The January issue of Caribbean Compass is out! You can read it in two easy ways: use the on-page embedded ISSUU reader below or download the full PDF. Did you know we have an online archive of all past editions? See the full list of past issues here.
2023 World Cruising Club ARC+ and ARC Rally Recap: 3,000 Miles, 244 Boats, 1,353 Crew
Caribbean Compass editor-in-chief Elaine Lembo spent time with ARC+ and ARC participants after their successful Atlantic Ocean passages in moderate weather conditions. Most crews made landfalls at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada and at IGY Rodney Bay Marina in St. Lucia in December. Here’s a photo recap; look for the full report and crew profiles in the February 2024 issue of Caribbean Compass!
Antigua’s Carrack Jones Sets Record 100 miles, 31 hours in an Opti
Sailing in his 7-foot, 9-inch Optimist dinghy, Carrack Jones, 14, set off on November 22, 2023, at 4:30 pm, from Falmouth Harbor, Antigua, making it into Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, just before midnight on November 23, after a mostly downwind sail with a reach for the final twenty miles or so. Conditions were light the entire way, never breaking 10 knots and often much less. Nonetheless, Jones cracked his remarkable goal—to set a world record for sailing 100 nautical miles across open ocean unassisted in an Opti. Read More
Together with The Caribbean Multihull Challenge
2024 Caribbean Multihull Challenge (1 – 4 February 2024) – Race & Rally Registration Open
Racing sailors will have an extra day to compete for podium spots. CSA 1 will have three Distance Races for the Trifecta Award, plus one day for two shorter in-shore races. Other CSA classes will race inshore for four days, including one round island Circle Race.
Cruising sailors in the rally will begin Thursday in Simpson Bay with a day sail to the uninhabited French island of Tintemarre and then an overnight in Dutch-side Great Bay. Friday will see a sail west and around to French St. Martin and an overnight at the upscale marina in Anse Marcel. Saturday has a great close reach for an overnight in Gustavia in St Barth’s; and then on Sunday, the rally boats will sail downwind back to Simpson Bay and a closing party at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.
Innovation! All sailors will have a third choice this time. We are introducing Time Trials for Cruising Multihulls for skippers who want to compare their speed and skill with others in a non-racing format. Entrants in the Time Trials division will sail destination courses with an overnight at each rally destination. The Racing Rules of Sailing will not apply, but each yacht will adhere to regular COLREG’s.
For more information, visit the website https://caribbeanmultihullchallenge.com/
Read the Lastest Sounds+
By Tad Richards
Happy New Year! If you’re reading this hot off the presses, here’s wishing you a wild and carefree celebration of the big night. If you’re catching up to us the morning after, or a couple of mornings after, enjoy that cup of coffee, and if you’re wishing “I wish it could be New Year’s Eve every night,” well … it can’t. Read More
Bequia: Theater on the Beach – David H. Lyman
Theater is coming to a beach near you—well, a beach in Bequia anyway. Read More
A Tale of Four Dinghies and Saved Lives
Originally this was going to be a humorous story about how, after searching for one dinghy for over a year, we ended up with four dinghies within a month and a half. But the story would take an abrupt twist and become a matter of life and death. Read More
Cost Control While You Cruise, Part 3
This is the third of a four-part Caribbean Compass series by Lin Pardey, adapting and updating material from her book, Cost Conscious Cruiser. Check out the first two parts in previous 2023 issues (August-September and October-November).
