Tremendous applause greeted the winners of the 2nd edition of the January ARC – Atlantic Rally for Cruisers as they took the spotlight to collect their respective prizes after successfully completing the Atlantic crossing to Saint Lucian shores.
Following the classic trade wind route from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay Marina, Saint Lucia, ARC January set off early in the New Year with expectations of consistent trade winds for a great ocean sail.
According to the organisers, with all the hallmarks of the safety, support and social activities that World Cruising rallies are famed for, “ARC January provides a third route option across the Atlantic to build camaraderie and enjoy your own adventure”.
At last Saturday’s prize-giving ceremony, several prizes were on offer for seniors and juniors alike, and the yachters had a wonderful time cheering and rooting for each other.
Described as the ‘loudest and rowdier bunch’ of sailors, the 130 participants from aboard 28 boats made good of the boast to round off an adventurous trip …
While addressing the gathering, Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire struck a chord a little louder as he declared: “You are the loudest group…and I hope this is a statement of how much you enjoyed the crossing, and how much you’ve enjoyed your time here in Saint Lucia.”
Acknowledging the participation of the yachters in this global sailing event, the minister added, “It is really wonderful to have you here in Saint Lucia, it means a lot to us that you would participate and that you would come to Saint Lucia and that you would have a fantastic time …we love to see people enjoy themselves and we live our lives in such a way.”
Said Hilaire: “We’ve learnt to just live life, to enjoy it to the maximum …and we like when we do have guests to also extend to them all the warmth and hospitality that we have, to enjoy the time with us.”
Paul Collymore, President of the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association [SLHTA] invited the visitors to visit the many scenic sites and relaxation spots on island and to partake of the local culinary delights and beverages, arts and craft displays and cultural entertainment.
“We have so much available (on island), so many festivals, so many activities …whether you decide to stay with us or come back for our Jazz Festival or decide to come for Carnival , Saint Lucia will always welcome you ,” declared Collymore.
General Manager of the IGY Rodney Bay Marina, Sean Devaux welcomed the visitors at last Saturday’s prize giving ceremony and urged them to explore the natural beauty of the island and along their global travels make an effort to return to the destination …
World Cruising Club (WCC) Managing Director, Paul Tetlow, expressed the sentiments of the organisers in catering for the sailors, stating that: “ARC January as with all of our other sailing rallies provide people with the framework to cross oceans in a safe and enjoyable way. But it is always the participants that make the event what it is, and with this ARC January the participants have been excellent, and it’s been a pleasure to assist them in the venture across the ocean.”
He explained that the ARC January event featured people from eight different nationalities, and “it involved family boats with five children crossing and the youngest being six months old…and altogether involved 130 participants”.
Taking into account variable weather conditions, Paul said, “This ARC January was a particularly slow crossing of the Atlantic and boats probably arrived three to four days later, than they would have hoped to.”
He said, this was due to “light winds in the middle of the Atlantic, which meant that they couldn’t sail as much as they wished.”
A WCC publication states that, “As a smaller fleet it has allowed the crews to come together and get to know everyone in the fleet creating a wonderful community with a great sense of camaraderie. Many of the boats have plans to cruise together or rendezvous in other islands and some will remain friends for life.”
Awards were presented for each division and class, with Te Reva (FRA) taking home first prize in the Multihull division, Finiens (DEU) winning the Class A Cruising Division and Dubbel Zout (USA) first in the Class B Cruising Division, also the only boat to record no motoring hours throughout the crossing.
This year two boats crossed double-handed, Serendipity IV (CHE) and Pantiki (AUS) and were recognised for their achievement with Serendipity IV also taking home the Safety Award, decided by the safety team in Las Palmas for being so well prepared ahead of the crossing. Most Beautiful Yacht, voted for by the ARC January fleet was won by Falcon Spirit (GBR), a Bestevaer 56ST.