Sharing the adventure: How ARC+ crews are bringing their Atlantic journeys to life online

For many of the crews taking part in the ARC+, the adventure is about far more than sailing across the Atlantic. It is about exploring new places, meeting people, spending time with family and friends, and embracing a different way of life. Increasingly, it is also about sharing that experience with the people following their progress from home.

From photographs and short videos to online travel diaries and personal updates, crews are finding their own ways to tell the story of their rally. Some want to give followers back home a window into life on board; others are keen to capture memories, build a community or inspire people to follow in their wake. And while technology makes it easier than ever to share life at sea, the reasons for doing so are often very personal.

Marriage proposals and adventure inspired by a grandfather’s Atlantic crossing

For Belgian couple Madeleine Scrivener and Brice Van Eeckhout, the ARC+ Rally is the realisation of a dream that began six years ago over a few gin and tonics in the famous Peter Café Sport in Horta, on the island of Faial in the Azores. The couple who live in Brussels are sailing their Maestro 35 Platypus, a Finnish-built yacht dating from 1994 – the same year they were born. They have been together for 14 years and had some very happy news to share when they arrived in Las Palmas. During their passage towards Madeira, Madeleine had proposed to Bruce – only to discover that he had been planning the same thing and had an engagement ring of his own on board! “There had been a little discussion about who was going to propose to whom!” they explained, laughing.

Sharing the ARC+ experience with friends and family is also an important part of the voyage. Through their blog and Instagram account, Sailing Platypus, they hope to give people a glimpse of what life at sea is really like, beyond the departure photographs, dockside farewells and arrival celebrations. "We have two ways of communicating with people,” says Brice. “A lot of our friends and family want to follow our journey, so we have a Polarsteps account for them and then we have the Instagram account which we share more widely. For us it’s just a fun way to communicate. It’s only silly stuff we put on Instagram, nothing too serious.”

But there is also a special family connection behind their Atlantic adventure. Brice’s grandfather made the crossing with his family back in 1973, taking his mother, aunts and uncles on an adventure that has clearly left its mark. During their stopover in the Azores, the young sailors discovered old letters and photographs belonging to Bruce’s grandfather, bringing his story vividly to life. Inspired by his voyage, they made a spontaneous decision to follow in his wake. Six years of planning and preparation later, they are finally setting off. 

They will begin the first leg of their ARC+ crossing from Las Palmas to Mindelo as a crew of two, joined by Madeleine’s younger and Bruce’s older sister for the final part of the adventure, making it a crew of four as they head towards Grenada. 

For Madeleine, a doctor who has recently completed her specialisation, the timing is perfect. After their Atlantic circuit she has job to return to in June 2027, but for now the focus is firmly on the adventure ahead.

Their Maestro 35 may be a relatively small yacht for an Atlantic crossing, but with a family story stretching back more than 50 years, this is a voyage that is about much more than sailing. It's about following in the footsteps of the previous generation, creating new memories and bringing the family together across an ocean.

Follow their adventure: https://www.instagram.com/sailingplatypus

Coconut – Documenting a family's life afloat

For Danish sailor Soren Dinesen and his French wife Justine, setting off on a family circumnavigation was a long-held dream they decided not to put off any longer. With three boys - Louis 7, Rafael 11 and 13 year old Theodore, they recognised that the opportunity to spend several years exploring the world together was best taken while the children were still young. Having started their voyage in July aboard Coconut, their 54-foot yacht built by Kinetic Shipyard in South Africa, the family is now using the ARC+ as the next milestone in their adventure. Along the way, they are keen to share their experiences with friends and family back home, as well as a growing online audience. Their Instagram account, On Board Coconut, managed by Justine, features photographs and updates documenting the places they visit, life on board and the realities of travelling the world as a family.

With Starlink providing internet access while at sea, the family can share regular glimpses of their journey, allowing followers to see beyond the postcard-perfect anchorages and tropical destinations. Their posts offer an insight into the everyday rhythms of life afloat, including homeschooling, family routines and the experiences of bringing up three children on a sailing yacht. Following the French school system, the boys spend around three hours a day on lessons, with their mother taking the lead on their education. It is an unconventional classroom, with a constantly changing view beyond the windows and new destinations providing lessons of their own. Soren has also created a website to record the adventure, although finding time to keep it updated has proved more challenging.

For the Dinesen family, documenting the voyage is about creating a lasting record of an extraordinary chapter in their lives, while allowing those at home to share in the experience. Their journey is also an opportunity to connect with other like-minded families, something they have particularly enjoyed since arriving in Las Palmas and meeting other young sailors and children taking part in the ARC+. As they prepare for their first Atlantic crossing, Coconut is much more than a yacht: it is their family home, classroom and passport to the world. Through their social media updates, they are bringing others along for the adventure, one passage and one new destination at a time.

For Soren, having a record of the journey in one place is particularly valuable. It is a way for people at home to feel involved, but also a lasting collection of memories for the family themselves. He wants followers to see more than the occasional photograph taken alongside in port – the account offers glimpses of everyday life, sailing and living together as a family at sea.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/onboardcoconut/

https://onboardcoconut.com/

Blown Away – An Atlantic adventure to inspire and give back

For sisters Natasha (Tash) Lambert and younger sister Rachel, taking part in the ARC+ aboard their British Nautitech 46 Open Blown Away is about much more than crossing the Atlantic. They are undertaking the adventure in memory of their mother, who sadly passed away last year. Sailing alongside them is their father, Gary, who developed an innovative sip-and-puff system that enables Tash, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, to steer the yacht using her breath. This will be the family's second transatlantic crossing with World Cruising Club, but this time they have chosen to take part in the ARC+ to Grenada, via Cape Verde Islands. 

