THE 7th edition of the World ARC (2017-18) fleet set sail from Rodney Bay at noon on Saturday in near perfect weather conditions with winds up to 20 knots, creating a kaleidoscope of colours heading down the coast to Castries.
Leading the was the committee vessel, Reel Extreme, with Minister of Tourism Dominic Fedee, World Cruising Club officials, members of the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, Island Global Yachting and the Saint Lucia Yacht Club, on board.
The first yacht across the start line just off the Castries harbour was the Turkish-flagged vessel, “North”, owned by Nejat Avci, followed by “Arabela”, owned by Sergey Eriskin, and third, Taistealai, owned by Chris and Helen Tibbs.
At about 12:40 p.m., the entire fleet had already passed the startline and continued south before the fleet turning west and set off for Santa Marta in Colombia where they should arrive by this weekend.
On Friday evening, the crew members attended a farewell party held at Bay Gardens Hotel, an excellent finale for World ARC, hosted by the SLTB. Minister Fedee was the recipient of a plaque signed by all World ARC participants, with the presentation being made by WCC Events Manager, Stefano Palumbo.
Fedee spoke to the media on Saturday aboard Reel Extreme during the departure, saying, “This is an amazing sight. Everyone in such a great mood and to see Saint Lucia having the opportunity to launch such a major yachting event; it is just absolutely fantastic.”
He continued: “The partnership between World Cruising Club and Saint Lucia continues to grow. We continue to be a very important friend as they make a tremendous impact on the development of yachting in Saint Lucia. I think we are getting tremendous public relations from the press and various world magazines. I have done several interviews and we were able to project a narrative that was positive and one that was very beneficial towards the development of the yachting sector in Saint Lucia.”
Asked whether he sees some measure of envy from the other islands, Fedee replied, “I think yachting is a regional business and we need each other. We need to collaborate. One of the things we are working on is to have a more structural approach as it relates to itineraries and our promotion. It also requires a collaborative approach as it relates to marketing the various destinations. Our neighbours have a particular strength and they add value in what we do and they make us stronger as a yachting destination.”