Seventeen boats completed their round-the-world adventure in Saint Lucia with a ceremonial parade of sail from Marigot Bay to Rodney Bay. After more than 26,000 nautical miles, they crossed their outbound tracks to become circumnavigators.
The sailors celebrating their achievements are aged between seven and 77 years, and this edition of World ARC has hosted 10 children aged under 16, with the family boats contributing to the warm, friendly and supportive atmosphere. For the Wennberg family on Sara of Sweden (SWE), this is their second circumnavigation with World ARC, and 'the most special' according to Louise Wennberg.
At a celebratory and sometimes emotional prizegiving event, Geraine Goerges of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority said: 'We admire the journey that you embarked on, your ability to endure more than we can even imagine and your camaraderie. As a mom, I see so many young faces and think, wow you did that! Parents, thank you for giving them such adventures, you’re training the next generation of ARC leaders'.
Within the fleet, some boats sailed double-handed with two people, others invited family and friends to join them on the adventure. In total, 263 people sailed one or more leg of the rally. Double-handers included Eric and Yung Devaney on Outremer 51 Leviathan (USA), although they had eight paws of help from their two tiny canine crew.
2023-24 has also been one of the most diverse World ARC rallies, with 21 nationalities sailing in the fleet. The Luisa Arroyo family on Lagoon 53S Maroro (MHL) proudly flew a huge Mexican flag in the parade of sail, celebrating joining a very small number of Mexican circumnavigators.
The supportive ethos of the rally was demonstrated by the crew of Fat Kat II (AUS). Owners Walter and Caroline Kimble had decided to ship their Lagoon 46 from South Africa, but instead invited Chris and Karen Parker to sail the multihull to the Caribbean. Chris and Caroline had to leave their Oyster 56 Mistral of Portsmouth in Australia, so not only could they help the Kimbles, but they were also able to finish their rally participation on a high. Mistral of Portsmouth will be joining the 2024-25 edition of World ARC from Australia to Saint Lucia.
In total, 30 boats sailed in the twelfth edition of the World ARC rally, 14 sailing all the way in a 15-month odyssey. World ARC offers flexibility, so some boats sailed the first half to the South Pacific and Australia, while others joined in Australia or Indonesia to sail to the Caribbean.