Story and photos by Bob Zannetti
Standing at an evening gathering at the Rodney Bay Marina among the participants of the 2025 ARC on the lush and beautiful island of St. Lucia, you can’t help but be overcome by the sense of accomplishment that permeates the air. More than 140 boats and 900 people sailed in the most recent ARC from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia, and gathered at the marina to rest, recharge, repair and remember the extraordinary experience of sailing 2,700 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
Here are some of their stories:
Carissa, a Swan 441, hails from Finland and was sailed in the ARC by a nine-woman crew with skipper Raina Alapteri, who shared with me that she is the oldest skipper in the fleet. Raina is 80 years old and an inspiration to all!
The boat is part of Ocean Ladies, a 200-member association in Finland that offers sailing experiences to women and combines a love of sailing with actions to increase the wellness of the oceans. Offshore sailing is of particular interest to the group, hence the abundant crew available for ARC. Carissa took over a month to sail from Finland to the Canaries for the start of ARC and switched out crews in the many stops along the way.
Once the original crew was put together, watch schedules were organized and final preparations were completed. During ARC, the crew was focused on going fast, so they changed headsails often and focused on sail trim. They were rewarded with a relatively quick passage in spite of some light airs and rain, but like all sailors, they were sure that if they had newer sails they would have arrived even sooner. Carissa will spend the winter sailing around the Caribbean with different Ocean Ladies crews and then return to Europe with ARC in May 2026.
Ganeasa is a 52-foot Amel Super Maramu from the United Kingdom sailed by Crispin and Hannah Waterhouse and their two daughters, eight-year-old Poppy and six-year-old Lotty. Crispin and Hannah are experienced sailors who want to share as many sailing experiences as possible with their daughters while they are still young enough to want to be with Mom and Dad. Their plan is to continue sailing together as a family and circumnavigate.
This trip started with the 2,500-mile sail from the UK to the Canary Islands, where they were joined by Crispin’s brother, an excellent sailor and perfect addition to the crew — but wo days after departure from the Canaries, he developed a very painful swollen foot, fever and general malaise. It was determined he was likely bitten by a spider in the Canaries and would require additional medical assistance, so they diverted back so he could be hospitalized. He was replaced by a young woman, Anlisa, who could help with the kids but had no sailing experience. This left all of the sailing to Crispin and Hannah, who want the kids to enjoy and cherish every moment of family togetherness, so have taught them not just to “survive” every day, but to ‘thrive!” The rest of the trip was a mostly downwind glorious sail. Their time in St. Lucia was enjoyed by all as they prepared for the sail to Panama, which began in mid-January.
Ninja Penguin is a Bowman 57 out of the UK. It was sailed in the ARC by owners Giles and Aly Ridyard along with their 15-year-old son Jack and six-year-old daughter Elsie, plus six charter guests.
The boat’s charter concept is to give people the opportunity to sail and learn so they can one day skipper their own boats in events like the ARC. Giles puts the watches together based on experience and abilities, so all get the opportunity to learn new skills. He basically allows them to take responsibility for sailing the boat, which is a great learning experience and also gives him and his family some downtime.
Giles and Aly also are delighted they can give these sailing experiences to their children. Elsie is really enjoying St. Lucia. She listed her most memorable moments from the voyage were first, arrival on the island, and second, “the Milky Way!” — referring to the spectacular night skies at sea.
Plans going forward include a run up the Caribbean island chain through April and then returning to the UK via Bermuda and the Azores. They plan to do the ARC 2026 with charter guests, and then voyage to Nova Scotia before returning to the UK. As Aly says, “There could be worse jobs in the world!”
Westwind is a 52-foot Amel Mango based in the Netherlands. The owners, Rob and Saskia Dillman, sailed with their two adult sons Sebastian and Max. The ARC was the next life chapter for Rob and Saskia; both have cut back their work schedules to give them the time. Their two sons’ schedules also coincided with the timing, so they were able, after years of trying, to pull it off a family adventure.
Rob’s careful planning of sail trim and setup helped them cut time off their voyage. In the Canary Islands they bought a used genoa that fit the boat, and set it up with their existing genoa as matching headsails, attaching both to the furling system on the forestay. This allowed them to unfurl and furl both sails at the same time with minimal crew management and maximum efficiency. A good part of the voyage was deep downwind, so this setup made them much faster.
Their next move is to enjoy the Caribbean. They’ll see what happens after that.
Sea Dragon is a Challenge 72, a commercial boat in that it takes guests on board who pay for the experience. Phoebe Rogers, the first mate and one of the professional crew, grew up sailing on Lake Tahoe in California, and as her love for sailing grew, she set her sights on a professional career. After years of apprenticeships and coastal sailing experiences she secured the first mate position for the Atlantic crossing.
After an eventful trip weatherwise from the UK to the Canaries, Phoebe and Sea Dragon welcomed the paying guests aboard. There were four crew and 10 guests varying in experience from those who had never sailed before to those who aspire to do the crossing in their own boats. Phoebe observed that ocean sailing is one of the most transformative environments you can elect to put yourself in. She said that observing how the crew grew through their experiences and interactions under her tutelage was one of the most rewarding things she has ever experienced.
Sea Dragon will spend the winter island-hopping in the Caribbean with various charter crews and then return to Europe. Phoebe has upcoming contracts on a variety of boats and then will reunite with Sea Dragon next year for additional voyages.
Peter Gilmore is one of the famed “Yellow Shirts” of the ARC. As marketing and communications manager of the World Cruising Club, he’s able to channel his lifelong love of sailing to inspiring others.
Peter has sailed all his life. He started sailing with his parents shortly after he was born and learned how to walk on a sailboat. When he was 18 and finished school he did two Atlantic crossings on a Pogo 10.50 with his mom, dad and sister. Returning to the UK, he studied media and communications at Cardiff University and was an avid sailboat racer. Upon graduation he worked as a journalist for a while, and then joined the World Cruising Club.
Peter has a unique insight into the ARC based on his ocean sailing experiences and interactions with so many of the participants over the years. That has helped him and the team he works with to make the event more meaningful and enjoyable for all.
