A huge crowd gathers at the breakwater in Gran Canaria to bid farewell to the yachts. One by one, boats from 26 nationalities file out of Las Palmas marina toward the start line at the north of the Spanish island. Crews dance and cheer, and the music changes from Queen to ABBA as Swedish yacht Dawnbreaker docks out to the blare of an Alpine horn. The two white-haired children at the bow seem awed by the fanfare, but their brother, Alfred, waves furiously from the top of a Jacob’s ladder, looking more than ready to take on the Atlantic.

The Chuck Paine–custom-designed yacht is one of 83 vessels (six of them American) taking part in the 2,700-mile rally to Grenada, which has a stopover in Cape Verde. The direct ARC, which sails to St. Lucia, departs two weeks later.

It’s been 40 years since Jimmy Cornell launched the ARC, an event aimed at cruising enthusiasts, not “racing’s elite,” with a focus on safety. Back then, Dawnbreaker skipper Lars Alfredson was navigating with a radio direction finder. Even during his first ARC, in 2003, he was reliant on an SSB radio and a modem to stay in contact.

“You’d spend hours and hours trying to connect, but you got through sometimes,” he recalls. “You see the boats the first day and the last day, and in between it’s just empty sea.”

Now, sailing with his son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, Lars has Starlink, enabling the family to run their online retail business at sea.

“I wouldn’t say things are better now, but for the young people who need to be connected all the time and have to report everything that happens, they like it,” says Lars.

At 64 feet, Dawnbreaker is one of the bigger entries in the fleet, with the average yacht being 48 feet. These days, over a third of participants are multihulls, and most are equipped with satcomms, autopilots, solar, lithium batteries and MFDs. But how would the crews feel if they were zapped back in time, Marty McFly–style, to 1986? Would they still do it? This is the question we put to them as they made their final preparations for their big adventure.

Almond angst

“Yes, I’d still go, because I wouldn’t know any different,” says Richard Cropper, skipper of Beneteau 60 Salty Rascal. “You’d just get by with the tools you’ve got.”

The British dad’s decision to embark on a yearlong adventure with wife Louise and sons Jake (9) and Harry (11) was inspired by a Secret Santa gift, a book entitled Sail Away: How to Escape the Rat Race and Live the Dream. Though the idea took hold on Christmas morning 2014, it would be over a decade before that dream became a reality, and only recently did they learn that the gift was from Louise’s sister.

“I think she wanted to get rid of us,” laughs Louise, a primary care physician. “For years afterward, Richard kept saying, ‘Would you do it? Would you do it?’ I only said yes because I never thought we’d go through with it. But I wouldn’t have done it 40 years ago, not without the technology. Everyone back home thinks we’re mad, but they can follow us using the YB tracker, and knowing we’re doing it in an organized group and can send pictures back home normalizes what we’re doing.”

Richard adds: “But the danger of being part of a huge rally is you can’t stop buying stuff. It’s like when you’re at school waiting to do your exams, and everyone’s talking about what they revised, and you’re thinking, ‘God, I didn’t do that.’ You start asking if you’ve got enough equipment. Did you buy enough toilet rolls? We had a panic about almonds, and Louise is like, ‘How many almonds have you actually eaten in the last year?’”

To ease the stress of the passage, the Croppers have hired Brazilian skipper Juan Manuel Ballestero, who made headlines during the pandemic when he sailed three months from Portugal to Argentina in order to see his sick father.

“I was in Porto Santo, and the borders closed. There were no flights, no ferries. I just decided right away, I’m going,” he says. “It was more than a sailing trip, it was an inner trip. I’m still trying to shape it, after all these years, asking myself what really happened. We love our families; that is what COVID taught us. I was going home, and I didn’t care how long it would take.”

Then it was a trip of solitude: a 29-foot yacht packed with 160 cans of food and a bottle of whiskey. This time, Juan’s looking forward to an altogether different experience, as was clear the night of his arrival in Las Palmas, when he was whisked to an ’80s party by a giddy Louise in luminous leggings.

“This family is lots of fun,” he says. “I’m pretty stoked about doing the voyage with the little ones. It will be unique.”

