Last night kicked off the second week of ARC 2014 here in Saint Lucia. The biggest party on the programme thus far got underway on the lawn at IGY Rodney Bay Marina, with Simon Bryant welcoming AR crews to the party thrown in his name.
“Great turnout tonight don't you think?” he mentioned while greeting guests at the gate.
And a great turnout it was, with the majority of the participants showing up for the festivities. Several bars were set up around the lawn, offering beer, wine and rum punch to thirsty sailors. A DJ took the stage to get the party going, blasting vibrant soca music with the occasional pop hit thrown in. Some of the bolder ARC sailors began dancing on in front of the stage, and as the evening went on and the rum flowed, those numbers quickly increased.
About midway through the party, Saint Lucian dancers Lightening Stars International, dressed in colorful costumes, took the stage dancing to the tune of a single drummer. His hands moved so quickly it was difficult to follow, and the sound emanating from the stage from one single person was quite remarkable. For the final act, one of the dancers did a balance board routine that got the crowd riled up. He even invited some participants on stage to have a go themselves.
Afterwards, crews lined up to take photos with the dancers at a special IGY photo booth set up adjacent to the stage.
Argalleiro’s Spectacular Arrival
Thanks to the party, the docks were strangely quiet despite being fully packed with boats as Argalleiro, the sole Chilean entry, crossed the finish line just after 7pm. They had family waiting for them for several days, and the sounds of their menfolk's voices on the radio had the four Chilean women in a whirl of excitement. They exchanged excited greetings in Spanish over the VHF as Argalleiro entered Rodney Bay Marina and made their way to D pontoon to their slip.
As he maneuvered Argalleiro into the slip, skipper Guillermo was singing along to the Chilean National Anthem, which was blaring out of the yacht’s sound system. It was all he could do to keep one hand on the wheel, the other raised in triumph at the completion of their crossing. The girls on the dock popped firecrackers and greeted their boys with flowers, while one crew member sprayed a bottle of champagne across the whole crowd! They might as well have just won the America’s Cup, so excited were the family and crew!
Despite the relative silence on the docks – as we wrote two days ago, most late arrivals get a rousing welcome with horns and sirens and cheers heard from everywhere inside the marina – Argalleiro had a big surprise in store for them. With the boat secured in her slip, the crew rushed up the dock with their women in tow to make it into the party just as the MC was wrapping up the night.
“Let’s not forget the 15 yachts still at sea,” he began, as Guillermo and his crew were just about to enter the party, “and let’s give a big ARC welcome to Argalleiro, who just arrived on the dock 5 minutes ago!”
At that, Guillermo and the crew made their perfectly timed entrance, and still riding the wave of adrenaline from having been reunited with their families after 23 days at sea, marched right up onto the stage and received a thundering ovation from the ARC participants at the party.
“This has been a dream come true for me and my family,” Guillermo said, practically in tears, as he grabbed the microphone from the MC. “It was a long, tiring trip, but we are so proud to be here and so overwhelmed by this welcome.”
With that, the DJ cranked up another dance song. Guillermo and his crew, not willing just yet to let the excitement fade, remained on stage, now joined by their families and danced the evening away.