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.

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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria buzzed with excitement as the 13th edition of the ARC+ rally got underway, sending 86 boats and more than 400 sailors on the first leg of their 3,000-nautical-mile Atlantic adventure.

Friends, family, and onlookers lined the marina walls to cheer the fleet as they crossed the start line on November 9. The multihull division’s 30 boats got underway at 1245 UTC, followed by 56 monohulls in the cruising and open divisions at 1300 UTC. The start featured steady 15- to 18-knot northeasterly winds and a rolling swell, setting up a lively sendoff for the international fleet representing 26 nations.

“The start went really well today, marking a spectacular end to a really enjoyable program here in Las Palmas,” said Paul Tetlow, managing director of World Cruising Club. “The fleet made a real spectacle as they headed off south. The wind conditions for the next few days promise some steady sailing, which should allow crews to settle into a good rhythm at sea.”

From the deck of the Excess 11 Kasafari, one of the smallest multihulls in the fleet, sailor Robin Bader said the weeks of preparation had been both educational and encouraging. “We were surprised about the provisioning as I have never bought that amount of food before,” Bader said. “The ARC+ program helps give you confidence because you can talk with experts and other participants who are doing their first Atlantic crossing.”

For many, the camaraderie formed in the lead-up to the start was as meaningful as the voyage ahead. The crew of the Sunbeam 53 Vision shared before departing, “It gives us confidence and joy to be part of this big sailing family. Fair winds and following seas to all. See you in Cape Verde with many exciting stories to tell.”

Early front-runners included Nick Phillips’ Lagoon 60 Nicara and Jean Jullien’s Outremer 55-2 Enjoy the Silence in the multihull division, along with Richard Hutchings’ Oyster 595 XoXo, leading the cruising division.

The fleet’s first leg covers roughly 850 nautical miles to Mindelo in Cape Verde, where crews will regroup and restock before embarking on the second leg, a 2,150-mile passage to Grenada. Most boats are expected to make landfall in Cape Verde within five to seven days, then reach the Caribbean by mid-December.

“The participants have really benefitted from the program of social and seminar activities over the last 10 days and are now feeling well prepared for the start,” Tetlow added. “Now they can just sail, enjoy themselves, and have fun.”

The ARC+ fleet will reunite in Grenada on December 11 for a closing celebration and prizegiving, capping off what promises to be another unforgettable ocean crossing for the international cruising community.

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The Royal Ocean Racing Club has published the Notice of Race for the 2026 Round Britain and Ireland Race, officially opening entries for the 50th anniversary edition of the storied 1,805-nautical-mile offshore challenge. The race will start Sunday, August 9, 2026, from Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Invited divisions include IRC monohulls, multihulls, IMOCA entries, and one-design classes such as Class40. The course remains one of the most formidable in offshore racing, sending crews on a full circumnavigation of Britain and Ireland and leaving every island and rock, including Shetland’s remote Muckle Flugga, to starboard.

First held in 1976, the race demands constant seamanship and endurance as crews navigate shifting weather, tidal gates, exposed North Atlantic stretches, and headlands including Land’s End, St. Kilda, and Fair Isle.

“The Round Britain and Ireland Race is one of the ultimate tests in offshore sailing,” said RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole. “Its mix of coastal challenges and exposed ocean passages makes it both unpredictable and unforgettable. With the Notice of Race now published, we’re looking forward to welcoming an exceptional fleet in 2026.”

The race has produced some of offshore sailing’s most memorable performances. In 2014, the VO65 Azzam set the monohull record and skipper Ian Walker called the contest “brutal” yet extraordinary. “Mentally, nothing was tougher than the final 12 hours as the wind died away,” Walker said after the finish. “Looking back now, the most amazing thing about that edition is that we didn’t tack once until we were back at the forts.”

Richard Palmer, who won overall IRC honors in 2022 aboard his JPK 1010 Jangada while racing double-handed, called the course “a full-on race with absolutely no let-up.” He added that it delivers “close racing on the IRC ratings” and tests crews to the limit across changing weather systems and tidal gates.

Since 2006, Sevenstar Yacht Transport served as title sponsor. RORC thanked Sevenstar for its longstanding support and is seeking new partners for the 2026 race.