MOB rescue

Hoisting eight flags onto the forestay—an act counted excitedly by a group of boys fishing off the pontoon—is Swan 51 Eira. The monohull is doing the main ARC, and Finnish delivery crew Markus Leppanen and Vilhelm Sjöström are preparing her for the paying passengers.

“Sailing Eira wouldn’t have been much different 40 years ago,” says Vilhelm, tapping the elk-skin-covered wheel. “We have an autopilot now but hand-steer 95% of the time. We have a big racing rudder, which is really responsive, and people participate because they want to steer and sail. They want to learn something new.”

Markus and Vilhelm have tens of thousands of sea miles under their belts. Markus recalls that in the 1993 ARC, they didn’t have a sat phone—just GPS and a plotter. Instead of weather apps, they had a guy navigating onshore, giving instructions over SSB.

Back then they were “just a bunch of friends with the smallest, fastest Swan.” Now, Eira has 85,000 nautical miles on the clock and 15 crossings. She’s a veteran in every sense of the word.

“We use a traditional spinnaker,” says Vilhelm. “At first only in light airs until we know how experienced the crew are. Running it at night requires a bit of practice. The biggest risk is something happens, and the thing that should never happen is a man overboard.”

They reflect on the tragedy in last year’s ARC, where Swedish sailor Dag Eresund, 33, fell overboard from Volvo 70 Ocean Breeze.

“I was routing from Finland,” says Vilhelm. “I noticed all the fastest boats changing course and I knew, hours before it became news, that there was an MOB. It was around 0230, 20–25 knots. When it’s pitch black and a swell of about 6 meters, you know it’s really hard to get someone out of there. These old Whitbread boats don’t turn on a sixpence.”

Eresund was wearing a personal AIS beacon, a safety device that transmits your position to the mothership and nearby vessels, yet sadly he could not be located, reinforcing the fact that even the latest satellite technology is no substitute for lashing yourself to the deck, which people have done since the beginnings of sailing.

Markus recalls an MOB on his 1999 ARC, though happily that had a positive outcome.

“It was a Norwegian racing boat, sponsored by Jägermeister,” he says. “The spinnaker came down in a squall, and they gybed, knocking a crewmember into the water. Even when it’s warm, you’ll only last 24 hours, but here is this guy in a Hawaiian shirt—he takes off his life jacket and places it under his butt to stay out of the water. After 28 hours, a German boat passes and picks him up!”

It’s not the first time a sailor has been rescued by chance during a cruising rally. In ARC+ 2021, British catamaran Coco happened upon a dismasted yacht 140 miles from Grenada and towed it into port, to the relief of the distressed French skipper.

For crews’ safety, it’s a requirement of the ARC that all skippers have the ability to send and receive emails at sea, whether via SSB radio (via a free messaging program called Airmail) or a satcom device such as Iridium Certus 100 or Inmarsat Fleet One.

“We talked about getting Starlink,” says Vilhelm, “but the skipper doesn’t want it because the experience for the crew changes. We have satcomms and can make phone calls and emails, but we don’t want everybody hanging around the cockpit reading the news. You spoil the experience.”

It was during World ARC 2023 when Elon Musk’s low-cost, high-speed internet service took off among long-distance cruisers. While only two of the 20 boats leaving St. Lucia at the start of the rally had Starlink, by the time they’d completed a world circuit six months later, only two boats didn’t have it.

Medical backup

Onboard Frolic, a J/44, we find Rhode Island sailor HL DeVore opening the cava, having successfully Googled a fix for his B&G wind sensor, saving $3,000 in parts and labor. His ex–U.S. Coast Guard vessel is equipped with Starlink, a piece of kit HL wouldn’t sail without.

“I do love the romanticism of not being able to communicate other than with attempts at SSB,” he admits, “and I’m old enough to have sailed in those days, but being connected gives the family at home security, and means we can liaise with a medical team if needed—in fact, the same one used by round-the-world sailor Cole Brauer. We’ve got IV kits, medicines—everything you could possibly need—and with modern comms we have the comfort of knowing we can solve issues at sea.”

Meant to be?