Cost Control While You Cruise, Part 1
Cost Control While You Cruise, Part 2
Cost Control While You Cruise, Part 3
The Caribbean Night Sky for January
Each month, Jim Ulik shares with us what to look for in the Caribbean night sky. Read more
Comprehensive Caribbean Events Calendar for January 2024
JANUARY 2024
1 Public holiday or ‘recovery day’ in many places (New Year’s Day)
1 Annual Festival Parade in Montserrat. https://visitmontserrat.com/festivals
1 Guloya Festival, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
1 Sandz Caribbean Music Festival, Jamaica
1-2 Sugar Mas 52 Festival, St. Kitts and Nevis. https://skncarnival.com
1-2 Conclusion of Montserrat Carnival
3 St. Croix Crucian Carnival Food, Arts and Crafts Fair. https://stcroixtourism.com › christmas_festival
3-4 Zamna Festival, Fenix Beach, Cartagena, Colombia. https://zamnafestival.com
5 St. Croix Crucian Carnival Children’s Parade
6 St. Croix Crucian Carnival Adult Parade
6 Public holiday in some places (Three Kings Day/Epiphany)
6 Viking Explorers rally departs from Canary Islands. https://vikingexplorersrally.com
7 RORC Transatlantic Race departs Canary Islands bound for Grenada. https://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
7 Keelboat Season Championship, Race Day Two, St. Maarten. https://smyc.com/keelboat-season-championship
8 International Women’s Day
10-15 Cayman Cookout. Goo Goo Dolls concert 13 Jan. https://caymancookout.com
13 Start of World ARC, St. Lucia – Colombia leg. https://worldcruising.com
13 Latitude 18 Halyard Challenge Race, Tortola. https://royalbviyc.org/calendar.html
13-16 Fiestas de da Calle San Sebastián, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
13–22 Barbados Sailing Week. https://roundbarbados.com
14 Oyster World Rally, Antigua. https://abyma.ag/events-calendar
14–15 Martin Luther King Regatta, St. Thomas. https://stthomasyachtclub.org/sailing/regattas/mlk-regatta
14-18 Gov’t Mule’s Island Exodus 14, Runaway Bay, Jamaica. https://islandexodus.com/event.html
15 Public holiday in Puerto Rico & USVI (Martin Luther King Day)
15-21 St. Barts Music Festival. https://stbartsmusicfestival.org/festival
16–20 Panama Jazz Festival. https://panamajazzfestival.com
16–21 Barbados Independent Film Festival. https://barbadosfilmfest.org
19-20 Rebel Salute, Plantation Cove, Jamaica. https://rebelsalutejamaica.com
20 Club De Pesca Cartagena + Panama Posse Sailors and Cruisers Networking Party, Cartagena, Colombia. https://oceanposse.com/events/
20 Painkiller Cup, Tortola, BVI. https://painkillercupbvi.com
20 Sandy Island Race, Antigua. https://antiguayachtclub.com/calendar
20–22 Caribbean Midwinter Laser Regatta, Cabarete, Dominican Republic. https://caribwind.com
20-21 Multiclass Dinghy Regatta, St. Maarten. https://smyc.com
21 Public holiday in the Dominican Republic (Our Lady of Altagracia)
21 Mount Gay Round Barbados Race. https://roundbarbados.com/round-barbados
21–27 Martinique Cata Raid (F16 and F18). https://martiniquecataraid.com
21-29 Havana Jazz Festival, Havana, Cuba. https://jazzcuba.com
22 Public holiday in Barbados (Errol Barrow Day)
24–28 Bequia Music Fest. https://bequiamusicfestival.com
24–7 Feb Mustique Blues Festival. https://basilsbar.com/whats-on
25 FULL MOON (Full Wolf Moon)
25 Public holiday in Aruba (GF Croes Day), in Cuba (Birthday of José Martí) and in Cayman Islands (National Heroes Day)
26 Public holiday in Dominican Republic (Duarte Day)
27–3 Feb Manhattan Caribbean Week, BVI. https://myc.org/cruising/caribbean-week
28–2 Feb Grenada Sailing Week. https://grenadasailingweek.com
TBA Antigua Yacht Club mini-regatta. https://antiguayachtclub.com/calendar
TBA RORC Transat arrival in Grenada. https://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
See Full Caribbean Events Calendar for 2024
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