Feeling the love
by John Curnow 10 Dec 2017 16:09 PST
2017 ARC - TS42 Guyader Gastronomie © Tim Wright
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Now we had a bit to say about it last year, and it has once again piqued the old curiosity. Actually, I can’t help but wonder if it is all going to become a topic of vast discussion once again. You see, it was all spawned from the piece about the ARC’s first arrival in St Lucia.
It was a cat (Marsaudon Composites TS42), and a performance cruiser at that, with the dreadnaught bows and daggerboards being a tad of a giveaway. Alas, I have no problem with going quickly, and always fall into the old two boats in the same direction issue every time I’m out there, it is just that ARC stands for Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.
So they get a tick for the Atlantic part after their 2900NM passage from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to St Lucia. It is just the bits after that, which has me mildly perplexed. See they say Rally and Cruisers, yet very quickly talk about them being the first arrival, which sounds ominously racey to me.
World Cruising then go on to say in their own release, “Having completed some brief interviews and photographs, the crew reported that their crossing had been successful, with no major damage. They focused on sailing tactically rather than pushing the boat too hard, and the crew had clearly enjoyed their experience at sea on the beautiful yacht.”
Now that all makes sense, especially with just a four-man crew for a two-week crossing, but it was the next set of remarks that made you wonder. “Their closest rival, Outremer Light 64 Saudade followed them across the ARC finish line some six hours behind – a remarkably close finish after almost 3000NM of ocean sailing. At 19.5m, Saudade is the largest multihull of the ARC fleet, and sailed by previous line honours winner Christof Petter, and a crew of Olympians and Volvo Ocean Race veterans.” Like there’s that Line Honours term popping up again, and six hours is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, either.
Now there were some challenging weather systems to weave through on the way over, including significant pressure variations that all added to the tactical scenario, as it should be. However, it was the next two points that made you really wonder about the naming of it all.
Firstly, there was “In the end, Guyader Gastronomie eased out a lead by heading south, a call made by Belgian skipper Bart Vanhaverbeke, and the gamble paid off as they benefited from good winds to guide them north to Saint Lucia to claim Line Honours.”
And then immediately after it, “With handicaps and motoring hours still to be taken in to account before the final results are confirmed, the rivalry for the division win is still set to be decided with an anxious wait until the ARC Prize Giving.” So ultimately that’s win, Line Honours and handicap positions (pretty arbitrary) all made mention of, along with checking of log books.
Then it really dawned on me. Should the ‘win’ be awarded for something other than place? ‘Seamanship’ could be a good criterion (no more arbitrary than handicap), and clearly the two crews had displayed a lot of that, but the answer again came inside the Press Release. “The yacht's four-man crew have enjoyed a decadent menu during their crossing, thanks to owner Christian's luxury catering business, Guyader Gastronomie. To mark their arrival, a special feast had been prepared on board, and the crew graciously invited the welcoming committee to celebrate with them.” Yes. They should have won for the food alone! (Along with the sharing).
Today you will find that we have tales for you about haircuts, drones doing research, cruising in Winter, the Clippers to arrive in the Whitsunday Islands, the Ocean Cruising Club’s Pursuit Rally, reports in from the Caribbean and the real state of affairs post-hurricanes, Salty Dawg, not surprisingly Beneteau’s brilliant Oceanis 51.1 gets boat of the year, rallies and gatherings all over the place, practical tips galore, express cruisers, news from our friends Mission Ocean, as well as much more.
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In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time…