Online entry opens November 3, 2025, at roundbritainandireland.rorc.org. Race fans will be able to follow the fleet through live tracking and watch the start from shore in Cowes and other headland vantage points around the British Isles.

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After a two-year hiatus, the 2026 Antigua Bermuda Race will once again send a fleet of offshore sailors northward across nearly 1,000 miles of open Atlantic. The fifth edition of the 935-nautical-mile race starts April 29 from Antigua, following Antigua Sailing Week and finishing in time for SailGP Bermuda on May 9-10.

Run by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in partnership with Antigua Sailing Week, the race has grown into one of the Caribbean’s signature bluewater events. It offers sailors a unique mix of spirited competition and seagoing adventure, departing from the turquoise waters of Falmouth Harbour and finishing off one of the Atlantic’s great island nations.

“The Antigua Bermuda Race is timed to coincide with the end of Antigua Sailing Week when many yachts are already preparing to head north out of the Caribbean,” said Race Chair and Past Commodore Les Crane. “With today’s high ocean freight rates, it’s a safe, economical, and highly enjoyable way to take your boat home while joining an organized event.”

The course takes the fleet past Barbuda before heading into open water, out of sight of land until the finish. Sailors can expect everything from brisk tradewind reaching to light-air strategy sessions, a true offshore experience without the extended commitment of a transatlantic passage.

Past competitors have praised the event for its balance of performance sailing and pure ocean magic. In the 2022 edition, Meg Reilley of the Canadian Pogo 12.50 Hermes II recalled, “The first few days can be a sleigh ride. Reaching in the tradewinds, Hermes effortlessly coasts between waves, holding double-digit speeds so gracefully that all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The race is open to IRC and CSA Racing Yachts, Cruiser Racers, Multihulls, and Superyachts, with dedicated categories for classic and doublehanded entries. A secondary CSA motor-sailing division allows yachts using engines under time penalty to still compete.

Registration for the 2026 event opens November 15, and the official Notice of Race is now available at antiguabermuda.com. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club will host the awards ceremony on May 7, just ahead of SailGP Bermuda’s Great Sound action that weekend.

Whether as a competitive feeder race or a once-in-a-lifetime passage between two legendary sailing hubs, the Antigua Bermuda Race offers sailors a chance to stretch their sea legs, test their skills, and celebrate the enduring spirit of ocean racing.

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The Beneteau First 36 SE made an impressive debut at the 4th ORC Double-Handed World Championship in Monfalcone, Italy, finishing on the podium in its maiden race. The 165-mile windward/leeward course was meant as a discovery run for Hull No. 1, with naval designer Samuel Manuard and community member Jure Jerman focusing on familiarizing themselves with the boat.

Despite being a first test rather than a full racing campaign, the First 36 SE showed remarkable pace. The boat finished third, just one minute behind the second-place competitor, in a competitive fleet of 29 boats in ORC Class B.

“It was a wonderful race. Our main goal was to learn more about the boat and her behavior,” said Samuel Manuard. “This is only the beginning, but I’m really pleased with the First 36 SE’s dynamic and speed. Light wind suited her well, and she performed strongly on reaching legs. There is still a lot to refine, especially transitions, but the boat combines cruiser comfort with high-level racing performance.”

Community co-skipper Jure Jerman added, “I’m not a professional sailor, and this fleet was full of serious racers. With the investment we put in, I think we did well. The First 36 SE was extremely competitive in all conditions, and any lost ground was due to our mistakes, not the boat. She deserves all the credit for being fast all around.”

Andraž Michelin, CEO of Seascape and First range manager at Beneteau, highlighted the First 36 SE’s versatility. “This result is amazing. We engaged our First community and borrowed extra sails for the championship. The boat proved itself as a competitive, all-around racer. Moving forward, we plan to work closely with future owners to optimize their racing projects and ensure maximum performance and enjoyment.”

With its Seascape Edition design, the First 36 SE continues Beneteau’s commitment to producing boats that balance performance, accessibility, and comfort, giving sailors a platform that is competitive offshore while still approachable for cruising enthusiasts.

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The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) marks a major milestone this year as World Cruising Club celebrates the 40th edition of its world-famous transatlantic rally. To commemorate the occasion, the organization is introducing two new media platforms—ARC Live and ARC Radio—that will connect sailors, families, and fans across the globe.

