ARC and world rallies on a new high
Clodagh Cahill. alternative to holidaymakers that may have been put off going to Turkey due to increased political tensions. “Sunsail was seeing an increase in enquiries for other destinations in the Mediterranean and Palma was the favourite,” Telsnig says.
Palma will offer a long sailing season of April to October for more experienced sailors looking for a new challenge in the western Mediterranean. Telsnig adds:
“It is an ideal destination for the more experienced sailors and anyone that wants slightly stronger winds.” A record number of yachts will be sailing across the Atlantic in November as part of the ARC and ARC+ rallies. The two parallel events have shown a steady growth in the number of sailors realising an ambition to sail across to the Caribbean. This year 300 yachts, the largest fleet yet, are entered on the two routes: 225 on the ARC from Las Palmas to Saint Lucia and 75 going via the Cape Verde islands.
The entries span the full range of sailing yachts, from superyachts at the upper end and some elite racers such as Rambler 88, to more modest family production cruisers.
Organiser World Cruising is also seeing a steadily growing demand for its World ARC round the world rally. In January, between 30 and 35 yachts will start the next annual event, beginning in Saint Lucia. The company has also launched a rally beginning in Los Angeles in 2018 to take sailors down to French Polynesia via Mexico, an event that feeds into the round the world rally and has sprung up, says World Cruising director Jeremy Wyatt, from demand from new boat owners and yacht agents on the west coast of the USA.
Details: www.worldcruising.com