Finding Dory V (2026-'27 East-West Transatlantic cruisers group) -- Background, links and Frequently Asked Questions.

THIS POST IS CURRENTLY IN DRAFT

Who are we, and what is "Finding Dory" all about?

Read more about the background, purpose and set-up of the "Finding Dory V" (FD V) East-West transatlantic (transat) flotilla (and how to join), in this kick-off post (link to be inserted here, once that post goes online).
You can share the link to the kickoff post on your social media channels, but please do NOT distribute the link to join the Telegram channel directly on social media, otherwise we will get over-run by spammers :-( .

And yes, all stuff we do with "Finding Dory", is for free. No entry fees, no hidden costs,... But by joining the group, you commit to contribute positively to this transat community. :-)

Our Telegram chat group:

Our central means of communicating within our group, goes via our "Telegram" chat group. The link/QR code to join this chat group, you find in this post. post (link to be inserted here, once that post goes online)

Please keep in mind that the chat channel (as is the whole of FD V) is only for skippers and crew crossing the Atlantic East-West during the 2026-'27 season. This is not a group to look for a boat to crew on, nor for yachts to look for crew. If you look for a boat or for crew, you can use the Nonforeignland E-W transat Facebook page).

While in past years, we used several Whatsapp groups as our chat channel(s), this year we want to experiment with "Telegram". This will hopefully ease our work as chat-administrators, and make it easier for people to join in.

One of the main differences, in using Telegram (versus Whatsapp), is that there is only one "group", with only one "join request" needed. BUT the group has different "topics".
The topics are different chat channels within the same group: There is a general chat channel, a more safety oriented channel for boats on passage, one channel for those who have completed their transat, and one chat channel per "social aggregation area" for local coordination, meet-ups or chit-chat: (1) Europe/Gibraltar/North-Morocco, (2) Canaries/West Africa, (3) Cape Verde/West Africa).
So if you want to propose a group dinner in La Linea, just click on the "EU/N-Africa" topic, and post your message there. You are looking for a sailmaker in Las Palmas? Click on the Canaries topic, and post it there. You are on passage between Gibraltar and Lanzarote? Post your position report in the "On Passage" topic...

By default you find the "topics" listed on the left of your Telegram chat:

So if you click on one of the topics, you can see (or post) a chat message for that specific topic. If you click on "All", you will see all topics' messages.

If you click on the icon on top of the topics list, the topic list switches to "horizontal" (and you can horizontally scroll through the topics list):

Our group's flotilla tracking and other resources on Noforeignland (NFL):

Please join our group “Finding Dory V” on “Noforeignland (NFL)” (via the mobile app or website). - This is the platform we use to track our fleet on the map, as we move to the Canaries-Cape Verde/Africa, and go across the Atlantic.

In this NFL group, we also have some “chats with longer shelf-life” - including all links for the upcoming webinars - and the introduction of most members (since we started Finding Dory IV),...

To join: just register on Noforeignland, and then join our NFL group.
Link: https://www.noforeignland.com/group/6751263383355908

Note that joining NFL and our NFL group, is for free, of course.

Our webinars:

Just like we did in the last season, we will organize a series of interactive webinars on Zoom. These webinars aim to help you prepare and enjoy your transat trip. They are also free to join, watch and/or participate in.

Each time we organize a webinar, we will announce the join-link in our Telegram chat-group (and on our NFL group). The recordings will be uploaded into a Youtube playlist. And when you watch a recording, if you click on “CC”, the automatic captions (sub titles) will pop up.

Post-"Finding Dory V" Groups:

Each time a "Finding Dory"-season ends, there are a number of chat groups set-up by Dorians themselves outside of the main "Finding Dory"-community group. We will keep track of those and list them here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Do I have to pay to join Finding Dory, Noforeignland or the Noforeignland group? No, there are no entry or participation fees. There are no "optional" fees for hidden features or extra services neither. And there are no advertisements spamming you. Each of us, who works with/for/in this flotilla does this benevolent. We have no sponsors nor are we looking for sponsors. :-) We do this out of a strong conviction that "cruisers helping cruisers", is key to build a stronger yachties' community.

I will cross with the ARC, ARC+, Viking Explorers, or another flotilla. Can I still join "Finding Dory"? Sure you can!

Can I use text or pictures posted on the Telegram group on my own social media channels?? Please ask permission from the person who posted the message/picture first. By default, everything that happens in Finding Dory, stays there :-)

I have some stuff to sell, can I use the Finding Dory group? This group is for transat cruisers only. But, as a Dorian, if you have something to sell (or donate) which other Dorians can use, sure.... But we don't want FD to become a 2nd hand flee market, nor get the channels saturated with questions about the stuff you want to sell, so keep it all reasonable, please.

Can I post messages on the Telegram group in other languages than English? Unfortunately we prefer to keep it to English only. But don't hesitate to post non-perfect English. Hey, English ain't my first language neither and I make plenty mistakes too!

If I want to reply to a post on the Telegram group, do I reply to the group, in the chat, or do I reply to the sender directly? Well, we try to keep the volume of messages "reasonable". So: reply to the group, in the chat, if you feel your reply is useful for the group or the conversation. If not, reply directly to the sender only (in Telegram, click on the sender, and then click on "Message")...

Who admits new group members, or moderates the chats? For the moment, I admit new members (and try to keep the spammers out). But if the volume gets too high, or if I am on passage myself, other moderators will help. The chat messages themselves are "unmoderated" (they are published automatically), though I (or an other admin) might intervene if a message was not posted in the right channel, or was not appropriate.

You talked about "passage reports" in the "on passage" channel. How do these look like? Yep. Our "On Passage" channel is slightly special, and more "safety"-oriented. Whether on passage from EU to Madeira/Canaries, or on route to Cape Verde, or during their actual transat, Dorians typically post a daily "passage report" or "position report", with basic information (boat position, wind and wave info, sail configuration, magical or difficult moments... Sometimes this goes together with a picture, or sometimes, it is text only.
Here is a typical example:
Boat Name: Argo (Solaris50)
4 adults on board: John, Mary, Julia and Andrew, plus two dogs
Pos: 12°52N 059°35W
Cabo Verde to Bequia
Passage day 15
Distance traveled 2141 Nm
DTD: 95 Nm
Current SOG average 6kn
COG 285°
Wind direction 85°
Wind speed: 13kn-15kn
Waves: 1-2m, period 10 seconds
Sails: Genoa poled, main full, WoW
After motoring last evening the wind came back at 0:00, just enough to sail.
Magical moment: We first saw land (Barbados) at 12:00 but will sail on. We will be in Port Elizabeth tomorrow morning.
At the moment it is interesting that these small waves are getting significantly bigger South of Barbados where the depth goes to 100m. Don’t pass here if there is big swell.

You have more questions...? Well, just send me a direct message on Telegram or Whatsapp. I will be happy to assist.