ARC Radio is a dedicated digital station that will broadcast 24/7, offering a mix of music, event updates, and interviews with participants from more than 30 countries. ARC Live will complement the radio coverage with daily video programming streamed on Facebook and YouTube, featuring 60- to 90-minute broadcasts from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the days leading up to the start. Viewers can expect behind-the-scenes footage, safety briefings, and highlights from the rally’s popular social events.

This year, approximately 900 sailors will take part in the iconic crossing from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, to Saint Lucia. The new platforms aim to capture not just the race itself, but also the camaraderie, preparation, and adventure that define the ARC experience.

“ARC Live and ARC Radio will make this iconic sailing event available to a global audience,” said Paul Tetlow, Managing Director of World Cruising Club. “By broadcasting the excitement and sailor stories from Las Palmas to viewers and listeners around the world, we’ll inform and inspire people and recognize the huge achievements and ambitions of our participants.”

Tetlow noted that the new initiatives will bring to life the personal stories behind the ARC—highlighting the motivations, challenges, and triumphs of participants from all walks of life. “It’s incredible to see how far the ARC has come over the past 40 years,” he said. “What started as an idea has grown into a global sailing community, bringing together thousands of boats and tens of thousands of people with a shared spirit of adventure.”

ARC Radio will begin broadcasting on November 10, with live “breakfast,” “lunchtime,” and “sundowner” shows beginning November 17 from the ARC village. ARC Live will start daily streaming on November 18, leading up to the much-anticipated start of the rally on November 23, when both platforms will provide real-time coverage.For live coverage and updates, visit World Cruising Club’s website.

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The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has confirmed that the next edition of the Admiral’s Cup will be held July 15–30, 2027. The announcement follows the successful revival of the event this year after a two-decade hiatus.

The Admiral’s Cup, first contested in 1957, has long been considered the unofficial world championship of offshore team racing. The event’s demanding format includes both inshore races and major offshore passages, culminating in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

“The 2025 Admiral’s Cup marked a new chapter for this historic competition,” said Race Director Steve Cole. “The response from sailors, teams, and supporters was extraordinary. The passion, skill, and camaraderie on display proved that the Admiral’s Cup remains the ultimate test of team racing in offshore sailing. In 2027, we intend to raise the bar even higher.”

Teams from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania are expected to compete in 2027, with the RORC anticipating an even larger international fleet. Pierre Casiraghi, Vice President of Yacht Club de Monaco and skipper of the victorious 2025 team, called the regatta “an extraordinary event, brilliantly organised and fiercely competitive.”

Further details on the 2027 Admiral’s Cup, including entry criteria and the full racing and social schedule, will be released in the months ahead.

More information is available at admiralscup.rorc.org.

Catch the final 2025 Admiral’s Cup race report HERE.

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The America’s Cup is entering uncharted waters. The newly released Protocol for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup outlines sweeping changes to the way the 174-year-old competition is governed, raced, and promoted — a move that organizers are calling the most significant shift in the Cup’s history.

The agreement, signed by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) and Team New Zealand as Defender, and the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and Athena Racing as Challenger of Record, establishes a new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) granting equal governance to all participating teams. This collective authority will oversee everything from race formats to media rights, with the goal of creating a more predictable, sustainable, and globally appealing event.

“As the founding Trustee of the America’s Cup, we are completely supportive of the move to modernise the oldest sporting trophy in the world,” said NYYC Commodore Jay Cross.

Entries open August 19, 2025, for the 2027 event, which will be hosted in Naples, Italy. The Protocol aims to make the Cup a biannual fixture, supported by consistent formats and commercial planning that allow teams, sponsors, and venues to invest in multiple cycles.

Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton called the agreement “the boldest change in 174 years of the Cup,” noting that it addresses the long-standing challenge of continuity. Sir Ben Ainslie, CEO of Athena Racing, described it as “a seismic moment” for sailing, bringing inclusivity and financial stability to the forefront.

Among the headline changes:

• Women’s and Youth America’s Cup events will remain, with at least one female sailor required on each AC75 crew.
  
• Nationality rules will require three of the five sailors onboard to hold the team’s passport.
  
• AC75s will be powered in part by battery systems, and teams will be allowed guest racers — giving VIPs, media, and sponsors a front-row seat to the action.
  
