Extracts from the latest World Cruising Club E-News.

Published 6 years ago, updated 5 years ago

ARC Bluewater Weekend – UK

22-23 June 2019

Once again we have joined together with leading offshore yacht broker Berthon International, to host a weekend of conversation about bluewater cruising at Berthon’s Lymington UK base in June 2019. This popular weekend is designed to encourage visitors to think about all aspects of living their bluewater dream, providing the opportunity to view a wide range of offshore cruising boats and meet experts in refits, sails, communications and boat equipment, all whilst mixing and chatting with experienced offshore cruisers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

The two-day event is free to attend, but prospective bluewater sailors will need to pre-register. During the weekend, a selection of fine examples of offshore cruising boats will be open for viewing, hosted by experienced ARC skippers. Mix, mingle and chat about bluewater sailing is the aim of the weekend. Inspirational presentations will provide plenty to whet the appetite of those in the planning phase.

Register to join us.

Wave Upon Wave – 30 years of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers

Wave Upon Wave – covering the fascinating history of the ARC, produced to mark over 30 years of ARC rallies, is now in print and available with discounted shipping rates for a limited time.

Discover the story behind the creation of the world’s largest transocean event and find out about some of the inspirational sailors who have taken part over the past three decades.

Order Now.

Wrapping Up the Caribbean Season

The end of the Caribbean season is sometimes viewed as the end of the cruising holiday, with the return trip to Europe a burden rather than an adventure in own right, but that doesn’t have to be the case. There are three options for moving your boat at the end of the season, whether returning home or venturing to explore new cruising grounds: sail, delivery or ship.

• Carry on Cruising – ARC Europe and ARC USA

If you’re planning to sail home at the end of the season, why not join us for ARC Europe? The rally follows a west-to-east transatlantic route from the Caribbean to Europe via the remarkable Atlantic islands of Bermuda and the Azores archipelago. An alternative route to explore the US east coast is also an option. Find out more.

• Pick the Professionals – Use a delivery crew

If you don’t have the time to make the crossing yourself, then a professional delivery crew could be the answer. Companies like pyd can collect your boat from Caribbean locations and deliver it to almost any destination. PYD Skippers are all experienced sailors, with thousands of ocean sailing miles giving you peace of mind. Find out more.

• Share a Ship – Transport your yacht by ship

If you want your boat back fast, then shipping may be the solution. Companies like Peters & May arrange for your yacht to be shipped from the US Virgin Islands to Southampton or the Mediterranean. As the official logistics partner to the ARC Rally, Peters & May are the number one choice to ship home the yachts of a number of regular and new participants each year. Find out more.

ARC 2018 Photo Competition

From over 200 great images submitted, the World Cruising Club judging panel have selected a shortlist of four images in the following categories: Life on Board, Moods of the Sea, Other Boats and Sighting Land.

Now we are looking at our Facebook fans and followers to select their favourite image from the shortlist to win the overall prize.

To vote simply ‘like’ the image in the gallery on our Facebook page and the one with the highest number of likes combined with the judging panel score will be crowned this year’s overall winner and receive £200! Each category winner will receive an exclusive World Cruising Club jacket.

Voting will close at midday on Friday 12 April after which we’ll announce the winner. Thank you to all the crews who submitted photos!

Vote Now!

ARC 2019 – Don’t miss the boat!

Don’t ‘miss the boat’ if you would like to make your own amazing memories sailing the Atlantic with the ARC this November. Limited spaces are still available on the direct route to enjoy the famous parties, essential seminars, and camaraderie of fellow ralliers in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria before setting sail on 24th November.

Out on the ocean, you have the peace of mind of live tracking, position reports and weather updates, plus the banter of the SSB Net. The fleet will arrive in Saint Lucia to be met on the dock with a rum punch after the adventure of a lifetime and the final prize giving will be held in Rodney Bay on 21 December.

Request information for ARC 2019.

Register your interest for ARC 2020.

World ARC 2020 Update

The entry list for the 2020 start from Saint Lucia in January is close to capacity, with 38 boats currently registered. Over the years since the first World ARC in 2008, the average size of the boats being sailed has crept upwards. This year, the median size is 50ft (15.4m) with 7 multihulls in the group from Leopard, Lagoon, Nautitech and Neel Trimarans. In the monohull fleet, Hallberg-Rassy lead the way with 7 of their models in the rally. Oyster and Hylas are also well represented. There are 14 different nationalities, with skippers from the UK and USA in the majority. For those keen to sail the world, but who don’t own a boat, there are 3 charter boats offering “pay-to-sail” in World ARC, all are veterans of the annual ARC: Skyelark of London; Milanto; and Baltica.

Request a World ARC info pack.

World ARC at sea in the Pacific and the Caribbean

Our annual round-the-world rally, World ARC currently has two fleets at sea; the 2018 fleet are due shortly into Grenada in the Caribbean, where they will complete their circumnavigation in late April when they recross their start line in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. The 2019 starters are well into their Pacific adventure now, as the first of the fleet arrive into the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia after the longest passage of the rally from Galapagos to Hiva Oa. Ahead of them lies 8 weeks of idyllic cruising through the Marquesas, Tuamoto and Society Islands.

Follow the fleet via World ARC fleet tracker.

Make 2019 a summer to remember with ARC Baltic

ARC Baltic 2019 Dates: 6 July – 19 August 2019

The rally takes you on a voyage of discovery through Europe’s “east sea”, combining days of social cruising with exploring the Baltic’s fascinating culture and history ashore. By joining ARC Baltic, you receive the peace of mind of being part of an organized event; enjoying social and sightseeing activities with others in the fleet along with plenty of time to independently explore.

“The rally is an excellent way of seeing different cultures on one trip and facilitating entries into Russia. It’s a cruise of contrasts – taking in cities and remote islands & sharing the experience along the way with likeminded people.” Colin Laidlaw, Alloro

Starting from the Baltic port of Rostock, the ARC Baltic itinerary includes the Estonian capital Tallin, the former Russian Imperial capital St. Petersburg, the Finnish capital Helsinki, the Finnish provincial capital Mariehamn, and the Swedish capital Stockholm. En route, the rally sails through some of the most beautiful and interesting sights in the Baltic including cruises in the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos.

Request an information pack.

Choosing Communications

Communications equipment for offshore cruisers is probably the area we get asked the most questions about. So to help focus your thoughts we’ve added a new communications page to our website.

Simple questions will make you consider how and with whom you want to communicate. A handy set of tables provide an overview of equipment types, capabilities and costs, together with links to vendors and information providers for further study.

Read More.

Calling all catamaran sailors

Leading sailing publication Yachting World https://www.yachtingworld.com/ is currently working on a special multihull supplement of the magazine, due to be published later this year. Their editorial team is keen to hear from a broad range of catamaran owners and feature case studies of their ocean sailing experiences.

To contribute, please contact Sam Fortescue, sam@samfortescue.co.uk

Ocean Crew Link

Ocean Crew Link is World Cruising Club’s preferred sailing crew match service and has a special focus on voyaging rallies like the ARC, Caribbean 1500 and World ARC. Boat owners and charter companies use Ocean Crew Link to find crew for rallies and independent cruising. Each month there are around 150 opportunities to sail as crew available on the site. Many boats sailing on the current rallies found crew via the site, bringing together people of different backgrounds and personalities to fulfill their dreams of sailing oceans together.

Sign Up  – https://oceancrewlink.com/