Six weeks ago the ARC Baltic 2015 fleet departed the new start port of Yachthafen Hohe Düne in Warnemünde, Germany for the second edition of the rally. With crew comprising from eleven different nationalities, the rally has visited some unforgettable destinations including the small medieval Swedish town of Visby, the impressive experience of sailing into and sightseeing St. Petersburg, Russia and the introduction to the Scandinavian style of sailing in the beautiful Finnish, Åland and Swedish archipelago. The busy yet fulfilling itinerary came to an end last Saturday when the fleet arrived in the Swedish town of Kalmar, marking the last stopover for the rally.
“An overall experience not to be missed” - Blonde Moment
Following departure from Stockholm, crews had five days to sail and enjoy the good weather before arriving in Kalmar for the final programme of the rally. The guest harbour where the fleet were staying is conveniently located close to the town centre, offering numerous eateries and boutique shops and a well-stocked chandlery. The fleet’s arrival was also timed with Kalmar’s biggest sporting event, the Kalmar Ironman. Thousands of spectators created a vibrant atmosphere in and around the town as athletes competed from 07:00 to 23:00 finishing with an impressive fireworks display.
The social programme in Kalmar included a guided tour to Kalmar Castle which is in walking distance from the marina. Dating back over 800 years, the tour guides shared their knowledge about the importance and strategical location of the castle making Kalmar the town it is today. The castle also boasts some beautiful grounds and gardens offering a relaxing place for crews to enjoy the Swedish sunshine.
The farewell dinner on Sunday evening at Källaren Kronan Restaurant made for a fitting venue to close the rally. Participants filled the entire restaurant making for a lively atmosphere. During the dinner, photographs of the last six weeks were shown on projected screens, reminding participants of all they had done and experienced together.
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“We had a wonderful summer – interesting cities, beautiful anchorages and amazing people” - Lyonesse
To conclude the evening, a presentation by event manager Joel Chadwick made for a fun and entertaining way to finish the fleets time together. The presentation reminded the fleet of the achievements and memories of the rally where all boat crews were awarded with a certificate and gift for participating in ARC Baltic. Fun prizes were also given for the rally photo competition, Mariehamn cocktail competition and contributions to the blogs and gallery on the ARC Baltic website. Many crew took chance to publicly thank the fleet for their time in the rally highlighting the new friendships that have been made.
With the schedule and itinerary of the rally now past, numerous boats will sail back to their home ports before continuing sailing in their own waters. For many however, ARC Baltic has only been the start of further sailing adventures. Widago (Leopard 48) will now begin their sail south to Gran Canaria where they will sail across the Atlantic with ARC+ before undertaking a circumnavigation with World ARC. Northern Light are thinking about wintering their Halberg Rassy 42 in Kalmar and Migration (Nordhavn 68) plan to motor to warmer climes before exploring Spitsbergen next year.
ARC Baltic would not be possible without the help and support of the marinas, tourist authorities and agents used in the planning and delivery of the the rally. Thank you to all those who have made the second edition such a success.
“Very sociable – enjoyed mixing with all nationalities” - Oojah
All photographs from ARC Baltic 2015 can be viewed at the following website links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1105000849513676.1073741836.181472148533222&type=3
ARC Baltic Website: http://www.worldcruising.com/arc_baltic/eventgallery.aspx