Approximately 100 sailors gathered at the Mystic Saint Lucia Epicure & Terrace, in Rodney Bay on Thursday for a farewell reception as they prepare to depart on an ARC journey across the globe.
Over the years, the Saint Lucian destination has accommodated the sailors from diverse cultures and countries, as well as, being the anchor leg at the completion of the 15 to 16 months annual sailing adventure.
Key stakeholders from the local hospitality industry and other tourism personnel bid farewell to the visitors.
Describing the experience as a “crazy” and expeditious venture, Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire lauded the exploits of the seafarers for taking such a daring and risky expedition.
“Who takes years of preparation and planning …and to take off almost a year of your life to go sailing,” he declared.
“What you are doing is spectacular. It is the stuff that individuals like me can only dream of,” said Hilaire. “So, I really think highly of what you are doing. And I’m sure you will have tremendous memories of your journey and I’m glad that Saint Lucia plays such a pivotal role in that journey.”
Aniya Whitfield of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority [SLTA] addressed the visitors stating that, “World ARC has become a significant fixture on our calendar, requiring a courageous journey …to circumnavigate the Atlantic and enjoy this adventure.”
The SLTA official acknowledged the collaboration with agencies like the World Cruising Club (WCC), IGY Rodney Bay Marina and all our partners who steadfastly support the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. She added, “We hope you had a chance to immerse yourselves in the beauty of the island, experience our rich culture and savour some fantastic cuisine.
According to Whitfield “The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority looks forward to building future relationships and increase participation in ARC events.”
Speaking to VOICE Sports, WCC Managing Director Paul Tetlow said there were 26 vessels participating in the first leg of the world rally with about 100 participants from 20 different nations.
He explained that almost half of the fleet was sailing from Saint Lucia to return in 15 months time which is April 2025. The journey covers about 226,000 nautical miles around the world.
“They have a huge adventure ahead of them and they are going to be visiting 17 countries in that time and along the route there will be planned programmes of events,” he explained.
Tetlow said the route has been divided into 14 legs “and the reason that we have legs is because we have planned departure dates where if you have a crew joining you or departing, you might sail the whole route or you might have friends and family coming to visit you on different legs”.
He added: “The division into legs helps with the planning for owners and skippers to work out how they are going to crew their boats, and it also means that we can set a schedule to divide the 15 months into different legs …where they have a forward understanding of when they might arrive in each country or the next stopover.”
According to the WCC Publication, Starting from Saint Lucia and Australia, World ARC is the voyage of a lifetime. A 26,000 nautical miles trade wind circumnavigation , with our team in every port ensuring a warm welcome.
“World ARC is a mix of cruising in company (owners ) and free time to explore. Make a full circumnavigation or sail half a rally. The pace keeps the fleet together, enjoying the shore-side activities as a group, while staying with the best weather. Families with children, retirees or a ‘grown up gap year’ – all are welcome as part of World ARC.”
Meanwhile, today (Saturday) the sailors will make their departure from the IGY Rodney Bay Marina on the forward journey. The route winds down to the Castries Harbour and take off at the Vigie Point “start-line” before they set sail for Colombia.
Said Tetlow: “We are looking forward to a real spectacle on Saturday …we’ve got the participating yachts and a number of local boats, and a number of other boats participating in World Cruise events and World Cruise sailors aboard their yachts and their dinghies monitoring and watching the event.”