ARC 2025 has come to a conclusion following a Prizegiving ceremony in Saint Lucia.
This was the 40th edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, which saw over 800 sailors from 41 nations come together to complete a 2700NM crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia.
While there was a huge variety in the types of boats participating in the Rally, the Prizegiving ceremony offered the opportunity to come together to celebrate the amazing shared achievement of completing the ARC.
World Cruising Club Managing Director, Paul Tetlow said: "This year has been a year of great achievement, challenge and adventure. The Prizegiving is a fitting celebration of all the great things that have taken place over the last 40 days since we first started to meet the participants in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
“In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, we recognised that just getting to the start was a huge achievement, so now we are here at the finish, it's even more of an accolade.”
Results
Multihull Division- Class A
Reflecting at the Prizegiving, Wayne Camamile from Cooinda said: “Our crossing was much quicker than we expected as we crossed in just 13 days and 15 hours. With our peak speeds of over 21 knots, we averaged distances of over 215NM per day.
“It’s fantastic at the Prizegiving how they give prizes for all sorts of things and not just 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It really creates a brilliant atmosphere."
Multihull Division- Class B
1st Evelyn (GBR)
2nd HeRo (POL)
3rd Keep Sailing V (ESP)
Jamie Langlenton from Keep Sailing V (ESP) said: “Completing the ARC was amazing! There were so many different experiences which will last for the rest of our lives. I would totally recommend doing the ARC, so you have to do it if you can!”
Cruising Division- Class A
1st Celeste of Solent (GBR)
2nd GG (JER) Line Honours
3rd L´Isola che non c´è (ESP)
Cruising Division- Class B
Cruising Division- Class C
Cruising Division- Class D
Cruising Division- Class E
1st Havanna (DEU)
2nd Carissa (FIN)
3rd Lovitana (BEL)
Racing Division
Double Handed Line Honours
Special Awards
In addition to awards which recognise the winners of the respective divisions, during the Prizegiving there were awards distributed which highlighted participants or crews which were outstanding in other areas.
Several crews and individuals were recognised for their determination in the face of adversity during the trip.
Lucy Stretton from Ninja Penguin (GBR) was recognised for her determination to cross the Atlantic Ocean despite a number of medical setbacks several years ago leading to mobility challenges. During the trip she succeeded in carrying out night watches and even went to the foredeck at points during the passage.
The crew of Shawe Thing (GBR) suffered damage to their steering system and sent out a PAN PAN. In challenging conditions, the crew on Roda I (SWI) answered the call and changed direction to offer assistance. Shawe Thing (GBR) and Roda I (SWI) were both awarded prizes for overcoming adversity and offering assistance to others.
The 'KAPRYS Award' was given to Sea More (NOR) for dealing with multiple boat breakages and still making the trip safely to Saint Lucia. During their passage, they broke their goose neck and autohelm, as well as ripping their parasailor and code zero. They developed innovative ways to fix the problems and keep their crew safe.
Frithjof Vikøren from Sea More said: “Overcoming difficulties at sea is about a combination of the experience of your crew and your mindset. Sometimes you need to be inventive and think about how you can get around the problem”
The 'Philip Hitchcock Award for safety' was awarded to Nova Vida (NOR). Prior to the start of the ARC, the safety team carried out equipment inspections on every boat in the fleet and they agreed that Nova Vida were the best prepared boat with regards to safety equipment.
The 'Contribution to Shoreside Activities Award' was given to Cut and Run (AUS). In both Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Saint Lucia, the crew from Cut and Run came to ARC social events with a fantastic attitude, adding atmosphere to the occasions.
The 'Innovation Award' was given to Supertaff (GBR) for their contribution to the WhatsApp group in composing an ARC 40th edition song and for creating an app to help interpret weather forecasts.
The 'Eric Jean Trophy' was given to Dr Rhian Marie Ford who joined 39 other members of the ARC and ARC+ fleet in taking part in the 'SeaLabs' project which involved water sampling on their Atlantic crossings.
The 'Spirit of the ARC' award is given to an individual or crew who have contributed most to the spirit of what the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is all about. This year it was awarded to the crew of Carissa (FIN). Participating in their 3rd ARC in 2025, this all-female crew of 8 joined in the many activities of the ARC programme, bringing energy to each social event and adding to the sense of community on the pontoons at the start and finish. They provided warm welcomes to other boats on their arrival to Saint Lucia and showed great support for other sailors. They came up on stage to collect their award to great applause from the audience, showing their appreciation of Carissa's exemplary participation.
Charitable Activities
The Prizegiving ceremony was also a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the lasting impact ARC sailors have made to the destinations of the Rally through the Positive Impact Fund. This is a registered charity which was started by World Cruising Club in 2025.
This year, in recognition of the 40th edition of the ARC, World Cruising Club made a donation of nearly £10,000 to the fund. The donations will be divided between several local charities including Amy’s Gift to St Lucia Foundation, for support to the Dunnottar School and Boys Training Centre, and also donations to the Pawasol pour Ti Mamai project, the St Lucia Blind Welfare Association and St Lucia Animal Protection Services.
Next steps for participants
Some of the participants will be back into 'ARC action' very soon, as World ARC sets sail from Saint Lucia in January. They will continue through the Panama Canal and complete a global circumnavigation.
Other ARC participants will continue to cruise around the Caribbean. It is common that after the ARC is finished, participants on different boats will rendezvous at different locations. This reflects the strong friendships formed while taking part in the ARC. Together, they will now be able to look back at a lifetime's worth of memories.