Although Starlink draws a significant amount of power, the benefit of being able to make video calls and stream sports games or Netflix has made today’s cruising yacht a true home from home. It’s allowed Mexican family the Sidauys to sell their home and possessions and move onboard their Lagoon 52F catamaran Ruaj. This new wave of adventurous young families, who buy production catamarans and choose cruising as an alternative lifestyle, was rare in the ’70s, when the majority of ARC participants were older, wealthy couples.

For Gabriel Sidauy, the idea of taking on an Atlantic crossing was sparked during a chance meeting on a flight from Tijuana to Cancun.

“The man next to me was checking out boats and charts,” says Gabriel. “He was about to start this amazing adventure with his wife and three kids. I said to him, ‘That’s the best thing I heard in my life!’”

Gabriel’s children, Moises (now 14) and Natalie (10), loved the idea, but it took four years to persuade his wife, Victoria, to sell up and sail away. When finally she agreed and they shared their plans with neighbors, they were put in touch with a sailor who agreed to be their mentor.

It turned out to be none other than Emanuel—the guy Gabriel met on the plane.

“I told him he changed our lives, and he didn’t remember me,” laughs Gabriel. “But he was great. He told me about the ARC, what boat to look for, and he came several times to the house with his wife to tell us about his experience.”

The Sidauys bought Ruaj in Italy and spent a year sailing around the Mediterranean before making their way south to the Canaries. Thanks to Starlink, Gabriel can run his plastic recycling business at sea, while Natalie and Moises can be homeschooled, with regular calls to classmates and tutors.

“We have learned many things,” says Gabriel. “We used to live in a big house in Cancun with all the space we wanted, and now we learn to live with what is necessary.”

The bare(ish) necessities

One of the joys of the ARC is seeing what families deem “necessary” for their transatlantic, whether that’s a 50-inch TV, washing machine, coffee maker or, in the case of the Sidauys, “aerial silks,” which gymnast Natalie has tied to the forestay.

“Gymnastics is my passion,” she says breathlessly, while twirling and tumbling to the applause of neighboring boats. “I also love the night sky and can’t wait to see shooting stars, and play my ukulele with Moises on his guitar.”

So, a final question: Would they do this 40 years ago?

“No, it would not be possible,” confirms Gabriel, who has to cut short the interview to receive a video conference call.

Without modern tech, Gabriel would still be in Mexico dreaming of a long-ago conversation with a man on the plane. Most likely, the Croppers would be in drizzly Manchester, England, working long hours and doing school runs. Yet for experienced sailors such as Lars Alfredson, who has sailed to the Arctic and Antarctic, and HL DeVore, a navigator with 14 Newport-to-Bermuda races under his belt, waking up in 1986 in the middle of the ocean would pose no problem whatsoever.

The great thing about rallies such as the ARC+ is that these types of sailors can come together and cross the ocean in whatever way suits them, knowing that at the end of it all, in Port Louis Marina, Grenada, they’ll be sharing stories over a rum punch as the sun goes down over the Caribbean Sea.

The post We Asked: Could You Survive the ARC Without Modern Tech? appeared first on Cruising World.

With bows pointed west and months of preparation behind them, the World ARC 2026-27 fleet officially got underway January 10, departing Saint Lucia to begin a 15-month circumnavigation of the globe.

The start came at midday local time in steady northeast trades of about 15 knots, ideal conditions for the opening leg to Panama. For many aboard, simply crossing the start line marked the fulfillment of a long-held dream years in the making.

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait to start the trip across the Pacific, and going through the Panama Canal is going to be a blast,” said Tommaso Amadori of Cashew ahead of the start. “The group is amazing, and the organization is fantastic.”

For long-range cruisers, the days and weeks leading up to departure are often as demanding as the miles at sea. In Saint Lucia, crews focused on final systems checks provisioning and mental preparation.

“You need to get the boat ship shape for what’s coming,” Amadori said. “It’s a big job mentally and physically, but the reward is amazing.”

That mix of hard work and shared anticipation defines the opening chapter of World ARC. While some crews are new to organized rallies, many have crossed oceans together before through World Cruising Club events. Regardless of background, the Saint Lucia start brought together a new fleet bound by a common goal.

