Atlantic Rally (ARC)

Of those people who have dreamt, planned or actually crossed an ocean there are still only a few who will have experienced that special feeling the great explorers felt whilst sailing the southerly trade wind route. Those who have were probably boat owners or their friends, so it would have been difficult to achieve this otherwise… Until now!

The Atlantic Rally. Setting sail from Las Palmas the voyage to St Lucia takes around 3 weeks to complete, The race across the Atlantic to Rodney Bay in St Lucia will start on 22nd November. If the North East Trade Winds behave you can expect it to take around 14 days.

The amazing atmosphere in Las Palmas builds as start day approaches. Yachts flying flags from all over the world converge on Las Palmas marina in the days running up to the start. There are seminars, talks, safety kit demonstrations plus lots of parties all organised by the race organisers.

It will get hotter and hotter the closer you get to the Caribbean and you will arrive in St Lucia perfectly acclimatised to a warm tropical Caribbean welcome. And parties! Lots of parties Caribbean style.

You will see the big deep blue ocean close up, a 360 degree horizon for about two weeks!, dolphins, maybe a whale or two, sunrises,sunsets, the odd other boat. You will meet some kindred spirits and likely forge friendships that will last long past the voyage. You will log about 2700nm and get some great ocean sailing experience.

Las Palmas is a capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. A major cruise-ship port, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers. The annual Las Palmas de Gran Canaria carnival brings together flamboyantly costumed performers, music and dancing.

Saint Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean island nation with a pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons, on its west coast. Its coast is home to volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites, luxury resorts and fishing villages. Trails in the interior rainforest lead to waterfalls like the 15m-high Toraille, which pours over a cliff into a garden. The capital, Castries, is a popular cruise port.