Over 800 sailors leave Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for Saint Lucia in the 40th edition of the ARC
The port of Las Palmas came alive as over 800 sailors departed the island of Gran Canaria to participate in the 40th edition of the ARC Rally.
The ARC is a transatlantic sailing event that sees sailors from around the world come together each year to complete the epic 2700NM voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Saint Lucia.
This year, 145 boats set sail as part of the rally, with crew members from over 40 nations which created a diverse spectacle on the start day.
When leaving the port, sailors were cheered on from the breakwater by large crowds of locals, as well as friends and family. There was huge excitement amongst the onlooking crowd as they danced along to music from local band, Banda Guiniguada, and waved flags as departing yachts passed.
Ahead of the start, Rodney Targa, sailing onboard Cut and Run, said: “It’s been a really enjoyable build up with very informative seminars that were ‘on key’ with what people wanted. The sundowners were also great for interaction between the crews and we found a lot of like-minded people.
“We’re all ready to go. We’ve been here for three weeks now so we’re well prepared. The support of World Cruising Club has helped us get here so we have no apprehension about the start.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing Saint Lucia because we haven’t been there. I’m sure we’ll do a bit of sightseeing and socialising with other crews.”
On start day, there were light breezes of 5-8 knots from the north-east which meant that participants could settle into their voyage gently, before tackling the expanses of the open ocean ahead of them. While many may have wished for more wind in the immediate starting area, the Canary Islands are well known for ‘acceleration zones’ where breeze is funnelled between the land which can provide an extra 5-8 knots further out at sea.
Spanish navy vessel Tornado acted as the ARC Committee Vessel and all three divisions within the ARC fleet started on time.
Multihull division
The multihull division was the first to start, at 12:30. In the final 30 seconds before the start, boats closed in towards the windward end of the line, waiting to the last moment to deploy their headsails.
First over the line was Sniky, a Nautitech 48 which powered through the line to find clear air in the light winds, closely followed by Mathilda, an Outremer 51 and Cut and Run, a Lagoon 46.
Racing Division
The racing division set off shortly after the multihull division at 12:45. A smaller division of 10 boats gathered on a separate start line on the leeward and inshore side of the committee vessel.
First across the line was La Loévie, a Swan 76, skippered by renowned racer, JP Dick. They were quickly followed by NEXTGEN by JAJO, a Volvo 65 with high hopes of achieving line honours in Saint Lucia.
Cruising Division
The last group over the line was the cruising division, setting off at 13:00. The largest of the three divisions, with 103 boats participating, were closely grouped in the pre-start moments. At the windward end of the line, they jostled for the optimal position and first over the line was Azahar, a Swan 56.
Right behind, there was a group of boats including Kompromiss and Snow Goose, but it was Adrenalina, a J/130 skippered by Gill Duncan, who successfully filled their code-zero sail and broke clear.
As this was the 40th edition of the ARC Rally, event organisers, World Cruising Club have been making extra efforts to make the event a special one. One of the ways this was done was through daily live YouTube stream events called ‘ARC Live’. On start day, spectators from around the world had the opportunity to tune into live coverage of the rally and this can be viewed back on the World Cruising Club YouTube channel.
For many of the participants, this voyage has been something which has taken years of planning so it will feel fantastic to be finally underway. Despite the light winds of the start, it is expected that after two days of sailing, wind speeds will increase, allowing the boats to reach a consistent band of trade winds.
It is expected that the majority of boats will take between 18 and 21 days to reach Saint Lucia where they will be greeted by the well-renowned Caribbean hospitality. Completing the ARC is the adventure of a lifetime and the memories crews will make will last forever.
