ARC Bluewater Cockpit Conversations
by World Cruising Club 27 Apr 2021 02:51 PDT
ARC Bluewater Rendezvous © World Cruising Club
Previous ARC skippers, yacht surveyors, brokers and refit specialists are all gathering in a virtual yacht cockpit for a unique online event in May, the ARC Bluewater Cockpit Conversations.
Aspiring bluewater cruisers from around the globe are invited to hop-aboard and take part in in this very special event discussing all things "bluewater".
Jeremy Wyatt from ARC organisers World Cruising Club explains further: "I am often asked by aspiring bluewater cruisers 'what is the right boat for the ARC?'. Well this is a very broad topic and it is not easy to give a short answer. So instead we've brought together a cross-section of experienced bluewater cruisers and industry experts to share their knowledge and help people focus on what will be right for them and their style of sailing. We know from previous live events held with our partners at Berthon International Yacht Brokers, that people really enjoy the chance to hop-aboard our open-boats and have face-to-face conversations with our ARC skippers and industry experts. This year we are creating a virtual cockpit and inviting curious cruisers out there to grab a seat and enjoy our special cockpit conversations".
The ARC Bluewater Cockpit Conversations is a free to attend event running over four consecutive evenings in May, between 25th and 28th. Each day will feature a themed "Club Night", where different skippers and industry experts will be in the Cockpit to chat and answer live questions from the online audience. The aim is to deliver quality information based on real experiences around the topics of "Choosing the right boat for bluewater", "How to buy a boat", "Planning your refit", and "Cruising amazing places". Supporting the live Club Nights are a series of pre-recorded webinars that the sailors can watch at their leisure, and some well-chosen inspirational videos from real-life cruisers enjoying their adventures and sharing further experiences and viewpoints on how they achieved their bluewater dream.
The programme also includes a chance to look around some select offshore sailing boats, both from the hand-picked bluewater cruisers featured from the Berthon brokerage, and the boats sailed by the previous ARC sailors. Yachting World boat test editor Toby Hodges will be sharing his experiences with an update on some of the new boats currently available which represent typical family offshore cruisers, and reviewing some of his top-boats. The brokers and ARC skippers will share their thoughts on features and functions important for bluewater cruising, whilst the surveyor and refit experts will discuss aspects of boat ownership and budgeting that are not usually found in the sales brochures.
World Cruising Club have been organising the ARC for well over thirty years, and will be sharing some of their knowledge and experience, bringing confidence and inspiration to hopeful new cruisers, whether they already have their dream boat, or not.
Joanna Saayman, had this to say after attending a previous event "Having the opportunity to sit one to one with the ARC organisers who have seen every boat, every budget and every family setup and discuss our own personal hurdles with such positivity has given us the confidence to persevere and realise that it isn't a pipe-dream, but a real possibility." Joanna and husband Darryl subsequently bought a Beneteau First 42 and set off on their own bluewater adventure of a lifetime, crossing to the Caribbean with the ARC in 2019.
Register to join
This free to join series provides the opportunity to virtually view a wide range of offshore cruising boats and hear from the experts in boat purchasing, refits and equipment, and learn from the real life sailing experiences of our cruising skippers through a series of webinars and live virtual club nights held on 25-28 May 2021. To register, please visit worldcruising.com/training.