{"id":61746,"date":"2026-01-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=61746"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:49:08","slug":"arc-without-modern-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/sailing\/arc-without-modern-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"We Asked: Could You Survive the ARC Without Modern Tech?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"ARC+ start\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ARC_start_2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Boats stream out of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, at the start of ARC+, bound for Cape Verde and Grenada.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<iframe id=\"gkstfcayky\" src=\"https:\/\/cruisingworld.dragonforms.com\/gkstfcayky\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <em>Dawnbreaker<\/em> 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\u2019s ladder, looking more than ready to take on the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chuck Paine\u2013custom-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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been 40 years since Jimmy Cornell launched the ARC, an event aimed at cruising enthusiasts, not \u201cracing\u2019s elite,\u201d with a focus on safety. Back then, <em>Dawnbreaker<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Breakwater\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Breakwater_1.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Spectators line the breakwater in Gran Canaria to cheer departing crews as the ARC fleet heads west.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019d spend hours and hours trying to connect, but you got through sometimes,\u201d he recalls. \u201cYou see the boats the first day and the last day, and in between it\u2019s just empty sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t 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,\u201d says Lars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At 64 feet, <em>Dawnbreaker<\/em> 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\u2013style, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eira_3-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Eira\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eira_3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eira_3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eira_3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eira_3.jpg 1500w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Swan 51 <i>Eira<\/i> prepares for the Atlantic crossing, combining traditional sailing with selective modern technology.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Ali Wood<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Almond angst<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes, I\u2019d still go, because I wouldn\u2019t know any different,\u201d says Richard Cropper, skipper of Beneteau 60 <em>Salty Rascal<\/em>. \u201cYou\u2019d just get by with the tools you\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The British dad\u2019s 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 <em>Sail Away: How to Escape the Rat Race and Live the Dream<\/em>. 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\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think she wanted to get rid of us,\u201d laughs Louise, a primary care physician. \u201cFor years afterward, Richard kept saying, \u2018Would you do it? Would you do it?\u2019 I only said yes because I never thought we\u2019d go through with it. But I wouldn\u2019t have done it 40 years ago, not without the technology. Everyone back home thinks we\u2019re mad, but they can follow us using the YB tracker, and knowing we\u2019re doing it in an organized group and can send pictures back home normalizes what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard adds: \u201cBut the danger of being part of a huge rally is you can\u2019t stop buying stuff. It\u2019s like when you\u2019re at school waiting to do your exams, and everyone\u2019s talking about what they revised, and you\u2019re thinking, \u2018God, I didn\u2019t do that.\u2019 You start asking if you\u2019ve got enough equipment. Did you buy enough toilet rolls? We had a panic about almonds, and Louise is like, \u2018How many almonds have you actually eaten in the last year?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Frolic\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frolic_2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">J\/44 <i>Frolic<\/i> readies for the ARC with Starlink onboard, allowing repairs, communication and medical support at sea.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Ali Wood<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was in Porto Santo, and the borders closed. There were no flights, no ferries. I just decided right away, I\u2019m going,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was more than a sailing trip, it was an inner trip. I\u2019m 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\u2019t care how long it would take.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s looking forward to an altogether different experience, as was clear the night of his arrival in Las Palmas, when he was whisked to an \u201980s party by a giddy Louise in luminous leggings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis family is lots of fun,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m pretty stoked about doing the voyage with the little ones. It will be unique.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Leppanen\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Leppanen_1.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Finnish sailor Markus Leppanen, part of the delivery crew aboard Swan 51 <i>Eira<\/i>, has logged tens of thousands of offshore miles.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Markus Leppanen<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MOB rescue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hoisting eight flags onto the forestay\u2014an act counted excitedly by a group of boys fishing off the pontoon\u2014is Swan 51 <em>Eira<\/em>. The monohull is doing the main ARC, and Finnish delivery crew Markus Leppanen and Vilhelm Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m are preparing her for the paying passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSailing <em>Eira<\/em> wouldn\u2019t have been much different 40 years ago,\u201d says Vilhelm, tapping the elk-skin-covered wheel. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Markus and Vilhelm have tens of thousands of sea miles under their belts. Markus recalls that in the 1993 ARC, they didn\u2019t have a sat phone\u2014just GPS and a plotter. Instead of weather apps, they had a guy navigating onshore, giving instructions over SSB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ruaj_2-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Ruaj\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ruaj_2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ruaj_2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ruaj_2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ruaj_2.jpg 1500w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Lagoon 52F catamaran <i>Ruaj<\/i> carries the Sidauy family across the Atlantic, blending family life with long-distance cruising.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Ali Wood<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Back then they were \u201cjust a bunch of friends with the smallest, fastest Swan.