Crossing the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC)

Why sign up to the ARC Rally?

The cost is significant when you are on a tight cruising budget like we are so the immediate answer is no, we can’t afford it. Other options existed which are free so maybe it would be better to team up with a group of other yachts and sail across the Atlantic together?

Claire and I discussed it for some time and we finally decided to join the ARC for the following reasons:

• Raising the ARC flag well ahead of arriving in Las Palmas would allow us to meet other participants cruising in the Mediterranean and start establishing cruising relationships and friendships.
• We had heard that there is a family dock at the start of the ARC and we felt that it would be great for Dylan and Nathan to make some friends in Las Palmas before we cross the Atlantic. 
• Claire and I would be able to build a network of friends and fellow sailors doing a similar route to us, allowing us to make any following large crossings together.
• We would benefit from the expert guidance given by the ARC in getting Mokara ready for world cruising.
• The security element of doing it as a group and knowing that most of the time someone will not be too far away that can help you.
• Gaining valuable knowledge from the forums provided by the ARC in Las Palmas prior to departure.
• Great advise and guidance on provisioning for the crossing.
• Pre departure technical support from supporting companies
• Fantastic social events

ARC Flag

We raised our ARC flag for the first time when we were in Almerimar, Spain at the end of July 2019. Although we didn’t see any other yachts in the Marina with an ARC flag, one or two did make a short stop in the Marina for fuel before heading off again. I assume all were heading to the Balearics. 

As soon as Mokara was ready, we left Almerimar and made our way to Ibiza. On arriving there, we started seeing other yachts with their flags up and before you know it, you are waving at each other and that usually is followed by drinks or a chat on one of the boats. It meant that you start making your network 4-5 months before the ARC starts. One of the first boats we met with an ARC flag had 2 boys onboard. Great start and I think it gave Dylan and Nathan some confidence that there would be other children taking part. By the time we left the Balearics and arrived in La Graciosa, The Canary Islands, we had met a good number of other ARC participants with and without children.

When we arrived in Marina Rubicon in Lanzarote we saw a number of other yachts with ARC flags in the Marina. I visited all of them and arranged a drinks on the harbour wall for that evening. We met some interesting people and made some incredible friends. 

The boys are definitely picking up some Spanish, French and Swedish/Norwegian from their friends as they play.

So, fly they flag early on. You will be amazed as to who you will meet.

Family Dock

For us the family dock was the best. We arrived in Las Palmas on the 11th November which I think was the first day that they would accept yachts for the ARC.

The dock was about 60% full and there were yachts there that we knew already and yachts that we had yet to meet.

It didn’t take long before the kids had a large network of friends and they would be playing on the dock in a large gang and on other yachts together. Sometimes they would play hide and seek across a number of yachts. It would always be strange to suddenly find a small child, not one of ours, hiding under the chart table or some other random spot on the Mokara. They would have water fights, fish, play games or just sit around socialising.

Once all the other yachts had arrived on the family dock, there were a considerable amount of children running around. 

The children had the time of their lives whilst the adults were frantically provisioning, repairing or installing equipment and wondering if they would ever be ready. We see so many of the family dock boats now in various anchorages in the Caribbean, and the children share all their adventures – shark they saw, the turtle they swam with or the large tuna that got away. 

For us, the children’s dock was brilliant, more fun than we expected and full of interesting people from all over the world. I believe the boys have made some of the best friends they will ever have on this dock. 

Sailing Network and Friends

From when we saw another yacht in Ibiza with an ARC flag to departure day in Las Palmas, we really met an incredible amount of other sailors doing the ARC. We arrived in anchorages where there were no yachts flying ARC flags but on occasion a tender full of children and parents would approach Mokara and say ‘hi, we are also doing the ARC, but we just haven’t raised our ARC flag yet’. 

Claire and I made a lot of friends before and during the ARC. These are now sailing buddies that we share ideas with, sail with, plan passages with and also do various tours with. When we had a problem with the generator, it wasn’t long before 4 large men were crammed in a very small space troubleshooting the problem which turned out to be seaweed blocking the saltwater intake.

The support you end up giving each other is great. This can cover trouble shooting a generator problems, to looking after each others children, to sharing spares, swapping charts or sharing contact details for excellent service providers in the Caribbean.

We are still in touch with sailors we met on the ARC who are now in Galapagos whilst we make our way north.

You will meet so many people and make some amazing friends. 

ARC Guidance

Once we had signed up to the ARC we received a hard copy guide regarding the event. This covered everything from Marina Information to the equipment you need to have on your yacht.

