95 cruising crews set off yesterday from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to cross the Atlantic. Before sailing westwards, they will first make a stopover in Mindelo on the Cape Verde Islands. They will then head for the Caribbean, with Grenada as their common destination.
The crews are taking part in this year's ARC plus, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. The "plus" stands for the ARC variant with a stopover. In a fortnight' time, a further 170 or so crews will set off on the non-stop transatlantic passage as part of the regular ARC. This will also begin in Las Palmas, but will end on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
For the ARC plus, the fleet of almost 100 boats means a record number of participants. The rally was first organised in addition to the ARC in 2013. Since then, this two-stage Atlantic adventure has become increasingly popular - not least due to the attractiveness of the destinations in Cape Verde and Grenada.
Lots of cats, even more kids
The ARC plus 2023 is also a record-breaking event in other respects, as the organiser, the British company World Cruising Club, reports. With 26 multihulls taking part, an increase of 30 per cent compared to the previous year, almost a third of the fleet consists of catamarans. Eight have only been launched this year.
The number of children taking part is no less impressive. 44 young sailors aged between eight months and 16 years are taking part with their families on 20 different multihull and monohull boats.
During the previous two weeks in Las Palmas, the children made friends while their parents attended various WCC blue water seminars and prepared their boats for the crossing.
While most of the participants will spend one or two seasons in the Caribbean after the Atlantic crossing before returning to Europe, some crews will continue on. Like an Australian family, for example, who last sailed in the Mediterranean and are now crossing the pond on the ARC plus, before setting off for the South Seas and home early next year on the World ARC, which will then start in the Caribbean.
Clear the way for multis and monos
Although the ARC plus is not a regatta and there is no racing class, the rally participants were officially sent on their way in two groups yesterday. The starting signal for 26 multihulls was given at 12.45 pm, followed by the monohulls a quarter of an hour later. The starting conditions could hardly have been better, the sky was bright blue and the wind was blowing at 12 knots.
The crews now have around 850 nautical miles to Mindelo ahead of them, which ideally means five to seven days of beautiful sailing. The north-east trade wind is already well established, which means that 20 to 25 knots of wind can be expected over the next week, with gusts of up to 30 knots. There will also be a decent long swell.
Each ARC-plus boat is equipped with a tracker so that the fleet can be tracked via the YB Races app or the Fleet Viewer on the World Cruising Club website.
Over 2,000 nautical miles on stage two
After just under a week on the Cape Verde Islands with time for island tours and to carry out any final boat repairs, the 456 young and old sailors will set off on the second leg on 17 November. They then have 2,150 nautical miles to Grenada ahead of them.
The Managing Director of the World Cruising Club, Paul Tetlow, explains the special appeal of the ARC plus as follows: "The island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde is beautiful, and the welcome in the Mindelo marina there is always warm. Cape Verde is therefore not only a convenient stopover after five to seven days of sailing, but the islands also have a unique culture that enriches the travelling experience."
In Grenada, where the fleet will dock at Camper & Nicholson's Port Louis, a multi-day programme also awaits the Atlantic crossers. "Grenada offers fantastic culinary experiences, soft adventures, scuba diving, hiking, chocolate making and rum tasting, and our warm, friendly people welcome every visitor," promises Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority.
The final awards ceremony on 7 December will celebrate not only the achievement of crossing the Atlantic, but also good seamanship and the spirit of camaraderie for which the rally is famous. "We wish the sailors of this record-breaking ARC-plus rally good winds for their Atlantic adventure," says Paul Tetlow. He continues: "I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again, first in Cape Verde, then in the Caribbean."
