Yachts sailing under the flags of 13 different nations set sail on Saturday May 3rd for their offshore adventures as part of two World Cruising Club Spring rallies; ARC Europe and ARC USA. Venturing west to east across the Atlantic, 34 boats will sail with ARC Europe this year; 7 from Portsmouth, Virginia, USA and 25 from Nanny Cay, with one joining in Bermuda. Both groups will converge in Bermuda to continue their ocean adventure to Europe and enjoy a cruise through the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago en route.
Going home to the USA, eight boats joined ARC USA rally from Nanny Cay to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via the Old Bahama Channel, and have been sharing the fun of the pre-departure programme in Tortola with crews from ARC Europe. The route will see them sailing close to the north shores of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba, sheltered from the Atlantic swells by the Turks & Caicos and Bahamas, and should take approximately 7 days for them to arrive in Bahia Mar Marina in the Sunshine State.
ARC Europe Fleet leave Chesapeake Bay
As the BVI fleet were jockeying for the start in the British Virgin Islands, their American-based counterparts were doing the same in Hampton Roads on the Chesapeake Bay. Seven yachts took the starting line on Saturday under a blue sky dotted with puffy fair weather clouds, and sailed fast on a beam reach out into the Atlantic. The Shannon 37 Sojourner was in perfect position, sailing fast toward the line, but were eclipsed by the fast, carbon fiber catamaran Tosca who overtook them as the gun went off, sailing close to three times the boatspeed of the classic cutter.
Two Fleets
ARC Europe is unique in that it consists of two fleets; an American based fleet leaving from Portsmouth, VA, and a BVI-based fleet leaving from Nanny Cay. The BVI based fleet enjoyed an extended pre-departure program at Nanny Cay including safety demonstrations, a varied social program, yacht inspections and safety advice from the World Cruising Club team and plenty of games of beach volleyball that have firmly built friendships sure to grow stronger still over the six-week voyage ahead.
For the start off Nanny Cay, sunny skies and a strong easterly breeze gusting up to 20 knots set the stage for what was an exciting start yesterday. The downwind white sail start saw Charile Baynes’ Webster, a Hanse 430, crossed the line first closely followed by Catamaran Easy Rider and Dark Star, a Sou’ Wester 48. Two yachts, Malisi and Puerki, will have a postponed start leaving Nanny Cay due to delayed arrivals of crew, however both aim to catch the fleet over the coming days.
Now at sea, the two fleets will converge on Bermuda, and should arrive within days of each other. The USA fleet has a slightly shorter distance to sail, but have an arguably more difficult passage as they negotiate the Gulf Stream before hitting the deep Atlantic. The BVI fleet, conversely, should enjoy trade-wind sailing for at least the first half of the voyage, before encountering more variable weather as they close Bermuda. Once in port at St. Georges Dinghy & Sports Club, the two fleets will come together and enjoy a brief stopover program in Bermuda before setting out as one across the Atlantic to the Azores, and ultimately Marina de Lagos in Portugal or other Northern Europe ports.
Each boat in ARC Europe is fitted with a satellite tracker, with positions updated twice daily and displayed on the rally website, enabling friends and family at home to follow the boats. Cruisers can also send blogs and pictures direct to the website, and the rally team will post news from the fleet every day on the website and Facebook page www.facebook.com/arceurope.
Every boat receives a plaque as a memento of their voyage, and prizes are given to the first arrivals and fastest boats on handicap, the best boat blog, biggest fish, plus special awards for acts of seamanship and the spirit of the rally. Weems & Plath has signed on to sponsor a new ‘Navigator’s Award‘ that will be given to the best-kept traditional captain’s log.