Seminars, safety briefings and social events helped establish that sense of community, supported by World Cruising Club along with the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and Events Saint Lucia. IGY Rodney Bay Marina served as the fleet’s base, offering a practical and welcoming launch point for the adventure ahead.

Over the course of the rally, boats will visit 19 countries. Many stops are places rarely reached by travelers arriving by air, a key draw for sailors seeking deeper engagement with the places they visit.

Flexibility is also built into the program. Some crews plan to pause midway, effectively taking a cruising gap year before rejoining a future edition of the rally. For many long-range sailors, that adaptability mirrors the reality of cruising life, where plans evolve with weather, family and opportunity.

The 2026-27 fleet reflects the diversity of today’s cruising community, including eight family crews and seven doublehanded teams. Different boats, different backgrounds and different sailing styles converge under the shared challenge of going all the way around.

“This has been a dream for decades,” said Will Lee of Sea Wisdom II. “I’m really looking forward to doing it with my wife Chloe and sharing this experience with everyone in the fleet.”

Later this month, the boats will transit the Panama Canal, a milestone that marks the beginning of the 10,000-nautical-mile Pacific crossing. For cruising sailors watching from home, the fleet’s departure is a reminder that big voyages are built on careful preparation, strong community and the willingness to finally cast off.

The post World ARC Fleet Begins 15-Month Circumnavigation appeared first on Cruising World.

In an Atlantic crossing, whether racing or cruising, the ocean rewards preparation, patience and sound judgment. As competitors ready themselves for the 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Antigua, three of offshore sailing’s most accomplished navigators are studying the same weather systems that shape any east to west passage. Their approaches may be sharpened by competition, but the lessons translate directly to long range cruising.

Chris Jackson, RORC race officer and an eight time Atlantic crosser, sets the strategic backdrop. “On current forecasts the weather outlook for the RORC Transatlantic Race this year is looking good,” he said. The trades appear well established, with a lighter wind exit from the Canary Islands before settling into steadier downwind conditions farther west. For cruisers, that familiar pattern reinforces the value of patience early on, resisting the urge to force speed until the trades fully fill in.

Jackson also points to factors cruisers know well. Isolated squalls may pepper the course, and much of the route is shaping up as a VMG run close to the rhumb line rather than a deep dive south. For passagemakers, that underscores the importance of balancing miles sailed against comfort and consistency, not simply chasing stronger breeze.

Juan Vila, navigating the Carkeek 45 Ino Noir, brings a perspective that resonates strongly with cruising sailors. Having navigated everything from America’s Cup yachts to record setting maxis, Vila emphasizes that boat speed dictates strategy. “On a fast boat you sail from one weather system to the next,” he said. “On a smaller boat you wait for the weather to come to you, so positioning becomes far more important.”

That mindset mirrors the reality aboard many cruising boats. Rather than hunting distant forecasts, Vila focuses on medium-range models, currents and the evolving shape of the trades. His advice applies offshore as well. Study how wind belts shift day to day, watch current flow and be ready to adjust course slightly to stay in pressure. Flexibility matters. “That flexibility is huge,” Vila said, noting how VMG sailing early and efficient reaching later can make a meaningful difference.

Vila also stresses instinct. “When you are in island shadows or playing squalls, you trust what you see,” he said. Cruisers threading squall lines at night or managing acceleration zones downwind know that no model replaces eyes on the water and experience built over miles.

At the other end of the spectrum is Will Oxley aboard the Baltic 111 Raven, a yacht capable of sustaining speeds that most cruisers will never see. Yet his core principles remain familiar. “The fundamentals of routing don’t change,” Oxley said. “Every boat has a polar and you run routings against that.”

For cruisers, the takeaway is knowing your own boat. Understand realistic speeds loaded for passagemaking and factor sea state into decisions. Oxley routes to avoid rough water even if it means sailing farther. That tradeoff will sound familiar to any crew choosing comfort and safety over shaving a few hours off an ETA.

