Saint Lucia prepares to welcome 150-boat fleet for 39th ARC Atlantic Rally for Cruiser

Saint Lucia: The countdown for the ARC Atlantic Rally for Cruisers has begun as the fleet of 150 boats will be setting sail on an epic 2700 mile journey across the Atlantic, finishing at Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. 

The vessels that will be sailing from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, straight to Saint Lucia, will depart on Sunday, November 24. The boats will spend around 18 to 21 days at sea. 

This annual legendary adventure will begin in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and will chart a course to the stunning shores of the beloved island. Since 1990, Saint Lucia has been the proud Caribbean home of the ARC and this year, the island will be celebrating the event’s 39th anniversary. 

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority announced the development through its official Facebook account and said that the 2024 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is calling all sailors, adventurers, and ocean enthusiasts to be part of a special flotilla to celebrate the iconic transatlantic rally.

On Sunday, November 24, 2024, the flotilla will be sailing from Castries Harbor at 10:00 am to Pigeon Island, commemorating the beginning of the ARC in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The authority also said that this is not just a race but a celebration of sailing, exploration and community

The excitement kicked off last weekend with the ARC 2024 Opening Parade and Ceremony, hosted by the World Cruising Club and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority at Marina Las Palmas.

According to the information, another fleet of 91 boats in the ARC+ 2024 fleet left Mindelo on Friday in an impressive display of coloured sails flying in the moderate breeze. This will be the second and final ocean leg as the sailors sail some 2,150 nautical-miles across the Atlantic to the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Three boats remained behind because of mechanical issues and waiting for crew but they all hope to catch up with their fleet in a short while. 

While ARC+ is not a race and there is no racing division, at the beginning of each leg, the yachts have an official start time to provide fun competition. 

Reportedly, with clear blue skies and 15kts of north easterly wind, it was an incredibly close start with the first boats to cross the line under sail being the Italian team on Endorfina, a Swan 54: the French team on Piment Rouge, a Catana Ocean Class 50 and the Norwegians on Adelante as well as a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49D.

Moreover, the weather for the fleet for the next few days is anticipated to continue with light trade winds which developed nicely across the weekend to give the boats with some beautiful sailing conditions for the coming few days. The winds are anticipated to remain moderate with the weather router predicting boats stay north of the rhum line to enjoy the best conditions.