The truth is that all 15 participating ships, including the Alondra, well organized in 3 groups and with clear instructions, passed the notorious 'pirate alley' in the Gulf of Aden without any problems and after that made the crossing from Oman to Bombay. In Bombay there was a great atmosphere among all participants again, with beautiful excursions, receptions and dinners (often paid for by local sponsors).

In Bombay only the Alondra left the rally, after the Alondra-skipper seriously offended the rally-leader over the VHF radio. That the Alondra wasn't expelled from the rally earlier, is due to the patience of the rally leader, who, despite all the earlier incidents, considered that it was not responsibly to let the Alondra continue to sail thrue the above mentioned pirate alley on it's own.

From Bombay to Goa the Indian sponsors organized a regatta (the Forts of India Cup). All other rallyships and a small number of ships from India participated with great pleasure. There are currently 12 participating ships anchor in the Mandovi River in Panjim/Goa at a floating pier with a fixed connection to the shore, and with water, electricity and security. All in all a small improviseerde marina, unique in India if you know the bureaucracy and corruption here, also established by the dedication of the rally leader.

The ships continued to lie here until the end of the monsoonperiod in September/October (most captains and crewmembers have gone home). It is intended that this is the beginning of the first real marina in India. After the monsoonperiod it will be taken over by a local administrator. Furthermore, your reporter states that the rally led to unnecessarily high (er) costs, that the rallyleader did not do his homework done and did not respect made agreements.

As a matter of fact, by participating in the rally, many expenses were saved, such as demurrage in marinas and a number of excursions, hotel stays, receptions and dinners. The rally leader spent many months on preparation and make appointments with sponsors and port authorities as good as possible in these countries.

The cost for participating in the rally were only 50 per boat and 150 euros a skipper/crew member. The T-shirts, hats, banners and flags for each participant represent only a small part of the costs that rally organisation has made.Friction on costs was only with the Alondra, for them the agreements were never good enough, with as result that local authorities and people were often unnecessarily insulted.

Costreduction should never be the main consideration for joining a rally, it is mainly about the fun and contact with the other rally participants. The Vasco Da Gama Rally fortunately never failed on that part: almost all participants joined the barbecues (we never ate that much tuna), excursions, receptions and regattas.

Finally Tiemessen says: "To be honest, the disappointment in the rally organization was great." Our above statements will be show clearly: he speaks only for himself and the epilogue is not fair at all.As a positive note, we do agree with the last sentence, stating that the area is great and that the Alondra did not hinder an unforgettable journey.

We were particularly impressed by the people of Sudan, Eritrea and Yemen, who, despite the extreme poverty, are hospitable, friendly and curious about the visiting sailing ships, because they seldom come there. During the 8 months of the rally is nothing is stolen from any ship and nobody was harassed, while vessels were not locked and hatches were open because of the heat.

After this wonderful adventure there was every reason for all participants to express there extended thanks to Louis Brust, the rally leader, as they did in Goa.

Because the article in your magazine brought the Vasco da Gama rally into disrepute on completely wrong information and the rally-organizer is called by name, we kindly ask ypu to publish our response in a future edition of your magazine.

Written by the Dutch participants in Goa: the yachts Luna Mare, Winds and Tides, Cloud-Two and Sepia (and we know for sure on behalf of other international participants).

Thank you so much! So much!!
Denise and Jean Louis Sailing Yacht Alero Canada

It,s been a life- changing experience which you have made possible and we thank you for everything.
Paul and Rachel s/y Lynn Rival UK

Thank you for the fantastic trip, one of a lifetime; visiting many special countries. We appreciate all the hard work, also behind the scenes.
Your friends Rombout&Laura crew yacht Lunamare Holland.

Herzlichen Dank fur die 8 guten monaten dir wir haben mit der Vasco da Gama crew.
Herlich. Rolf und Eva Yacht Present Switserland.

Lieve Lo
Wij behoren tot de bevoorrechte mensen die kunnen zeggen:" Wij hebben een droom gerealiseerd". Dank zij jouw initiatief+inzet+alle voorbereiding hoefden we slechts in te haken: Duikend, snorkelend, zeilend en vooral genietend van deze prachtige, ongelofelijke reis! En niet op de laatste plaats: We zijn blij en trots jou tot onze vrienden te mogen rekenen. Een knuffel voor Yugo en Lloyd.
Marijke en Frank Yacht Sepia Holland.

Dear Lo,
Many, many thanks for sharing your knowledge and your friendship. We on Reckless have had a fantastic trip with you. Wish you good winds and flat seas.
Tim and Chris S/Y Reckles of Hamble UK

Beste Lo
Bedankt voor alles. Voor ons was en ben je een prima ventje. En mischien komen we elkaar nog wel eens tegen. Groetjes.
Kees en Jenny S/Y Cloud Two Holland

Lo, Well, we made it.We on Mandarina have covered over 4500 miles under your guidance - we couldn't have done it so easily without you! Many Thanks for sharing your experience of the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and India with us.
Jerry, Caz & Emmy. Sailing Yacht Mandarina UK

Beste Lo, Yugo en Lloyd,
Een fantastich avontuur was voor ons de Vasco da Gama Rally. Bedankt voor alles, zonder jouw organisatie zouden we nu niet in Goa zijn.
Frans en Leny Yacht Lunamare Holland.

Hello from Sri Lanka
We want thank you again for a great rally!!! We had a wonderful time and enjoyed your company and expertise on all the stops that we made along the way. We have many good memories and friendship for this trip. We miss everyone. Have a safe trip to Goa.
John and Sharon Sailing Yacht Dionysus USA

"Je tiens à remercier personnellement LO, notre organisateur du rally, pour la gentillesse dont il a fait preuve durant notre absence. En effet, à cause d'un ennui de  santé qui nous a retenu en France jusqu'à la mi-novembre, Lo s'est démené auprès des autorités indiennes pour les empécher de démonter le ponton et d'attendre le retour de Guy.
Alors que rien d'autre ne le retenait à GOA (le 3ème rally était terminé depuis longtemps et il n'avait plus la responsabilité de nos bateaux) il est resté plus d'un mois à discuter ....... Et je sais que cela n'a pas été facile.
Merci monsieur Lo!
Quand nous sommes rentrés en France en mai nous avions laissé un chef de file compétent mais nous retrouvons maintenant un ami.

Guy et Michelle du MAÏLYS"

English version:
I would very much like to thank personally Lo Brust, our rally-organizer, for the kindness he showed during our absence from India. Medical problems retained us in France until the middle of November, and Lo negotiated with the Indian authorities to avoid that they would defuse the pontoon, but instead waited for the return of Guy.
While nothing else retained him to Goa (the 2nd rally had ended long before and he was nolonger responsible for our boats) he stayed on the case and had discussions for a month with the authorities. And I know that was pretty difficult!
Thank you mister Lo! When we left for France in May we said goodbye to a competent leader, but when we returned in November, we found a real friend!

Guy and Michelle on board the MAILYS