Bluewater knowledge sharing
If you're planning to do the ARC or World ARC and are interested in choosing a boat or preparing your boat for ocean sailing, come to our free open day in Lymington.
- When: Saturday 17 May 2025
- Time: 10:00 to 17:00
- Where: Berthon, Lymington UK
- Cost: Free
The Bluewater Day is a unique opportunity to
discover more about ocean cruising life, connect with other like-minded
cruisers and learn from experienced offshore skippers and marine experts.
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Whether you already have your ‘dream boat’ or are at the dreaming stage, the Bluewater Day can help you on your way. Chat with experts, meet ARC skippers and mingle with other aspiring cruisers at this informative and relaxed open day. Our experts and skippers will be sharing their knowledge, top-tips and ideas on all things connected with long distance cruising.
You can hop aboard our ARC open boats – a mix of private boats and brokerage boats from Berthon International - and see how a bluewater cruiser is set-up to sail; join group discussions; explore the Berthon refit facility and learn how to plan and prioritize your own refit.
The day is designed for 'grazing' - you can arrive or depart when you wish. During the day, there will be a rolling programme of activities :
Schedule (TBC)
| 10:00 | Registration and coffee |
| 10:30 | Boat buying & VAT with Berthon International |
| 11:15 | Avoiding problems at sea |
| 11:15 | Safety demoin the marina |
| 12:00 | Choosing for cruising with an expert panel |
| 13:00-14:00 | Break |
| 14:00 | Berthon refit yard tour |
| 14:00 | Avoiding problem at sea |
| 15:00 | Choosing for cruising with an expert panel |
| 15:00 | Safety demo in the marina |
| 16:00 | My ARC adventure skipper panel |
| 17:00 | Sundowner sponsored by Berthon |
| 18:00 | Close |
Boats
ARC skippers have kindly volunteered to bring their boats to the Bluewater Day to show what an 'ARC-ready' boat looks like, and are happy to show you around and answer your questions. More details to follow - in the meantime, the photos below are of our 2024 open boats.
If you'd like your boat to be an 'open boat', please email [email protected] - we're always happy to have extra volunteers!
In addition to the open boats, Berthon will have a number of brokerage boats to view ashore and afloat. The brokerage boats are all suitable for ocean sailing, and many are fully equipped and ready to sail. A full list of brokerage boats will be available closer to the event, but in the meantime visit berthoninternational.com
Companies
World Cruising Club's supporter companies will be at the event, displaying their products and services. They're there to answer your questions about watermakers, sails, preparations, power management, safety, crew training and lots more.
A full list of companies will be available closer to the time.
Location
Our host, Berthon International, is ideally located for the Bluewater Day. With a marina, boatyard and brokerage all a short walk from Lymington town centre's shops and bars, there is ample free parking on site and Lymington Town railway station is a short walk away. Southampton and Bournemouth airports are less than one hour away.
For visitors arriving by sea, it is vital to book a berth in advance. Lymington is a busy port, with marinas at Berthon, Lymington Yacht Haven and Harbour Commission berths on Town Quay and the 'Dan Bran' pontoon.