A dream called ARC. How to participate in the transatlantic for all

There are Regattas and Regattas, Regattas are the ones that get you out of bed on Saturdays and Sundays and back to your family within a few hours, and then there are Regattas; the ones you dream about, study, prepare for and try to take part in for a lifetime (as a sailor). The ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) is definitely in the second category, and as you read this three-part interview, you will find that you have one more chance to participate.

Right on time my guests connect to zoom in without delay, they are Stefano Palumbo (World ARC Event Manager) and Jeremy Wyatt (World Cruising Club Director) who will tell us in detail what it is like to participate in an Atlantic crossing, how to prepare and how to continue (for the lucky ones) on the adventure.

Jeremy, what is ARC?

The ARC, was born in 1985 when a Yachting World reporter, Jimmy Cornell, going to Las Palmas to watch the departure of the boats to the Caribbean, had an intuition, to create an event that would allow participants to cross the Atlantic all together, safely and having fun, he wasted no time and the following year 1986 started the first edition of the “ARC” with 200 boats.

Why do we “run” in November?

Let’s dispel the false myth that the best time to leave for the Caribbean is November; in fact, trade winds (the headwinds that blow from east to west) are often not well established. Why then do we leave in that month? It is simple, to allow shipowners to arrive at the end of the Christmas vacation route with peace of mind.

We always refer to ARC as Rally, what does that mean?

Let’s take stock of what a Cruising Rally is, the ARC’s idea is to cross the Atlantic in company. The organization looks out that all participants have high safety standards on board on the one hand and that once they start, the boats can count on each other when sailing in the middle of the sea.

What route does the ARC take?

The event starts in Las Palmas in the Grand Canary Islands; the first four editions came to Barbados. Then St Lucia, due to the fact that there is an equipped marina. For the same reason, the crossing departs from Las Palmas, a city and port that have been improved over the years to become a perfect place for shipowners. The regatta has two main routes, during the first editions we noticed that some boats because of the very light trade wind would stop in Cape Verde because they couldn’t get up enough to stay on course, so over the last few years we have created a new route with an intermediate stop, Cape Verde.

What kind of crews take part in the rally?

There are a wide variety of boats at the start, and therefore crews. The rally is divided into two classes. IRC, a true regatta with ex vor and high performance boats, and a cruising, for more cruising boats. The direct route is favored by racing boats because it is a sailor’s route, you can climb more, try to take full advantage of the sails (especially Code 0, Reacher and Gennaker) and the degrees to the wind. The one-stop route is good for smaller crews and families, in fact although longer in terms of total time, it allows less time to be spent at sea.

What’s new in this edition?

The news is great, we have added a date for further departure, there will be an “ARC2” in January 2022. We are very happy with this initiative, which we hope can be replicated for the next few years, because it will give shipowners and crews the opportunity to travel the Atlantic with stable trade winds with a steady downwind at an average of 25 knots, so it will be a rally for real sailors. We came up with the idea of a second start for two reasons, the first being the failure to hold the event last year due to covid and then to give owners who bought new boats (or refitted boats) to take their time preparing for the event (making up for yard and equipment delays). Last thing, registration is still open!

Tommaso Oriani

End of part 1