Safety, Comfort, and Fun

New cruisers heading south for the first time are looking for three things: Safety, comfort and fun.

Safety - in getting to where you’re going, with all the fears and concerns facing you over your new lifestyle.

Comfort - setting limits that all on the boat can live with, for distances travelled, time at marinas and so on.

Fun - you’ve left family and friends, and everyone you’ve left behind thinks you’re nuts. And you’ve left your job - so maybe you aren’t so crazy, but still...your social life is no more. What do you do now?

Let’s talk about it

and on Akula....

We had such a positive experience traveling down the ICW and that had a lot to do with Wally. When we had poor weather, under Wally's leadership we were able to expand our comfort level and challenge ourselves safely. When we experienced boat issues, Wally was always there for us and often went above and beyond the call of duty. An example of this is when he hopped onboard our boat in St. Augustine to help us safely get our boat to a dock under severe conditions.

Wally's love of sailing was contagious and although it was great to get to your destination early, it was always so much more fun to sail when the conditions allowed. As Wally always stressed - you can sail on the ICW.

..our connection to Wally will remain forever. We got the chance to spend some time together in Miami in February and it was like reuniting with family. Wally offered some helpful hints on crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas and he is now just a short email away whenever we need his expertise.

Sailing South in Safety, Comfort and Fun...

Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is actually the answer for new cruisers to these three questions. Here’s why...

You’ve probably taken training for many other endeavours in your life. Sail to the Sun is just another training session. And it’s a lot more fun, we’ll add!

Safety? You’ll learn from an expert about how to be safe while cruising. He’s only got 50k miles of trouble free cruising in three oceans and 26 27 28 29...ok, 36 ICW transits. He's been doing this for a long time!

Got a question or a concern? Wally is right there to respond to you, guiding you every step of the way.

Worried about navigation, anchoring, docking or shoaling?

Wally is a qualified instructor as well as a cruising expert. If you need help, you've got help. He actually LIKES doing this stuff!

Comfort? Your day will be pre-planned with comfort in mind. The distances you travel will be rational distances that you can easily handle. You’ll spend enough time in marinas so that you don’t get cabin fever, or homicidal impulses towards your partner. You’re traveling with someone who has done this trip many times previously. He knows what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to get it done right.

Fun? Cruising with a rally, you’ve got a built in social group of like minded people, all with the same goals, hopes and fears as you.

You’ll get to know one another through your shared adventure, shared challenges and shared triumphs.

Together, you’ll enjoy successful passages, sunsets, way too early mornings to beat the tide, and make friends who will be closer to you than the ones you left behind.

And you’ll become a cruiser...ready to share your knowledge with those coming after you.