World ARC departs from Australia - you have a year to prepare!

by World Cruising Club on 9 Oct 2013

Countdown for the World ARC begins World Cruising Club http://www.worldcruising.com

Tempted to sail away from your career, your weekly habits, your family and friends for the adventure of a lifetime, but be back in a couple of years to continue 'life'? The World ARC Rally could be just the answer - and you have almost a year to prepare!

The World ARC has a departure from Australia scheduled for September 2014, from Darwin. But the yachts in the northern hemisphere are already in countdown mode for their departure in January.

World ARC route © SW

43 boats have already joined World ARC in 2014. Starting from Saint Lucia and then Australia, World ARC really is the voyage of a lifetime. A 26000 NM tradewind circumnavigation with the World Cruising Club team in every port ensuring a warm welcome.

World ARC is a mix of cruising in company and free time to explore. You can make choice of making a full circumnavigation or sailing half a rally, then splitting off to explore independently.

The pace keeps the fleet together, enjoying the shore-side activities as a group, while staying with the best weather.

Families with children, retirees or a ‘grown up gap year’ - all are welcome as part of World ARC. Our dedicated rally team ensure you make the most of your time ashore, and provide peace of mind at sea.

The North American fleet will depart on 11 January 2014 from Rodney Bay, starting a 15 month circumnavigation that will see them cover some 26,000nm and visit 17 countries along the way. In Australia, you can join the World ARC boats as they cruise the Australian coastline, but the official departure will begin in Darwin.

So far, crews on board range from just 20 months old to 81 years, and represent 18 different nationalities. By a whisker, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39 Saphir is the smallest boat in this year's fleet whilst at the other end of the scale, Tulasi an Amel 64 is the largest and there will be 5 multihulls'.

Here is the stunning itinerary, starting in the Caribbean, showing the Australian portion as the 'second half':

Month	Details	Miles
January	Saint Lucia to San Blas, Panama	1100 NM
January	Transit Panama Canal
February	Cruise Panama
	Las Perlas to Galapagos	850 NM
	Cruise Galapagos
March	Galapagos to Hiva Oa, Marquesas	2980 NM
March	Cruise French Polynesia
April	Tahiti rendezvous
April	Cruise Society Islands
May	Bora Bora to Suwarrow	690 NM
	Suwarrow to Niue	540 NM
	Niue to Vava'u, Tonga	230 NM
June	Cruise Tonga and Fiji
July	Fiji to Tanna, Vanuatu	450 NM
	Cruise Vanuatu
	Port Vila, Vanuatu to Mackay, Australia	1150 NM
August	Cruise the Great Barrier Reef
August	Thursday Island to Darwin	830 NM

Route: Second Half from Australia

Month	Details	Miles
September	Darwin to Bali, Indonesia	990 NM
	Bali to Cocos (Keeling)	1100 NM
October	Cocos to Mauritius	2350 NM
	Mauritius to Reunion	130 NM
November	Reunion to Richards Bay, South Africa	1370 NM
	Cruise South Africa
January	Cape Town to St Helena	1700 NM
	St Helena to Salvador, Brazil	1900 NM
February	Cruise Brazil
March	(TBC) Brazil to St George's, Grenada	1700 NM
	Cruise Windward Islands
April	Final prize giving in Saint Lucia