Oxley also highlights the importance of understanding weather data rather than simply consuming it. “You must understand why they are showing what they show,” he said. High resolution models are powerful tools, but interpretation and context remain critical. New AI-based models may extend forecast confidence, but judgment still matters most.

Miles Seddon’s world aboard the MOD70 Zoulou is defined by speed and immediacy, yet his insights echo classic seamanship. “It looks like getting into the trade winds quickly and avoiding a ridge of high pressure north of the rhumb line will be key,” he said. For cruisers, that reinforces the classic Atlantic goal of finding sustained pressure and staying out of light air traps.

Seddon emphasizes discipline at speed. “We set clear limits on wind strength and direction before maneuvers,” he said. Long distance cruisers may not jibe at 30 knots, but preplanning sail changes, squall tactics and rest schedules is just as important when shorthanded.

Across three very different boats and mindsets, a common thread emerges. Data informs decisions, but experience refines them. Whether waiting for the weather to arrive, protecting the boat in big seas or committing to a conservative line through uncertain forecasts, the Atlantic demands respect.

As the RORC Transatlantic fleet prepares to depart Lanzarote, us mortal cruisers watching from afar can take comfort in a familiar truth: The same trade winds, squalls and currents shape every crossing. The best outcomes come from patience and preparation, and making every decision with the long view in mind.

The post How Top Race Navigators Read the Atlantic and What Cruisers Can Learn appeared first on Cruising World.

The call of the open Atlantic is about to get louder. On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Belgian skipper Quentin Debois is scheduled to depart Cadiz, Spain, on an ambitious solo attempt to break the world record for an east to west Atlantic crossing aboard a Mini 6.50.

Once Debois crosses the official starting line between Puerto Sherry and the port of Cadiz, an on-site commissioner from the World Sailing Speed Record Council will start the clock. From there, the course stretches roughly 4,500 miles to San Salvador in the Bahamas. To set the record, Debois must complete the crossing in under 30 days, a feat that would make him the first Belgian sailor to hold the solo Atlantic record in the Mini 6.50 class.

After arriving in Cadiz on Dec. 22 for final preparations and weather standby, Debois and his team now have the conditions they were waiting for. Forecasts show favorable winds toward the Canary Islands with seas of about 8 feet, conditions well suited to high-performance sailing. Strong trade winds are expected to allow a fast westward turn after the required passage to starboard of Gran Canaria, with an anticipated four-day run to the Canaries.

Farther offshore, conditions across the central Atlantic appear stable, setting the stage for an aggressive but calculated opening phase.

“I am completely ready and calm for the start,” Debois said. “My boat is also completely ready, checked down to the smallest detail. All that remains is to give the hull a final clean so seaweed does not slow the boat down, and to load the [30 gallons] of water I will need for the crossing.”

Though alone on board, Debois will not be sailing without support. Each day, he will check in with shore-based router Basile Rochut, who will analyze weather models and routing options.

“As soon as I set sail, I will check in every day with my router Basile Rochut, who will be my co-pilot from land,” Debois said. “The goal is to get off to the best possible start because we do not know what lies ahead.”

Rochut emphasized that the skipper remains firmly in command. “Every day, I will send Quentin routings and comments on the strategy,” he said. “Quentin will be able to view them, give his opinion and make his choices. It is always the skipper who makes the final decisions on board.”

Debois expects to hand steer between eight and 10 hours a day, using the autopilot only for short rest periods of about 20 minutes. Safety remains central to every decision.

“To succeed in this challenge, we want to stay close to areas of strong wind, but always within reasonable limits,” he said. “It is the good sailor who has the final say over the competitor. The first thing I have to think about is the safety of the boat and myself.”

While his target time is an ambitious 27 days, Debois is realistic about the variables. Technical reliability, human endurance, routing decisions and a measure of luck will all play decisive roles.

“I will be alone on the boat, but ocean racing is a real team sport,” Debois said. “If we break a record, it will be a team victory.”

Regardless of the outcome, Debois is already looking ahead. In June 2026, he plans a west to east Atlantic record attempt from New York to Lizard Point in England, a shorter but often more demanding route. Long term, he hopes these projects will form the foundation of a professional offshore racing career.

