We’re IN!

We loved our experience crossing the Atlantic with a group of other animals. And although we only saw other boats on the first and last days, we had daily communication through e-mails and texting and thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experiences whether it was about fish, spinnakers, meals, or just joking around.

There will be tracking for the rally so once we have that sorted out we will let everyone know how to follow. Because even if there isn’t a start and finish line, you know what they say about 2 boats on the water at the same time … animal instinct!