Their also combines a shared passion for sailing with a fundraising campaign for three charities close to their hearts: the RNLI, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Calvert Lakes, a UK activity centre providing opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy activities including sailing. Their collective fundraising target is £30,000. Calvert Lakes has a particularly special place in Tash's story, as it was where she first discovered sailing.

Social media is playing an important role in sharing their journey and supporting the fundraising effort. Rachel, 19, creates much of the sisters' video content, filming life on board and editing clips for their Instagram account, @sailing.sisters, and TikTok channel, The Sailing Sisters. Tash also has an established Facebook following through her page, https://www.facebook.com/missisle.iow#.

“It's a great resource to keep in contact with friends and family back home and to share what we're up to,” explains Rachel. Their posts have attracted an audience of friends, family, sailing acquaintances and people who have discovered them online, with a particularly strong response to the announcement of their Atlantic crossing. Through their videos, the sisters hope not only to keep people updated but also to raise awareness, encourage donations and demonstrate what Tash can achieve on the water.

During the Atlantic passage, they plan to capture plenty of footage, particularly showing Tash steering and sailing using the sip-and-puff technology, although much of it will be saved until they reach land, as uploading videos at sea can be expensive. For the sisters, sharing their experiences is a way to bring supporters along on the adventure while helping three worthwhile causes. Two of Tash’s sailing coaches, including one travelling from New Zealand, will also be joining them for the rally, adding to what promises to be a memorable family and sailing adventure.

https://www.instagram.com/sailing.sisters/

Find out more: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdUc4HhOMgq/

Huahine – Capturing the moments that make the journey

For Eric Dewitte, sailing his Beneteau Oceanis 45 Huahine (named after a Tahitian island and his late father's boat), documenting and sharing the journey is an important part of the ARC+ adventure. Usually based in Antibes on the French Riviera, where he runs occasional sailing trips exploring the islands around Cannes and further afield to Corsica (to help with the cost of looking after the boat), Eric is now fulfilling a long-held ambition to cross the Atlantic for the first time. He is making the passage with a crew that includes former work colleagues and is using Instagram to share their experiences with an increasingly interested audience. Although the account currently has around 300 followers, it is steadily growing, with posts featuring the places they visit, the crew, why they are doing it, and the preparations for their ocean adventure.

With Starlink on board, the crew hopes to share regular updates during the Atlantic crossing, allowing those at home to follow their progress and feel part of the adventure. The visual storytelling will be taken a step further with a professional videographer/photographer joining the crew for part of the voyage. Equipped with a drone, she hopes to capture the experience from a different perspective, building on some spectacular footage from previous sailing trips, including an encounter with a sperm whale off Corsica. For Eric, sharing these moments is about more than simply posting photographs; it is about bringing people along on the journey and showing them the sights, experiences and small details that make an ocean crossing so memorable.

Instagram: Huahine Sailboat – @sailfrenchriviera

Life Beyond the Likes - Enjoying the journey without the pressure to post

Not every crew wants to document every moment, however. For retired Australian couple, Sarah and Hector Crawford, sailing aboard their Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410 Aquaroo, the emphasis is on keeping a personal record of their five-year sailing adventure. Sailing the ARC+ is an important milestone in a five-year adventure to sail around the world and having spent 18 months living aboard, they use Polarsteps to record their travels, upload photographs and plot their route using GPS. The App allows them to share their progress with friends and family without feeling obliged to post constantly on social media. It is as much a personal travel diary as a way of keeping others informed.

Both have impressive sailing backgrounds, particularly in offshore racing. Hector spent 28 years in the Australian Navy and has competed in 14 Sydney Hobart Yacht Races, while Sarah's sailing career has included offshore and match racing, as well as a pre-Olympic campaign. Now, having stepped away from work and embraced life afloat, they are enjoying a very different kind of sailing adventure. Their ambition is to complete a circumnavigation in stages, eventually returning to Australia, with Hawaii marking the point at which they will have sailed around the world.

Jonas Bendiksen, aboard his Norwegian Bavaria 46 Solaris, takes a similarly considered approach. A professional documentary photographer, he is used to capturing stories through images, but is determined not to turn his family's year-long sailing adventure into another work assignment. The family has a private social media account for friends and relatives, but there is no schedule or pressure to produce content. “For me, it's not like a photographic project,” he explains. “I only do it when it feels joyful.” For Jonas, the experience of travelling with his family and enjoying the places they discover is more important than documenting every moment.

These different approaches reflect the many reasons crews choose to share their adventures. For some, it is about staying connected to loved ones during months away from home. For others, it creates a record of an extraordinary chapter in their lives, helps build friendships with people following similar routes or offers an opportunity to inspire others. And for those with a particular story to tell, it can help raise awareness and support for causes that matter to them.

Technology is certainly making it easier. Satellite connectivity means that photographs and updates can increasingly be shared from offshore, although data costs and the demands of life on board still influence how often crews post. Some choose to upload as they go; others save their photographs and videos until they reach the next port.

Ultimately, the ARC+ is about the experience of making an ocean crossing, but the stories do not end when the boats leave the dock. Through social media, online diaries and shared photographs, crews are taking their families, friends and followers along for the ride – offering a glimpse of the people, places, challenges and special moments that make an Atlantic adventure so memorable.