The ARC countdown

On 25 November, the 33rd Atlantic Rally for Cruisers left Gran Canaria for St Lucia. YM was there to wave them off...

2 WEEKS TO GO

Fitting 173 yachts into the pontoons at Las Palmas marina, Gran Canaria, was no mean feat, especially as 56 of them were multihulls! Space is getting tight, but the marina has ambitious plans to increase the capacity in the future.

1 WEEK TO GO

Crew are busy with checks prior to the inspection by ARC safety inspectors. One yacht has to have five spreaders replaced, which will be flown in from La Rochelle. Frantic calls are put out to family and friends to bring extra gear in their hold luggage.

5 DAYS TO GO

Friendships are blossoming amongst the ARC kids. Of the 983 crew from 31 different countries, 33 of these are children. The youngest participant is 18-month-old Kimberley Van Soest from the Netherlands.

3 DAYS TO GO

ARC crews practise firing flares under the instruction of Roger Seymour. ‘Extend your arm as far as possible and try and avoid looking at it,’ he advises. ‘They burn for about a minute. If it misfires or gets too hot drop it straight in the water.’

2 DAYS TO GO

The ARC team holds a series of briefings on first aid, sextants and weather routing. Meanwhile the pontoons are a hive of activity with groceries arriving, and skippers busy fixing everything from wind vanes to broken laptops.

AND THEY’RE OFF!

Unusually for an ARC start, a gentle F3 blows from the north, giving boats the option to start on either port or starboard gybe. It’s a relaxed start with the last few cruisers crossing 30 minutes after the gun! 165 boats set sail for St Lucia; eight are delayed due to injury and repairs.