What is the Scoot?
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The Scoot is neither a race nor a rally; it will, however, be at least somewhat of a 'challenge' for it's participants.
In fact, by it's nature, the Scoot is quite likely to be more of a challenge than you bargained for!

More than anything, and all it really is in actuality is calling the following activity by a name :


The Scoot is nothing more than a convivial gathering of individualistic yet like-minded folks,
folks who share the more or less common goal of bluewater sailing to a distant port,
within the same approximate time frame.

It is imagined that most participants in the Scoot will be leaving at some point in time during the course of a month following a date designated as the "Start" (currently: April 26, 2010). No one is asking, making, or requiring that they do so. Some participants may leave earlier than that, and some may leave later - and that's their choice.

The Scoot is not a race, although there is nothing about the Scoot which would prevent folks from racing others while 'Scooting'. Thus, if Scoot participants ("Scooters", if we may call them that for convenience), if individual Scooters do decide to race amongst themselves, there is nothing to keep them from doing so. And noone else is responsible for that other than themselves - that's their choice.

The Scoot is not a rally, either. Noone is calling the shots, there are no official sponsors, there are no rules set in stone, and there are no fees.
There is no rescue committee, or even a rescue plan.
There is only the personal responsibility inherent in the participants individual acceptance of the challenges, risks, and possible rewards of crossing a large body of water on a relatively small vessel. Anyone who joins the Scoot is under no obligation whatsoever to other participants, nor are other participants obligated to them in any way. Each and every individual Scooter is Scooting because - that's their choice.

Yes, that's exactly right: Scooters are left entirely to their own devices. As Captain Ron said, "If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there.", and so it is up to the individual Scooters to make sure that they are most certainly ready, willing, equipped, and able to handle whatever might "happen out there".
No one else is reponsible for you, if you Scoot.
There might be no one - NO ONE AT ALL - to help you out of a tight spot, no one to even give you any sort of moral or psychological support.

You will be doing the Scoot alone.
It is YOUR Scoot, and no one else is, or can be, responsible for that - it is ALL up toYOU!

There might be some other sailors, sailing friends, starting their own Scoot at the departure point when you are about to start. There might be some even stronger sailing friends there when you finish, friends who've just Scooted on their own, friends who you will have Scooted with. But a chance of that being the case is *all* you can count on.

So, if you decide to get yourself and your boat ready for all the challenges possible in Scooting by April 26, 2010, there will likely be Scooters starting their own Scoots sometime on and/or around that date. Some Scooters might choose a more specific timeframe to start within, but, say it with the rest of us, that's THEIR choice! :)

Want to correspond and discuss with other Scooters-to-be? You can find active Scoot related discussion here.

Remember - it's YOUR Scoot, and it's your choice to Scoot.
It will start sometime after or around April 26, 2010.

If you start your own Scoot sometime around then, and make it to the Scoot destination within a reasonable amount of time, there might be others Scooters, a Scooter party of some sort, and maybe even some Scoot-related schwag there when you finish your Scoot.

There aren't any guarantees of anything other than that, and of course, the fact that you'll know that you Scooted.

So -

Be safe, and have fun on your SCOOT!


See this link for some more specific Scoot information.

Current List of Scooters.