Meet the fleet: ARC+ crew vibes ahead of the start

With less than a week to go until the start of ARC+ we caught up with several crew members about to embark on their first ever transatlantic crossing, as well as those with several miles already under their belts, as they make their final preparations ahead of the start to Mindelo, Cape Verde on Sunday 9 November. 

The rally always attracts a plethora of adventurous sailors from across the globe, and this year is no different, with 29 countries represented by the 417 crews sailing on 86 boats in the 13th edition. Top crew nationalities are: United Kingdom (28%), Germany (12%) and France (7%). ARC+ always attracts a large number of family boats, of which 24 have 54 children under 16 on board. Age is no barrier to sailing, with the oldest participant at 78 and the youngest at just 16 months-old on what is the largest boat in the fleet - Anastasia (JEY), a Fountaine Pajot Alegria 67 (20.36m). Restless of Stornoway (GBR), a Rustler 36 (10.77m) is the smallest, with the average sized boat at 14.74m. The most common builds are Fountaine (7), Lagoon (6) and Oyster (6), with Excess 11 (4), Outremer 45 (3) and Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 (2) being the most popular models.

Once crew who is already familiar with the Eastern Caribbean and Windward Islands is Steve Townend’s Canadian Dufour 455 Clearlake II: “We live in Toronto, Canada and have owned the boat for nearly four years, but usually keep her year-round in Prickly Bay in Grenada. The cruising grounds there are beautiful; we go up to St Vincent and then to Martinique, and we’ve been as far as Sint Maarten.” Steve and his crew have been in Las Palmas for a few days and are enjoying everything the rally has to offer:

“We have enjoyed every minute of it. The Opening Ceremony was great fun, and it was good to see everyone out around the marina, enjoying the parade. We’ve met so many other participants at the sundowners. You just walk up to somebody and shake hands and you’re friends. Thinking about the start, I’m apprehensive, of course. I came over with ARC Europe and we were blessed with good weather on the eastbound leg, so hopefully this long leg across will be the same.”

Kara Ozgur and her husband bought their Hallberg-Rassy 43 Kara D in Italy five years ago and have been cruising in the Mediterranean ever since. “We are ‘Team Australia’ and are sailing doublehanded,” explained Kara from Melbourne. “We have been sailing for a long time, but this will our first long passage. We know sailing across the Atlantic is a different story, so I am very happy to be here doing the ARC+ rally. The programme so far has been amazing. I was just telling everyone that the Opening Parade gave me such a boost before we go for the ‘big time’. 

"My feelings are very mixed about the start. I am nervous and I’m always wondering if I’m missing something or have I done everything I need to do? However, I’m in contact with a lot of other ARC+ crews, so it’s great to be in the rally for this reason. We have all been sharing experiences, stories and exchanging information, but there are still mixed feelings before we head off on the start. Knowing that a lot of people are in the same situation and have the same thoughts as me, is good. We are in this together!”

Andrew Hicks is sailing across with his wife and two other couples on their Canadian Oyster 56 Two Ravens. They plan to sail around the world after crossing the Atlantic. Although ARC+ is a cruising rally, Andrew, from Alberta enjoys a bit of competition on the water: “The start will be great - I am looking forward to it,” said Andrew. “I grew up racing, so I love the idea of being on a start line with a lot of other boats - it’s one of my favourite parts of sailing. 

"My wife felt that being with an organised group, where there was support from a team, and being in proximity to a fleet, would give her a little bit more comfort for her first crossing. Things are good so far. We have passed our ARC+ Safety Check and it was quite straightforward - we learnt several useful tips from the experts who came on board.”

Daniel Meyer was sitting happily on his Lagoon 450 Angels Share in Las Palmas Marina and is one of 28 catamarans taking part this year. He explained that he is very happy to be in Gran Canaria where it is currently much warmer than his home country of Zurich, Switzerland! He remembers being here 40 years ago when he tried to take part in the first ever ARC in 1986. Unfortunately, the owner wasn’t on board so he couldn’t enter Jimmy Cornell’s inaugural ‘one-off’ rally. Setting off three days before the fleet, he arrived in Barbados and was greeted with a steel band and a fantastic atmosphere. He had to announce that they weren’t part of the ARC but has always had fond memories of the great atmosphere on arrival so is thrilled to be finally taking part. Fast forward four decades: 

“We have had Angels Share for six years now and for the first year we kept her in Les Sables-d'Olonne before taking her to Mediterranean where we spent several years cruising. I have four male friends joining me, so there will be five of us for the crossing. I am lucky as one of them is a doctor, and one a cook, so we are well sorted. Angels Share is comfortable but she’s not fast. It’s good for living on board - you can cross the Atlantic with a boat like this, and you can stand your wine glass on the table, and it will stay there! It’s completely different from a monohull. I am going to cruise the whole of the Caribbean to the Bahamas and then I will try to sell the boat. We will still have a boat on the Lake Zurich though, which we race all the time.”