Are you one of those people who have often thought about taking part in one of lifeʼs great adventures, but somehow felt you never had the chance?
Over the years, many thousands of people have dreamed of sailing the worldʼs oceans in an attempt to share the same spirit of adventure that the truly great explorers must have felt centuries ago. There are still relatively very few people, who have actually experienced this unique phenomenon.
Now at last, here is such an opportunity available to everyone.
SWAC the Stokey Woodall Atlantic Circuit is an organized annual International Sailing Rally, the first of which begins in October 2014. It provides a fantastic opportunity for similar sized yachts from all over the world to take part in one complete circuit of the North Atlantic in company with other like minded sailors.
SWAC is a complete rally comprising of two Atlantic crossings, with options of four additional cruises all of which add up to the ultimate sailing adventure of a lifetime.
Two very experienced sailors, Stokey Woodall and Stuart Gough, have put this special and unique bespoke sailing rally together, both of whom having a deep understanding of all aspects of long distance cruising and the needs of those sailors taking part.
SWAC has been designed to be memorable, fun filled and with a spirit of adventure.
The SWAC Westbound Transatlantic passage starts in Madeira the third week in October each year…visiting the Cape Verde Islands before arriving in Barbados during the last week in November. This earlier and shorter transatlantic crossing ultimately guarantees a much longer cruising season in the Caribbean and beyond.
The SWAC Eastbound Transatlantic passage leaves St.Augustine, USA in early May each year…visiting Bermuda and the Azores. It is from these islands that the yachts have a choice of sailing to Cowes in the UK, Vilamoura in Portugal, or Cadiz in Spain.
The entire SWAC event has been carefully designed to incorporate sailing choices to suit all tastes. Visiting 23 different countries, 25 different islands and 37 different ports that include 2 transatlantic passages and 4 additional cruising options.
It has been put together to establish itself as one of the finest cruising events in the world, by providing insights into countries and ways of life of people slightly off the beaten track and that are not always associated with sailing rallies.
The organizers of SWAC have deliberately restricted the size of the fleet and the size of the yachts taking part, in an effort to create and maintain a level of camaraderie by sailing more as a group and not simply a collection of individual vessels. This in turn will help the rally to become a more dynamic and effective international affair to the benefit of all the participants.
Yachts will start each leg together and will more often than not finish together. Social gatherings and parties will be held with and for the whole group and not just fragmented sections of it. Therefore owners, skippers, crews, families and friends will have a far greater chance to associate with each other, make friendships and generally enjoy the rally in a much wider aspect than would otherwise be achieved.
The entire rally has been configured in such a manner that it can be broken down into easily managed segments that accommodates crew changes at a variety of ports along the route.
By having this choice, it allows the families and crews of yachts who cannot commit to long periods away from home, to spend quality time cruising in certain selected regions without losing their position in the rally. It also provides a much more flexible pattern for owners who are seeking to charter berths on their yachts, by being able to break the event down into more manageable segments and thereby create more income from their efforts.
SWAC has also been organized in such a manner that entrants do not have to complete the entire circuit in one single journey if they choose not to. Several transit ports along the route have deliberately been included, to provide yachts with the opportunity to leave the rally at certain points and then re-join at a later stage.
If you are simply looking to cross the Atlantic Ocean en-masse in the company of others then SWAC is not for you…
SWAC is for the discerning sailor whose wish is to be part of something special and for it to be a stand out event they will remember all their lives.
