Countdown to ARC2001
Press Release: 24 October 2001
ARC 2001 promises to be bigger and better than ever in its 16th year. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, which this year will see 225 yachts crossing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to St Lucia, has a truly international flavour with yachts from 25 nations participating. In addition to the large contingents from Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and the USA, ARC2001 has entries from Estonia - Hillar Kukk, an engineer from Tallin, sailing his Colin Archer 40 ketch Martha; and Stefanik, a wooden Gallian 72 ketch sailed by Roman Klementis a marine engineer from Bratislava in Slovakia.
Since its inception in 1986, the ARC has become the most popular way to sail across the Atlantic. The ARC's popularity stems from its all round appeal. There is plenty of room for the serious racer, the gentle cruiser, the family, and of course the sailing socialite, with events out of the water as crucial as they are on it.
World Cruising Club, organisers of the ARC, is also delighted to welcome back participants from previous years, including this year, British yachts Blue Sprit (Neil Bingham), Le Lievre des Marais [Paul-Henry van Hasbroeck] and Brigand [Peter Newlands a former UK Olympic sailor]. From the Netherlands, Innovision 8, Hans Eekhof, and from Germany, Harry Glab, Carpe Diem, are also on-board.
Andrew Bishop, General Manager of World Cruising Club comments: "The ARC seems to grow and grow in popularity every year. Having organized the rally for sixteen years we know what our participants want and have the experience to make the event challenging, worthwhile, and safe."
Once again the ARC2001 fleet is a true reflection of modern cruising yachts. All the leading boat builders are represented in the fleet, which in turn reflects the aspirations and budgets of most offshore cruising sailors. This year the average boat length is 14.2m (46ft6") and 50% of the fleet are within the size range 11m-14m (36ft-46ft).
Whilst the boats may be typical offshore cruising yachts, the owners are very diverse, as the ARC continues to attract participants from a wide cross section of backgrounds. Amongst those in ARC2001 are airline pilots, hovercraft pilots and air traffic controllers, farmers and restaurateurs, fire officers and policemen, writers and students, doctors and lawyers, as well as a significant number of retired people. Many participants are using the ARC as a start to their long-term cruising plans. For others it is a once in a lifetime trip.
Whilst primarily a rally, the competitive sailing division grows in popularity with 30 entries this year. Sailing under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (UK) yachts in this division take the sailing very seriously and compete using the IRC yacht handicap. On the competitive side, entries include a brace of Sigma 38's, a Prima 38 OOD, and the new Reflex 38, which with a Swan 38 will make a competitive sub grouping. Other yachts in this Division include two Open 50's and two of the new Swan 68's.
In keeping with the emphasis on safety and fun, significant developments have taken place in the method of position reporting used for the ARC. The popular daily SSB (HF) radio net is still run, but the worldcruising.net service now allows boats equipped with either satellite communications, or SSB radio e-mail to report their positions directly to the Internet at www.worldcruising.net . As well as automating the service for participating yachts, the interactive mapping feature of www.worldcruising.net, together with the daily news from the fleet, enables those following the ARC from ashore to join in the "virtual" event via the Internet.
Notes for editors:
Contacts: Full details about the ARC,
including the 2000 results, can be found on
the World Cruising Club website at: www.worldcruising.com/arc or
contact Jeremy Wyatt at
World Cruising Club on
tel. +44 (0)1983 296060
fax +44 (0)1983 295959
e-mail: [email protected]
World Cruising Club, 120 High Street, Cowes, PO31 7AX, England