The ARC dream as told by those who lived it with the Swan 98 Drifter Cube

The Atlantic crossing is a dream for many sailors, and there are those who decide to make it by participating in theARC Rally, the event that every year brings together hundreds of enthusiasts who wish to take the big ocean plunge. There was also a lot of Italy at the 2021 edition of the ARC, with several boats from tricolored crews registered for the rally. These include Andrea Bianchedi’s Swan 98 Drifter Cube entered in the Racing 5 class. The following is an account of Drifter Cube’s crossing by Giorgio Passarella who was on board. A key man on the Swan Brokerage team, a professional sailor with experience also on Mascalzone Latino’s shore team in the America’s Cup, he took us aboard Drifter Cube, thanks in part to photos by Andres Skogman, to tell us about their Atlantic crossing.

How did the idea of participating in the ARC come about?

I followed the construction of the boat, delivered in 2020, with owner Andrea Bianchedi. From the very beginning we began to speculate about joining the ARC, but it was during the move from Finland to Italy that the project materialized. The right atmosphere had been created on board between the owner, the crew and a group of friendly sailors to want to participate together in the Arc race adventure.

What kind of boat is it, and how is it equipped, Drifter Cube?

The boat is the Swan 98-“Drifter Cube” and is equipped with North Sail sails, Harken rigging, and followed in rigging by Velamania, equipped with 2 generators, water maker, air conditioning and every other comfort that distinguishes a Swan (in addition clearly to all safety equipment )

How did you arrange shifts during the crossing?

We organized ourselves with a rhythm that had one group with 3 hours on call, another group with 3 hours standby ready to intervene if needed, and a third group instead doing 3 hours of total rest except in emergencies.

What sail configuration did you have planned for the crossing?

We had a fairly simple and “cruise” configuration, in addition to the mainsail and jib we had a foresail for high wind situations and an A3 Gennaker with whip that was quite comfortable to use at carrying gaits up to a certain wind strength.

What strategy have you adopted to quickly navigate westward?

The weather situation was uncertain, with light trade winds and a partubation coming from the north. With Drifter Cube’s Commander, Andrea Viazzoli, we made a rational choice, which was to go south to look for the strongest trade wind without taking any risks with the pertubation to the north, which turned out to be a correct strategy in the end.

What was the toughest moment in your ARC?

If I think back at the end the real hard moment was not in the middle of the Ocean but when we saw land and realized that we had arrived, the end of the adventure was the hard moment

Have you heard at sea about the accident that occurred to the French crew of the X 4.3?

We learned about it a few days later, and we probably had not downloaded via the Internet all the messages coming to us, so we did not get the news at the same time as others did. When we ascertained what had happened knowing that there had been such a serious accident. it really shook us, but we deliberately didn’t talk about it much, there was a lot of silence: it was a sad day for everyone.

What was the best moment?

It is hard to answer this question exactly, there were many beautiful moments: sunsets and sunrises, the starbursts and candlelight stars, dolphins, whales, and then the performance of the boat that served as excellent tests for the owner . Very electrifying coming down from the waves at more than twenty knots.

What was the top speed touched and under what conditions?

We recorded a peak speed of 23.5, with 26 knots of wind coming off a wave, with gennaker and full mainsail.

How was the galley on board?

Worthy of a starred restaurant. On-board cook Silvio Sgobba delighted us with eggplant parmigiana, baked pasta, fried fish, roasted meats, seafood spaghetti, and managed to arrive with fresh fruits and vegetables all the way to St. Lucia. We were treated really well in the galley aspect.

In what position did you finish the crossing?

We crossed the finish line in Santa Lucia first in the racing 5 class in real time.

With this experience concluded, what do you think of the ARC? Would you do it again?

I think it is a ‘sailing experience that cannot be missed in a sailor’s life. I would do it again tomorrow!

Mauro Giuffrè

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