The Canadian yacht Tati arrived yesterday afternoon, the last of the boats to have taken the ARC Europe / Atlantic Cup start line in Tortola last week (Caiman, who started a few days later, is expected to arrive tomorrow evening). Tati, who spent the winter in the islands after having sailed wouth with the Caribbean 1500 last fall, passed through Town Cut and into St. Georges harbor, just as the Dinghy & Sports Club was busy with activity as yachts came and went off the outside wall during a full day or refueling. Despite being last over the line, Daniel and his crew were thrilled to make their first landfall in Bermuda.
Tati & Alice in Red rafted at STGDSC
“We had a great, if not slow passage,” he said on arrival at the customs dock, where as per usual the Yellowshirts were there to greet them. “It’s great to be here!” The moment was undoubtedly made sweeter by the Dark N’Stormy’s the crew shared on the dock.
Meanwhile, the Rally team was busy refueling the yachts over at Pennos Wharf on the western side of St. Georges harbor. And after a windless start in Tortola and lots of engine hours at sea, the yachts needed it (Pennos Wharf, by the way, used to be the cruise ship terminal in the days when they still visited this side of Bermuda. It’s lately been used when large motor yachts or tall ships visit the island, and last week the Swedish sail-training tall ship Gunilla occupied the western end of the dock. The Gunilla is back at sea now, on her way across the Atlantic with a group of Swedish high school students making the most of their semester onboard. Their schooling, aside from the sailing, continues for the duration).
With the help of 11-year-old ‘Rally Ollie’ of Mad Fish, ‘Rally Kieran’ coordinated the refueling on Pennos while Ollie’s younger brother ‘Rally Ethan’ sent the boats on their way one by one from the Dinghy Club. Their friendly banter on the VHF certainly added some spark to what otherwise can be a long and tiring day.
“This is Rally Ethan,” the younger brother announced on the radio during a break in the action. “What’s the first letter in the pirate alphabet?” he asked the fleet.
“I don’t know,” someone responded.
“Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh!” Ethan joyfully proclaimed, an appropriate joke for the day.
“Let’s keep this channel professional please!”, older brother Ollie drily chimed in.
By 5pm, 26 boats had taken a total of 8,100 litres (2,140 gallons) of fuel from the shoreside tanker truck positioned at Pennos Wharf. The 20% discount on the duty-free fuel saved the fleet a total of of $3,000.00, and is one of the major benefits of participating in the ARC Europe and Atlantic Cup events.
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Peter von Danzig's Pirate Crew!
The St. Georges Dinghy & Sports Club’s annual Pirate Parrrrty took place last evening on the balcony overlooking the dock. The concrete pier was full-up with yachts having returned from Pennos, rally flags flying, creating a festive atmosphere at the docks. Around 1830 the crews wandered up to the balcony in full pirate regalia, receiving yet another complimentary Dark N’ Stormy on arrival. The young crew from Peter von Danzig narrowly edged out the old-timers on Lone Star for best pirate costumes, sporting swords and rum bottles and makeshift dew rags made from an old spinnaker. Dinghy club stalwarts Brian Oatley and Frank Virgintino manned the grill keeping the hamburgers cooking while the women kept the beer flowing at the bar. Yacht crews brought an assortment of side dishes to add to the pot luck for the evening. The rum and pirate talk continued late into the evening.
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As for today, the first of the Atlantic Cup yachts are officially at sea. Keep it Simple departed Bermuda about an hour ago, and Kia Orana was due to depart any minute thereafter. Both yachts are bound for the Chesapeake. A thorough skipper’s briefing was conducted this morning for the Atlantic Cup yachts headed west to the US East Coast. Steve Black, longtime solo ocean racing sailor, founder of the Caribbean 1500 and crew on Lone Star this year guest lectured on the Gulf Stream crossing, which will be a first for the crews on Tati and Oystermist. The two yachst at sea today have departed on a strong southerly wind, which should give them a good first 24-hour run on their way home. The remainder of the Atlantic Cup fleet plans on leaving tomorrow.
The Rally program continues this evening with the Leg 1 Prizegiving and fish fry at the Dinghy Club, where the official results for Class A and B and the Multihull Division will be announced, as well as fun and special prizes distributed to the fleet. ARC Europe is set to depart on Wednesday from St. Georges.