For now, the mission is simple. Cast off the dock lines, point the bow west and settle into the long rhythm of solo sailing across the Atlantic.

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ARC+ 2025 concluded in Grenada with a festive prizegiving that marked the end of a two-leg Atlantic rally spanning more than 2,900 nautical miles and uniting sailors from around the world.

The rally brought together 84 yachts and more than 400 crew for a staged crossing that began in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, continued to Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands and finished in Port Louis, Grenada. Along the way, crews experienced the blend of seamanship community and adventure that defines the ARC+ format.

The prizegiving opened with welcomes from Shanai St Bernard of the Grenada Tourism Authority and Zara Tremlett of Port Louis Marina, recognizing both the sailors and the shoreside teams that support the rally. Awards followed across cruising multihull and special recognition categories.

Multihull and Cruising Standouts

In the multihull division, Enjoy The Silence of Belgium took first place in Class A and multihull line honors, completing the second leg in 10 days 4 hours and 38 minutes. Kotare of Guernsey secured first in Class B.

“I still can’t believe that we’ve actually done it,” said Kotare sailor Dan Simpson. “It’s been two years in the planning and I’m so proud of us for seeing it through. It will be life-changing for us as a family.”

Cruising division honors went to Dawnbreaker of Sweden, which claimed Class A and cruising line honors. Ursa Major of Norway topped Class B, Lala Salama of Great Britain won Class C and Morning Bird of Great Britain led Class D.

“We are very very happy right now,” said Ursa Major skipper Raymond Saelen. “It was a really good experience and really enjoyable. We had nice conditions for the Atlantic crossing and it was so fun.”

Spirit Awards and Family Achievements

Beyond speed and standings, ARC+ also recognized the human side of ocean sailing. Fleet-nominated honors included Tangaroa for Most Beautiful Yacht, Dawnbreaker for Social Media Award and adversity awards for Canopus and Miss U. The Spirit of the ARC+ Rally went to Fortuitous for outstanding support of fellow sailors at sea.

Double-handed crews were also celebrated, including Eveline, whose crew completed the crossing in under 14 days. “It was too short,” Linn from Eveline joked. “We like to be out on the ocean.”

A record 48 children crossed the Atlantic with the fleet this year. Each received a medal and certificate, with special recognition given to Skye and Bee aboard Blue Ocean for caring for ARC+ mascot Archie the Monkey during the voyage.

Giving Back Along the Way

The prizegiving also highlighted the Positive Impact Fund, a World Cruising Club charity launched in 2025. In recognition of the 40th ARC anniversary, nearly £10,000 will be donated to projects including junior sailing in Carriacou, the Grenada SPCA and humanitarian relief efforts in Cape Verde.

What Comes Next

While the Grenada celebration marked the end of ARC+ 2025, many crews are far from finished. Some will cruise the Caribbean together, while others will continue on with World ARC or return to Europe with ARC Europe.

As World Cruising Club Managing Director Paul Tetlow summed up, “The prizegiving is all about celebration, but it’s also our opportunity to give thanks to the many organizations that help deliver ARC+ here in Grenada.”

The post ARC+ 2025 Wraps Up With Celebration in Grenada appeared first on Cruising World.

The first boat of the ARC 2025 fleet has arrived in Saint Lucia, with Nextgen by Jajo claiming line honors after a fast passage across the Atlantic from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The Volvo 65 completed the 2,700-nautical-mile crossing in 10 days, 48 minutes and 51 seconds, leading the fleet in the 40th edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. The crew was welcomed dockside at IGY Rodney Bay Marina by World Cruising Club officials along with representatives from the Saint Lucia Ministry of Tourism and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

“Line honors is always a special thing and it’s never easy,” said owner and skipper Jelmer Van Beek. “We knew we had the fastest boat, but you still need to execute it, so I’m really proud of the team.”

Van Beek credited consistent conditions for the quick passage. “We had fast sailing day in, day out. There was so much downwind sailing and we’ve really enjoyed it,” he said, adding that the Saint Lucian welcome was well timed after more than 10 days at sea.

