Every decade or so, INA’s Rendezvous is held on Long Island Sound. If you happen to be one of the lucky few who are only a day-sail from the venue, it’s a no brainer. You come hop on your boat and enjoy a rare opportunity to see other Nonsuch boats and socialize with Nonsuch owners.
Folks more than a day-sail away can fly in. Accomodations at this year’s venue are surprisingly affordable. But doesn’t your Nonsuch deserve the opportunity to sail in a fleet of other Nonsuch boats ? Why not take the opportunity to turn the rendezvous into an adventure for you AND your boat?
We purchased Soave three seasons ago, and have been astounded by the support and camaraderie provided by INA and the community of Nonsuch owners.
This thread is to help rendezvous attendees connect with others planning making the trip to ( and back from ) the rendezvous. To kick off the discussion, I’ll pose a few questions :
Are you willing to offer shore support for boats enroute to the rendezvous? This may be as simple as sharing local knowledge or perhaps helping traveling boats finds berths or local transportation.
Are you an experienced sailor and making the trip ? If so would you share you knowledge with some newbies and perhaps share your location with them during your trip?
Are you ( like me ) new to cruising and not sure what to ask? Maybe my questions are relevant to you and your boat? Things like provisioning, spare parts, route planning.
What would you like to experience at the rendezvous ? We’re still lining up presenters. Is there a topic you’d like to learn about ? Are you and expert in something that you think would interest other owners?
Lastly, if you are not planning to attend the rendezvous please feel welcome to interact with attendees. I’m sure they will be excited to share their experience and possibly offer encouragement to attend a future rendezvous. If you are not attending, but interested in interacting as the fleet passing your home port offer to provide shore support.
Let’s make this event memorable like the many previous INA rendezvous events !
Thanks for starting this thread, Rob. Spray is in Salem, Massachusetts, and would love to join the rendezvous, but I can’t take the time off work for a leisurely passage in either direction. If I could find interested crew, it might become possible.
I imagine that most folks on this forum who are in the area, will be engaged in getting their own boats to the rendezvous, but if anyone is interested in sailing on Spray, let me know.
Hi Rupert,
You have a good point, some sailors will opt to sail straight though without stops. It will still be good for them to know about friendly voluntary shore support available from other Nonsuch owners. You never know when something unexpected will come up.
For route planning on Soave, I’m planning one overnight to avoid sailing on LIS at night and to make it easier to plan for favorable current at Plum Gut.
I expect other owners will post in the coming weeks. There are a fair number of owners coming to the rendezvous without their boat. It is possible one of them would be interested in crewing on Spray for the trip to and from Salem. Especially if you could accomodate them on Spray for the nights at dock in Greenport.
Another option would be for you to help another owner get their boat to Greenport.
Stay tuned, if an option to attend the final day of the the rendezvous is offered, it will be posted here and on the INA website.
Hope to see you at the Rendezvous or if you are ever passing by Westport, CT.
Rob…
I’m considering sailing up from Chesapeake Bay, but I am neither confident enough nor do I have the time to sail solo in one-day legs. I’d be happy to take on crew or to crew on someone else’s boat. I’m not sure I care to drive up for the week.
Brian
SV Serenity
Nonsuch Nereus #003
Pax River MD
This is a reply not necessarily to Brian SV Serenity but more to Rob SV Soave. There are two very similar threads going on right now about the 2026 Rendezvous. This practice seems to me to fracture the intent and divide information sharing. It should be easy enough to combine the two and eliminate missed information.
Brian SV Spirit~Wind
Hi Brian on Spirit~Wind ,
Yea, the two thread thing is my fault.
The first thread… “Rendezvous Trip Planning” was intended to get folks talking about their plans for sailing to the rendezvous. I hoped to assess the interest in offering shore support from this discussion but there wasn’t much discussion that would indicate interest in shore support.
The second thread… “Question for folks coming to the 2026 Rendezvous by boat”. Was an attempt to assess interest in shore support by asking specific questions. Again it seems to me like the interest level is low.
Perhaps, knowing that you are leaving from Pilots Point, and that I was planning to overnight there is enough for us to form a two boat flotilla from Westbrook to Greenport. Maybe others will join or maybe not.
Rob,
I can see your point of having a flotilla. It would be great , the thing I was trying to point out is that Duck Island Roads anchorage behind the breakwater is a good place to start. It’s a short dingy ride to shore and well marked and leaving in the morning ( I can see now that I looked will not facilitate “Going with the flow”) but like -you say there is safety in numbers.
Brian
Funny enough, she has spent her life in New England, most recently in Connecticut, so many of you guys may have seen when she wore the name Carumba.
I don’t have a route yet. I suspect that the trip up the Chesapeake, through the canal, and down the Dover river may be shortest, but more technical, while going out through the mouth of the Chesapeake and ‘outside’ might be faster.
Similarly, I don’t have any particular skills in mind. I can do a small bit of most things, but truly am not a master at any. I certainly am not comfortable sailing at night, so someone(s) who is/are would reduce the need to pull in each night. Other than that…
Brian
SV Serenity
Nonsuch Nereus #003
Pax River MD
Brian, SV Serenity
In the spring of 23 I was considering the possibility of buying SV Crackerjack ( Nighthawk 36 #2 from Steve Gross in Baltimore. When I inquired of the trip to bringing it here he said he had done it several times and provided this advice.
Yes – I sailed it.
I have done the run from Groton/Newport five times (3 south, 2 north).
It’s pretty straightforward:
Sail up the Chesapeake to the C&D Canal (about 40 nm)
Through the C&D to the Delaware Bay (about 18 nm)
Down the Delaware bay to Cape Henlopen, around Cape May (about 80 nm)
Up the Jersey coast to Sandy Hook (the longest, most boring, and most exposed leg – about 110 miles or so)
NY harbor, up the East River, around Hell’s Gate into the LI Sound (about 20 nm)
Long Island Sound to Groton – (about 80 nm)
About 4-5 days of 16 hour runs.
I’ve always done the Jersey Coast in one bite – but that is round the clock. It’s long. You can put in at Barnegat Bay or Atlantic City for the night w/o a problem if you want to break it up. You have to be careful at Barnegat – it is shallow. The new chartplotter should keep you out of trouble.
This sounds like a good summer adventure.
I am planing being in Greenport from 8/17 thru 8/21.
I hope to see you there and wish you Godspeed finding a healthy crew and sailing here and back.
Hi Brian - I suggest you reach out to Ed Strazzini who is planning to sail from Deltaville VA on his NS33, Pelican. I would freaking love it though for you to sail your Nonsuch Cat Ketch to the Rendezvous! It is a beauty and would be the star of the show!
I have been on SV Crackerjack–she’s a beautiful boat and Steve is a quite the character!
The “inside” route is the one I have seen drafted up a few times, and is likely the one I would take if all else was equal, but I am also very much aware that it’s a five or six day run, and not everyone that might care to crew would want to spend that much time on the trip. It’s on the list.
Anyone else besides Ed S that is considering the trip?
Brian
SV Serenity
Nonsuch Nereus #003
Pax River MD
There is a 30 U named Grace planning to come up from Annapolis. Her owner, Capt. Hilary Howes mentioned it’s possible she will be looking for crew in another thread.
The rendezvous committee has a list of boats attending and homeports, I’ll ask the committee if they feel it is appropriate to share the list here on the forum to facilitate pre-event route planning.
Some boats switch out crew to lessen the commitment for crew. Along the CT coast there are places where metro-north trains are very accessible.