We slowly worked our way through the equipment list mainly buying the items we needed from Marine Superstore in the U.K. which was delivered to us in Weybridge. It took quite a long time but you do need to have everything they stipulate to take part in the event. The ARC inspects your yacht and equipment prior to departure so there are no shortcuts to be taken. For us, we wanted to be well equipped and needed guidance to ensure we had the right equipment, so following the first inspection, we only had minor items that needed to be done.

We did meet a few yachts who had not really read through or chose to ignore the requirements and for them, the couple weeks ahead of departure was quite stressfull.

The good news is that in Las Palmas, there is a chandlery called Rolnautic and they are 100% geared up to support the ARC participants. They stocked everything that was needed by the ARC participants and they host a great party. I’m sure most of their years turnover happens in November so they are happy to see the event come in.

Security Element

As we crossed the start line on the 24th November, there were so many yachts that we really had to make sure we knew what everyone’s intentions were. 

A couple days later and the fleet was starting to spread out. We could not always see the other yachts but they were visible on our Chart Plotter as we all had to have AIS. This gives you some comfort. It was good to know other yachts were around should you need help. 

ARC Rally Control would send out a daily position list with Lat and Long coordinates. It was always great fun to plot where your friends were.

We also encountered non ARC yachts who we took photos of and chatted to on the radio. We ended up either meeting them at a later date or sharing the images via Facebook.

We had been doing quizzes on our boat nearly every night and we later invited other yachts via VHF to join in. All yachts that we invited responded with enthusiasm and we had great fun doing quizzes over VHF. 

We really enjoyed knowing other yachts were close to us and we enjoyed the spirit of the ARC at sea.

Forums

The ARC arranges a number of forums which were free to attend. 

They were held in venues close to the Marina in Las Palmas and we found them informative. 

I would recommend attending the ones you feel you would benefit from.

I enjoyed the Weather forum by Chris Tibbs but for me the Catamaran sailing Forum hosted by Catamaran Guru was great as it was very informal and allowed for open discussion amongst all attendees. 

Provisioning

Although I didn’t do this, I feel I can provide you with a bit of guidance. 

As you sail through the Mediterranean and possibly Gibraltar, you will find areas which are cheap and others which are expensive. When you arrive in the Caribbean, everything is expensive, so provision as much as you can in Las Palmas and before. 

Fuel is really cheap in Gibraltar so definitely fill up there if passing through.

In Las Palmas there is a large Hiperdino supermarket about a 20 minute walk away from the Marina. They are well prepared for the ARC and once you have paid at the till, they will crate up your food and deliver it to the dock often getting there before you get back.

Claire decanted the rice, noodles and cereals into empty 6 and 8 litre water containers which made storage of these items easier. As we emptied these containers, we used them for the rubbish which we cut into small pieces and shoved into the containers. We arrived with 4 of the containers crammed with rubbish. The advantage of this is that smells and liquids are contained within the container and they take up less room than a typical rubbish bag. It became a challenge on Mokara to see whom an cram another item into the container once someone else has declared it is full. Disposing of these on arrival was also a lot easier than carrying numerous rubbish bags to the bins in Rodney Bay. The only bags we had were for tins and large plastic bottles.

Technical Support

A number of companies send a technical person to the ARC to assist participants with their products.

For example, and Raymarine had staff in attendance. We had been having trouble with our wind instrument before we arrived in Gibraltar. As we still hadn’t managed to get it working before leaving Gibraltar, I emailed the Raymarine contact to ask if he can assist with trouble shooting when we arrived in Las Palmas. Alfredo Pons Bolufer was amazing. He turned up when he said he would and gave us all the support we needed. Raymarine are lucky to have Alfredo working for them. A fantastic, patient guy.

If you are doing the ARC, check who will be in attendance and try and book some of their time to check over your equipment before departure.

Social Events

The ARC arranges a number of social events. These are great for a couple of reasons. I think the main one is that it makes you leave the boat for a few hours. Have a few beers and socialise with the other participants who are on the other docks. 

These events are mostly sponsored events. There are a few which aren’t and you can choose to attend these.

I enjoyed all of the events we went to though the 2 main ones for me were the Rolnautic and the Themed evening / Fancy Dress.

Only one regret….. not dressing up for the fancy dress party. I have never been a fan of fancy dress so prefer not to do it. When we arrived at the party, 95% of the people were dressed up and most in really amazing outfits. It was great fun and I spent most of the night just enjoying looking at the outfits. 

Definitely go to the fancy dress evening and make an effort with the outfit, it is great fun. 

So for us the ARC was definitely the best decision! We highly recommend it to anyone making their first ocean crossing. We now feel confident that we learnt and gained from the Atlantic making the next crossings easier to tackle with confidence.