• Cost controls will cap team budgets at €75 million, with rules requiring reuse of AC37 hulls where possible.
  

Racing will feature both match and fleet formats, ensuring all teams see more race time. Preliminary regattas in AC40s are set for 2026 and early 2027, leading into the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series and the final America’s Cup Match in July 2027.

“As current Trustee of the America’s Cup, we have been integral in carving this new path,” said RNZYS Commodore David Blakey. “Promoting pathways for young sailors and developing the sport in New Zealand is a top priority.”

With Naples confirmed as the host city, anticipation is already building for an edition of the Cup that organizers hope will honor its history while charting a course for the future.

READ THE LOUIS VUITTON 38TH AMERICA’S CUP PROTOCOL HERE

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When the Caribbean Multihull Challenge (CMC) launched in 2019, it quickly became a winter highlight for sailors who love speed, style, and the unique handling of high-performance catamarans and trimarans. For its eighth edition, set for February 2026 in Sint Maarten, the event is upping the stakes with a brand-new prize — a Line Honors Trophy for the outright fastest yacht in the fleet.

Traditionally, CMC winners have been determined using the CSA handicap rule, rewarding skill, tactics, and boat speed in balance. That system will still be in play, but the new award strips it down to pure pace: first to finish over the regatta’s four race days takes the honors.

“This is about giving skippers and shipyards a platform to show off their stuff,” say organizers. “We want to celebrate flat-out performance on some of the Caribbean’s most exciting race courses.”

The 2026 program includes a 60-mile sprint around St. Barth’s, a 52-mile dash to Saba and back, and a 27-mile navigational challenge weaving through the rocks and cays off Sint Maarten, plus a day of racing along the island’s south shore. Conditions promise a mix of robust tradewinds and manageable seas — ideal for the large-production HHs, Gunboats, ORCs, and Catanas that dominate the multihull performance scene, as well as custom builds.

While the sponsor for the Line Honors Trophy will be announced later, entries are already open. Registration is available at YachtScoring.com and CaribbeanMultihullChallenge.com.

For multihull sailors craving Caribbean breeze, competitive camaraderie, and a chance to push the throttles forward without looking back, the 2026 CMC just raised the bar.

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World Cruising Club, the organization behind the well-known Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), has unveiled a brand-new event for 2026: ARC Baltic. Set for July 2026, this new cruising rally will guide a select fleet through five countries and nearly 1,000 nautical miles of scenic and historic cruising grounds across the Baltic Sea.

Departing from Kiel, Germany on July 3 and wrapping up in Bullandö, Sweden on July 31, the route includes stops in Stralsund, Bornholm, Gotland, Tallinn, Helsinki, the Åland Islands, and the Stockholm Archipelago. Each destination offers a blend of cultural charm, wild anchorages, and sheltered sailing waters.

Limited to just 25 yachts between 27 and 50 feet, ARC Baltic is designed with family cruisers and motorsailers in mind. With short hops—most under 200 nautical miles—the rally allows ample time for both social activities and personal exploration. Larger yachts and multihulls may be accepted if space allows.

“Sailing in the Baltic Sea offers an unforgettable blend of adventure, culture, and natural beauty,” says Paul Tetlow, managing director of World Cruising Club. “With sheltered waters, quiet anchorages and well-equipped marinas, the region is ideal for both experienced cruisers and those developing their offshore sailing experience.”

The rally will be led by a local support team that will assist at each port and coordinate guided tours, pontoon parties, and shoreside gatherings—hallmarks of the ARC experience. According to Tetlow, the rally’s social atmosphere is one of its biggest draws: “ARC Baltic will be attractive to a broad base of sailors, representing different nationalities, experiences and crewing plans, making for a supportive and social way to explore the region by yacht.”

From Nordic-style rock moorings among the 50,000 islands of the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos, to sailing into vibrant capital cities like Tallinn and Helsinki, ARC Baltic offers an itinerary that contrasts natural beauty with cultural depth.

World Cruising Club previously ran an ARC Baltic rally between 2014 and 2019, which included St. Petersburg. The new edition avoids politically sensitive areas and focuses on regions rich in cruising appeal.Registration is now open, and interested sailors can find more details and request an information pack at worldcruising.com.

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