Las Palmas de Gran Canaria turned into a festival of flags, music and excited sailors as the ARC+ fleet celebrated its opening ceremony ahead of the Nov. 9 start. The transatlantic rally, organized by World Cruising Club, will send 413 sailors from 29 nations across the Atlantic to Grenada via Cape Verde.
Participants gathered at the north end of the marina before parading along the Port of Las Palmas waterfront with flags from their home countries. Local bands Guiniguada and Batucada fueled the upbeat scene as crews mingled and soaked in the atmosphere.
ARC+ sailor Anthony Judd, aboard Bingera, said the ceremony captured the spirit of the event. “It’s just fantastic to see all the nations. It’s a great way of gathering people together to celebrate a great event,” he said. “Gran Canaria has to be commended for putting on some fabulous music. Those bands were awesome. They really add to the atmosphere and celebrate Las Palmas.”
Beyond the pageantry, the rally offers a full program of safety checks, seminars and social events. Crews have already enjoyed welcome receptions and sundowners, and many joined a tree-planting effort on Oct. 31 as part of the Foresta Project, which ARC and ARC+ sailors have supported since 2010. The program has planted more than 4,000 trees on the island.
“We’re looking forward to next week with all the seminars,” Judd said. “Check-in was really efficient and working with the safety team went beautifully.”
The fleet will first sail roughly 850 nautical miles to Mindelo, Cape Verde, before departing on the 2,150-mile passage to Grenada. With fair weather in the forecast, sailors are optimistic for a safe and comfortable ocean crossing. “The weather forecast from here to Cape Verde looks very nice,” Judd said. “A few holes in the wind may develop but hopefully it will be a comfortable and safe passage for everybody.”
Friends, family and locals are encouraged to line the waterfront to cheer the fleet out of Las Palmas as crews begin their Atlantic adventure.