\u201d Now, <em>Eira<\/em> has 85,000 nautical miles on the clock and 15 crossings. She\u2019s a veteran in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe use a traditional spinnaker,\u201d says Vilhelm. \u201cAt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They reflect on the tragedy in last year\u2019s ARC, where Swedish sailor Dag Eresund, 33, fell overboard from Volvo 70 <em>Ocean Breeze<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was routing from Finland,\u201d says Vilhelm. \u201cI 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\u201325 knots. When it\u2019s pitch black and a swell of about 6 meters, you know it\u2019s really hard to get someone out of there. These old Whitbread boats don\u2019t turn on a sixpence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Starlink\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Starlink.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Starlink terminals have rapidly become standard equipment aboard ARC boats, reshaping how crews stay connected at sea.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Markus recalls an MOB on his 1999 ARC, though happily that had a positive outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a Norwegian racing boat, sponsored by J\u00e4germeister,\u201d he says. \u201cThe spinnaker came down in a squall, and they gybed, knocking a crewmember into the water. Even when it\u2019s warm, you\u2019ll only last 24 hours, but here is this guy in a Hawaiian shirt\u2014he 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!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not the first time a sailor has been rescued by chance during a cruising rally. In ARC+ 2021, British catamaran <em>Coco<\/em> happened upon a dismasted yacht 140 miles from Grenada and towed it into port, to the relief of the distressed French skipper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For crews\u2019 safety, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe talked about getting Starlink,\u201d says Vilhelm, \u201cbut the skipper doesn\u2019t want it because the experience for the crew changes. We have satcomms and can make phone calls and emails, but we don\u2019t want everybody hanging around the cockpit reading the news. You spoil the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was during World ARC 2023 when Elon Musk\u2019s 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\u2019d completed a world circuit six months later, only two boats didn\u2019t have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Dawnbreaker at the start of the rally\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Dawnbreaker_2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Chuck Paine\u2013designed yacht <i>Dawnbreaker<\/i> departs Gran Canaria at the start of the ARC.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Medical backup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Onboard <em>Frolic<\/em>, a J\/44, we find Rhode Island sailor HL DeVore opening the cava, having successfully Googled a fix for his B&amp;G wind sensor, saving $3,000 in parts and labor. His ex\u2013U.S. Coast Guard vessel is equipped with Starlink, a piece of kit HL wouldn\u2019t sail without.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do love the romanticism of not being able to communicate other than with attempts at SSB,\u201d he admits, \u201cand I\u2019m 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\u2014in fact, the same one used by round-the-world sailor Cole Brauer. We\u2019ve got IV kits, medicines\u2014everything you could possibly need\u2014and with modern comms we have the comfort of knowing we can solve issues at sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meant to be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s cruising yacht a true home from home. It\u2019s allowed Mexican family the Sidauys to sell their home and possessions and move onboard their Lagoon 52F catamaran <em>Ruaj<\/em>. This new wave of adventurous young families, who buy production catamarans and choose cruising as an alternative lifestyle, was rare in the \u201970s, when the majority of ARC participants were older, wealthy couples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Gabriel Sidauy, the idea of taking on an Atlantic crossing was sparked during a chance meeting on a flight from Tijuana to Cancun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe man next to me was checking out boats and charts,\u201d says Gabriel. \u201cHe was about to start this amazing adventure with his wife and three kids. I said to him, \u2018That\u2019s the best thing I heard in my life!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Salty Rascal at the rally start\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Start_Salty_Rascal.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Beneteau 60 <i>Salty Rascal<\/i> leaves Las Palmas as part of the ARC fleet heading west across the Atlantic.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Gabriel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turned out to be none other than Emanuel\u2014the guy Gabriel met on the plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI told him he changed our lives, and he didn\u2019t remember me,\u201d laughs Gabriel. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sidauys bought <em>Ruaj<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have learned many things,\u201d says Gabriel. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"YB tracker\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YB_tracker.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">YB trackers allow friends and family to follow ARC boats\u2019 progress across the Atlantic in near real time.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Paul Wyeth\/Courtesy WCC<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bare(ish) necessities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the joys of the ARC is seeing what families deem \u201cnecessary\u201d for their transatlantic, whether that\u2019s a 50-inch TV, washing machine, coffee maker or, in the case of the Sidauys, \u201caerial silks,\u201d which gymnast Natalie has tied to the forestay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGymnastics is my passion,\u201d she says breathlessly, while twirling and tumbling to the applause of neighboring boats. \u201cI also love the night sky and can\u2019t wait to see shooting stars, and play my ukulele with Moises on his guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, a final question: Would they do this 40 years ago?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, it would not be possible,\u201d confirms Gabriel, who has to cut short the interview to receive a video conference call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019ll be sharing stories over a rum punch as the sun goes down over the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forty years on, sailors reflect on whether they\u2019d still brave the Atlantic the old-school way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":61756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Ali Wood","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","sponsored_image":false,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[2172],"tags":[2085,402,2072,157,2108,362,552],"class_list":["post-61746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sailing","tag-arc-rally","tag-bluewater-cruising","tag-competitive-sailing","tag-gear","tag-offshore-racing","tag-safety","tag-sailing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}