The "No Rush" crossed the finish line in Rodney Bay in the north of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia as the first of almost 140 participating yachts. 3,062 nautical miles were on the log when the clock was stopped after 12 days, 5 hours and 8 minutes. Not a new ARC distance record for the route from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia, but still a great success for skipper Diogo Cayolla and his crew.
Overall, however, the team of the 32-metre yacht sailing under the flag of the Isle of Man only managed second place. Jean Philippe Blanpain and his crew on the Vismara 62 "Leaps & Bounds" (Malta) took first place thanks to a more favourable handicap.
While both crews celebrated their success with a first rum punch after arriving at Rodney Bay Marina, the mood among the crew of the third-placed "Ocean Breeze" was probably more subdued. They had lost a crew member who had fallen overboard in the Atlantic the week before. The "Leaps & Bounds" had also taken part in the unfortunately unsuccessful search for the 33-year-old Swede. The exact circumstances of the accident are still unknown.
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"Red 2" is the fourth ship to reach the finish line
From a German-Swiss perspective, the performance of the "Red 2" of Mathias Müller von Blumencron and his three fellow competitors, which is significantly smaller than the first three boats at 13 metres in length, is remarkable. They reached the finish with their JV 43, which sails under the Swiss flag, after 13 days, 22 hours and 8 minutes: Fourth place!
Currently 15 yachts have finished, with a handful more crews expected later today. Among them is the first yacht to sail under the German flag, the "CJ Legend". The former 72-foot Whitbread racer will be skippered by Gerrit Scheper.
The ARC record is 8 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes and 15 seconds. It was set by George David's "Rambler 88" (USA) in 2016. The majority of this year's ARC fleet will be travelling for well over a week longer and will not be back on solid ground until the next few days.
The ARC plus participants are different. Almost all of them have already reached their destination. From Gran Canaria via Mindelo on the Cape Verde Islands, they headed for the Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina on Grenada.
Outremer double success and "baby on board"
The first boat to arrive was the Outremer 52 "Salto" from Norway, closely followed by another Outremer catamaran, the three-foot larger "Sizzle" owned by Briton Simon Cooks. At just nine months old, the "Sizzle" also had the youngest crew member of the rally on board.
The crew of the "Salto" had spent 11 days and 17 hours at sea to complete the almost 2,450 nautical miles from Mindelo to the Caribbean. On board were the parents Henrik and Anne Vestnes together with their three children Sara (9), Vetle (6) and Birk (2) as well as two other fellow sailors.
"It was a great feeling to sail my own boat into the Caribbean for the first time," explained Henrik Vestnes after arrival. "And then to take first place straight away is a great success for us." The children in particular had been longing for the end of the long crossing. "It was still a good journey for them, they enjoyed themselves, slept well and we had fun. We fished, played and baked Christmas cakes."
The British Solaris 74 "Luminous 3", skippered by John Mcdonnell, was the first monohull to cross the finish line at the ARC plus. As the largest ship in the fleet, the Solaris took two hours longer than the "Salto".
24-year-old is the youngest skipper in the rally - and right at the front
The second monohull to arrive in Grenada was a young Norwegian team on the Xp 44 "Born to Run", again just under two hours later. The crew: six sailors under the age of 30. Among them was Peder Stiansen, the youngest skipper of the ARC plus 2024 at the age of 24, who said: "We are really happy to be here. It was great sailing. We pushed our boat and sailed hard. We are happy with our performance and are looking forward to our time here in Grenada."
The "Asja" was the first yacht sailing under the German flag to reach Grenada as the 29th ship in total. The 14-metre Sun Odyssey 469, skippered by Daniel Tydecks, crossed the finish line in the early hours of St Nicholas' Day.
90 Arc-plus yachts are at the finish line, three are still at sea. They are expected to arrive in Grenada today or in the next few days.