While the ARC is primarily a cruising rally focused on safe and sociable ocean passages, Nextgen by Jajo is purpose-built for speed. The fully carbon fiber Volvo 65 routinely sails at speeds exceeding 20 knots, demanding constant attention from the crew.

“A Volvo 65 is my favorite boat, and I have crossed the Atlantic eight times on this boat,” Van Beek said. “It’s fast and powerful, but you always have to be alert. There’s a lot of force in the boat and it’s never easy.”

Formerly known as Team Brunel, the yacht also set a benchmark in the ARC in 2015, when it claimed line honors and a rally record at the time.

With the Atlantic behind them, the team plans to continue sailing in warmer waters before turning north again. “We’re really happy to be back in the Caribbean,” Van Beek said. “As a sailor, you follow the sun.”

Nextgen by Jajo is expected to head on to Saint Maarten for the Caribbean 600 and the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta before returning to Europe. Meanwhile, more ARC boats are closing in on Saint Lucia, where the docks will soon fill with crews celebrating landfall and reconnecting after weeks at sea.

With more than 800 sailors taking part this year, the 40th ARC promises a lively finish as the fleet continues to arrive ahead of the final prizegiving later this month.

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The first yacht of the ARC+ 2025 fleet has reached Grenada, marking a major milestone in this year’s two-stage Atlantic rally. Enjoy The Silence, an Outremer 55, crossed the finish line at Camper and Nicholson Port Louis Marina on December 2 to an enthusiastic dockside welcome.

Sailing from Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands, the crew completed the 2,200-nautical-mile second leg in 10 days, 4 hours and 28 minutes. Their finish time of 15:38 UTC put them well ahead of the rest of the ARC+ fleet and set the tone for the arrivals now unfolding in Grenada.

World Cruising Club officials were joined by representatives from the Grenada Tourism Authority and Port Louis Marina to welcome the crew ashore and kick off the post-passage celebrations.

“This is a special feeling for me,” skipper Jullien Jean said. “On one hand we are really happy because we have been pushing the boat to cross the line first, but I actually feel slightly deflated now that it is over. Perhaps I just need to do the next ARC+ because World Cruising Club is an incredible organization.”

ARC+ 2025 has delivered a mix of conditions across both legs. Light winds challenged crews sailing south from Gran Canaria to Mindelo, forcing many boats to search for pressure before reaching the trade winds. The second leg again began in lighter air but built steadily, with some crews reporting sustained winds above 20 knots during the past week.

Enjoy The Silence proved consistently quick throughout the rally. The Outremer 55 was also fastest on Leg 1, completing the 865-nautical-mile passage from Gran Canaria to Mindelo in 4 days, 15 hours and 5 minutes.

“We have a great crew on board and the boat is wonderful,” Jean said. “It provided us with comfort, security and performance for our voyage. Now, we are looking forward to exploring the island of Grenada and taking some time to clean the boat after our trip.”

More boats are close behind, including Bingera, another Outremer 55, followed by Dawnbreaker, a Kanter 64. With arrivals continuing through the coming days, crews will soon turn their focus from passagemaking to the social program and prizegiving, scheduled for December 11.

As is tradition with the ARC+, the days following arrival offer time to enjoy Grenadian hospitality, swap sea stories and cement friendships forged on a classic ocean crossing.

The post First ARC+ Yacht Arrives in Grenada appeared first on Cruising World.

The port of Las Palmas was buzzing Sunday as more than 800 sailors aboard 145 boats departed Gran Canaria for the 40th running of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. The annual event sends an international fleet across 2700 nautical miles of open ocean to Saint Lucia, and this year’s milestone edition drew crews from more than 40 nations.

Spectators lined the breakwater waving flags and cheering as the fleet eased out of the harbor to music from the local band Banda Guiniguada. Light northeast winds of 5 to 8 knots set the tone for a gentle start, with stronger breeze expected offshore in the Canary Islands’ well-known acceleration zones.

Rodney Targa, sailing aboard Cut and Run, said the run-up to start day had been both social and informative. “It’s been a really enjoyable build up with very informative seminars that were on key with what people wanted,” he said. “We’re all ready to go. We’ve been here for three weeks now so we’re well prepared. The support of World Cruising Club has helped us get here so we have no apprehension about the start.”

