Inimitable ARC: when the call of the ocean is irresistible

The Ocean is sometimes an irresistible lure for many sailors. There are various ways to cross it, one of them, probably the most famous, is the ARC, also known as the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the amateur regatta that annually brings a major fleet of “normal” boats from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, to St. Lucia, Caribbean, for a total of 2700 miles.

As many as 143 boats decided to leave for the ARC this year, with a decidedly international representation of owners. To these must also be added the boats of the ARC+, which unlike the original ARC stops in Mindelo, a total of 242 committed yachts are recorded between the two events.

The ARC and the Italian boats

Italian shipowners have always been ARC enthusiasts, and they answered the call of the Atlantic again this year. Four Italian owners have decided to make the crossing with their boats: Sergio Poli’s First 36.7 Dream Away, Marco Versari’s Grand Soleil 46 Avventura, Fabio Scanzi’s Swan 68 Defiance, and the Neel 47 Minimole by Aldo Fumagalli, now a veteran of the ARC now in its third year of participation. Minimole herself was the first Italian to cross the finish line in Santa Lucia and complete the crossing for the third time,
having also won it in 2019.

Minimole finished its Atlantic crossing in 16 days 6 hours 12 minutes, ranking 10th in real time.

The Italians of the rest at the ARC have the “vice” of winning, as Vincenzo Adessi’s Mylius 60 Fra Diavolo won the ARC+ in both stages this year.

Minimole and Fra Diavolo: what boats are the stars of the ARC

A trimaran for sport cruising and a performance cruiser, these are what boats are the Neel 47 Minimole and the Mylius 60 Fra Diavolo.

Fra Diavolo, 18.35 mt long, was launched in 2014 and belongs to the first generation of Mylius 60s (the design was later updated by the shipyard in 2017), represents a perfect example of a Mylius fast cruiser-racer. A boat with an excellent ratio of displacement to sail area, thanks to carbon construction and a decidedly modern and current sail plan with strong vertical development.

The hull has soft, edgeless shapes, with rounded stern volumes, the bow ones sharper but still consistent to allow effective wave passage, not only upwind but also at the leads. All this on a high-draft, 3-meter T-keel, which is a guarantee of performance in all conditions.

The deck rigging layout has the two halyard winches in the classic position on the deckhouse, while the two primary winches are slightly further back than the position they have on racing boats in order to be able to allow comfortable handling even with a small crew in cruise mode.

Minimole, a winning trimaran

The 14.20-meter-long Neel 47 Minimole, on the other hand, was conceived by the shipyard, at the shipowner’s request, with the aim of taking part in challenges such as the ARC, where it has made three entries, one of which was a winner. Therefore, the choice of equip it with the racing rig: carbon mast, increased mainsail with 3 possible sail area reductions. Minimole’s trump card in past editions has also been large pasasailor, which has proved findamental in achieving good efficiency even with full tailwind (which has always penalized multihulls).

The Neel 47, designed by Marc Lombard, is fully in the French manufacturer’s trimaran family, but in a way it enhances and expands with some new features some of the Neel’s core concepts. Over all is the idea of the single space between interior and exterior, or rather between salon and cockpit that become for all intents and purposes a single environment to be exploited in different ways depending on the context and weather.

Otherwise, the Neel 47 has the characteristics of sportiness and performance typical of these trimarans: tapered hulls low on the water, sail plan with large square top, low displacement, maximum beam of 8.30 m, with a boat concept that is a perfect mix of long high-speed sailing and comfort. There are two command posts, one elevated on deck and one fully covered inside, which takes advantage of the nearly 360-degree view offered by the deckhouse.