The ARC Europe team from left: Kieran Higgs, Lyall Burgess, Andy Schell, Mia Karlsson At 0900 on Monday morning, the ARC Europe team from World Cruising Club raised their flag on the breakwater and opened the doors to the rally office, located upstairs next to the Marina office.
Registration at the ARC Europe and Atlantic Cup office is followed by a mandatory Safety Equipment Inspection onboard, when a member of the World Cruising team spends some time checking through the safety equipment required for the Rally. It also gives them a chance to talk through correct procedures for potential emergency situations at sea.
Over 75% of this year’s participants have sailed in previous World Cruising events before; so for many it will be a great opportunity to catch up again, as well as welcome the new crews to the World Cruising Club family.
Monday night’s happy hour marked the official start of Atlantic Cup and ARC Europe 2013. More than 40 crewmembers from more than a dozen yachts gathered on the beach terrace at Nanny Cay Marina. Peg Leg’s had set up a bar on the far corner of the deck, serving fruit punch, rum punch and soft drinks on arrival, while the catering staff laid out a spread of canapés for all to enjoy as we watched the sunset.
2013 is the first year that Atlantic Cup and ARC Europe will depart as one fleet on Saturday, and the first evening’s festivities provided a great opportunity for European and North American crews to get to know one another and share ideas before setting off. Nearly all of the fleet are veterans of a previous World Cruising Club event – including ARC and Caribbean 1500 vets, as well as a couple of World ARC yachts who’ve just recently completed a circumnavigation in St. Lucia.
This year is also the inaugural Atlantic Cup ‘Old Bahama Channel’ route, which will see seven yachts – half the Atlantic Cup fleet – sail west from Tortola and on towards Cuba, before turning northwest and aiming for Ft. Lauderdale. The 1000-mile passage follows the axis of the Antilles Current between Cuba and the Bahamas, and is the direct route to Florida. Yachts will finish at Bahia Mar marina in Ft. Lauderdale.
About twelve yachts checked in before the evenings festivities on Monday, and another few trickled in during the evening, including Caribbean 1500 veteran Merrill on Serenity, and Tim on Kinship, who has recently completed an Atlantic Circle. Following the happy hour on the deck, Peg Leg’s popular beach BBQ was on, and many of the crews wandered down to the picnic tables on the beach to enjoy a meal of grilled chicken, ribs or fish with newfound friends.
