The morning dawned bright and clear in St. Georges, with a crisp northerly blowing in the harbor. The last of the Atlantic Cup fleet is underway and headed for the USA, while ARC Europe prepares to take the start line.
“Thanks for a great time in Bermuda!” Oystermist announced on the VHF as they sailed through Town Cut this morning on they way to the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling Light followed shortly behind, and Southern Cross plans to get underway this afternoon after collecting a new crewmember from the airport. Dreamcatcher also took to sea earlier this morning en route to Horta, electing not to compete for the starting line.
The temperature was down a bit, but spirits were up amongst the ARC Europe fleet as yacht crews made final preparations for departure towards the Azores.
“You guys wouldn’t happen to have any shower tokens, would you?” asked Michel from Nyctea. We didn’t, and the Dinghy Club bar was still closed. “My crew’s going to mutiny on me if we don’t get cleaned up before the start!”
Downstairs at the Dinghy Club, the restaurant was cranking out hot breakfasts for hungry crews eager to get one last big meal in before heading to sea. Meanwhile, other boats were busy cooking onboard in preparation for the first few days offshore.
“I want to get a few more meals made before we head offshore,” said Dawn from Azzurra, the Tayana 55 that joined the fleet here in Bermuda.
Throughout the morning, rally yachts took turns on the wooden pontoon at the Dinghy Club to take on water prior to the 1800-mile passage. The Hawaiian boys on Kailani were first to take advantage, followed by the Swedish yacht Ayama. For Stefan and crew, the leg to the Azores is one step closer to getting the boat home.
“We bough the boat in Venezuela,” he says, “and are taking her home to Sweden for the first time.”
Around noontime, the yachts began the procession off the dock. The start line was established off the Pennos’ Wharf between a buoy set in the harbor and the anchored committee vessel Admiral. 17 yachts vied for the start, with Beatoo first over the line, edging out Peter von Danzig. The catamaran Easy Rider was third, and overtook the two monohulls to be first out of Town Cut and into the open sea.
Caiman had a good start as well, despite their late arrival into Bermuda.
“We were four days behind from Tortola, and made up two,” said skipper Martin of the one-off racing yacht he’s taking back home to the Netherlands. Caiman quickly returned to Bermuda after leading the fleet out Town Cut. “We plan to leave on Friday when my 5th crew arrives,” Martin explained, “but we wanted to take the line anyway to feel a part of the group. I think we’ll catch up over the 1800 miles!” he added optimistically. With a crew of five and a boat setup for all-out racing, don’t bet against them.
The fleet headed to sea in fair weather, with 15 knots on the beam from the north and friendly skies. It was a magnificent site from the Town Cut as the fleet came charging through, the Admiral following close behind to wish them fair winds and following seas.
Several yachts will remain in Bermuda for a couple of days to sort out crew changes and make last minute repairs. Soledonna, Lady Ann, Futura, Working on a Dream and Caiman will head to sea over the next couple of days and rejoin the fleet in the Azores.
Follow the logs at sea as the crews cross the Atlantic on worldcruising.com!