A line in the sand

When talking to other boat owners, a common theme re-occurs…you will never have done all the jobs you want to do before you go! The danger with this is that you never leave. We had decided at the very beginning that 2020 was our leaving date.

Our leaving date has now become more fixed as we have now registered to join the ARC+ (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). For those who don’t know, this is an annual event organised by the World Cruising Club. About two hundred boats set off every November from Las Palmas and head, either straight to Saint Lucia (ARC) or Cape Verde and then to St Lucia or St Vincent (ARC+).

The passage from Las Palmas to Cape Verde is 850 nautical miles and should take between 5 to 7 days. Then after a couple of days at Mindelo Marina we set off across the Atlantic to Blue Lagoon, St Vincent. This will be our longest journey of 2150nm, taking 12 to 16 days!!

WCC provide plenty of information before you go about preparing for the trip including recommendations for equipment and training. They also have a detailed safety checklist and support with provisioning. And some local tours and great parties… or so we have heard!

ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) is one of the many rallies that the World Cruising Club organise. They also run numerous information seminars and training events. I would thoroughly recommend them. They have certainly been invaluable to us. A massive thank you to Jeremy, Claire and the team at WCC. Loking forward to sailing with you!!