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.
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 |
Transit Panama Canal |
|
February |
Cruise Panama |
|
Las Perlas to Galapagos |
850 NM |
Cruise Galapagos |
|
March |
Galapagos to Hiva Oa, Marquesas |
2980 NM |
Cruise French Polynesia |
|
April |
Tahiti rendezvous |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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