The multihull division crossed first at 12:30, led by Sniky, a Nautitech 48, with Mathilda, an Outremer 51, and Cut and Run, a Lagoon 46, close behind. The racing division followed at 12:45, with the Swan 76 La Loévie first over the line ahead of NextGen by Jajo, a Volvo 65. The cruising division, the largest start with 103 boats, set off at 13:00, with the Swan 56 Azahar taking the early lead and Adrenalina, a J/130, breaking clear under code zero.

To mark the rally’s 40th year, organizers at the World Cruising Club expanded live coverage through daily ARC Live streams, giving families and followers around the world a view of the pre-start action and the fleet’s departure.

Most boats are expected to make landfall in Saint Lucia between 18 and 21 days from the start, depending on how quickly they reach the trades. For many participants, the crossing represents years of preparation and a chance to complete a bucket-list bluewater passage framed by Caribbean hospitality at the finish.

The post ARC 2025 Fleet Begins 2700-Mile Atlantic Crossing appeared first on Cruising World.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Harvard University captured the 2025 College Sailing Match Race National Championship on Sunday, November 17, completing an undefeated run to secure the title and cap a successful fall season.

The championship, hosted by the University of South Florida Sailing and The Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, was contested in light-air conditions, testing the teams’ boathandling and tactical acumen throughout the weekend.

“Winning College Sailing Match Race Nationals was a rewarding conclusion to a successful fall season after winning ACCs and the NEISA Fall Championship,” said Justin Callahan, a sophomore on the squad. “This team means everything to me. Having my twin brother, Mitchell, by my side made the victory all the more meaningful, along with Kate and Harrison, who competed with me in Poland this summer where we earned bronze for the USA at the World Championship.”

Head Sailing Coach Mike O’Connor praised the team’s growth and execution. “I’m very proud of our team. They learned some hard lessons at this regatta last year. They used simple tactics and excellent boathandling to control their opponents,” O’Connor said. “They analyzed the race course properly in every race. They took advantage of every opportunity.”

College Sailing extended its congratulations to all the sailors and teams competing. The top finishers at the championship included:

• College of Charleston
• Tulane University
• Boston College
• Georgetown University
• Brown University
• Roger Williams University
• United States Naval Academy
• University of Illinois
• Stanford University

Special thanks were given to University of South Florida Sailing and The Saint Petersburg Yacht Club for hosting the championship.

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With one week to go before the fleet sets off across the Atlantic, sailors in the 40th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers filled the Las Palmas waterfront with flags, music and celebration during the ARC 2025 Opening Ceremony.

More than 30 nations are represented in this year’s edition of the 2700 mile rally to Saint Lucia. The parade marked an important milestone in the lead-up to departure as crews complete final preparations for their offshore passage.

Participants gathered at the north end of the marina before processing along the promenade, carrying their national flags past cheering crowds. Local percussion groups added to the atmosphere, and officials from the City Council and Port Authority welcomed the sailors to Las Palmas.

A distinct Caribbean presence also colored the event. Representatives from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and members of the Saint Lucian diaspora joined the parade in traditional dress, offering crews a preview of the warm hospitality waiting on the other side of the ocean.

“The opening ceremony was amazing. I loved how there were all the flags and everyone was in great spirits,” said Marley Tonkin of Aurelia T. “Crossing the Atlantic always felt like that next stage, but now it’s getting close I’m starting to get a little bit apprehensive. That said, I’m so excited for it. I think it’s going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait.”

After the parade, the ARC Dinghy Race returned to the program for the first time in several years. Crews and local teams paddled a variety of small craft around the marina in a lighthearted competition that drew enthusiastic support from the waterfront. A short ceremony followed, with prizes for first across the line, best dressed crews and best spirit.

Throughout the coming week, participants will join safety demonstrations, ocean cruising seminars and social events that make the ARC a community as much as a passage. Most boats are expected to take 18 to 21 days to reach Saint Lucia once they depart on November 23.

For many sailors, the ARC represents a bucket list crossing, and the sense of achievement at landfall will be as memorable as the miles made along the way.

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