Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
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The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers ( ARC ) is an annual competition for cruising and regatta sailors . The aim of the ARC is to cross the Atlantic with the starting point Las Palmas on Gran Canaria and the destination port Rodney Bay ( St. Lucia ) in the Lesser Antilles .
The ARC differentiates between cruising yachts (mostly amateurs with their own or chartered boats) and regatta yachts. For the group of cruising yachts, the ARC primarily offers the opportunity to cross the Atlantic in a safe community. In the regatta group, the main focus is on competition. The boats are rated according to the international IRC rating, which makes the sailing performance of the various yachts comparable.
For the approx. 2700 nm long route, the yachts need between 12 and 24 days, depending on the size of the boat and the wind force. You will sail on the barefoot route in the north equatorial current with the northeast trade wind . The rally starts with the onset of the trade winds at the end of November and ends before Christmas in the Caribbean.
The rally has been held since 1986 and since then has attracted more than 200 participating yachts annually. The ARC is organized by the World Cruising Club in England, part of the yacht racing agency Challenge run by British sailing pioneer Sir Chay Blyth .