ARC Europe sets sail for Bermuda
by World Cruising Club 12 May 18:49 AEST
ARC Europe © World Cruising Club
ARC Europe 2025 has enjoyed a fantastic week of activities under the beautiful Caribbean sky. The odd shower did not dampen enthusiasm within the participants or the Yellow Shirts.
The start of the week's programme kicked off with Welcome drinks and nibbles on Monday at Lagoonies, hosted by the St Maarten Marine Trades Association. It was a chance for crews to socialise and meet their fellow participants making friendships and bonds that will last a long time.
On Tuesday 60 participants enjoyed a tour of the island visiting both the Dutch and French sides, encompassing viewpoints and shopping for bread and pastries at a wonderful patisserie in Marigot. Several people commented on how nice it was to see the different faces of the island, different towns and villages and the varied nature and wildlife the island has to offer. The day finished with a beach party at Mullet Bay, sponsored by the St Maarten Tourist Bureau. There was much camaraderie on the buses and mingling on the beach over rum punch and delicious local food. The steel band provided a lovely musical vibe to compliment the beautiful sunset.
Wednesday saw the rally briefing and SSB radio net controllers briefing at Isle de Sol, followed by BBQ food and drinks sponsored by the ever-helpful team at IGY Marinas and World Cruising Club.
The life raft demonstration on Thursday provided by St Maarten Maritime School at Isle de Sol was well attended. Lots of good information was passed over and a number of crew had fun learning different ways of climbing in and out of a life raft in the pool.
Once again, St Maarten Tourism Bureau hosted the farewell party at Soggy Dollar, a great time was had by all, enjoying drinks and traditional Caribbean food.
As the week progressed the World Cruising team were busy completing safety inspections, liaising with crews and generally helping skippers and crew prepare for the adventure ahead.
Friday was another busy day with final provisioning and a skippers briefing with a weather overview for their passage to Bermuda.
Finally, the day of departure arrived, a warm easterly breeze of 17-20 knots greeted the yachts into Simpson Bay where the start line and first mark had been laid by the St Maarten Yacht Club. The dockmasters at IGY Marina Simpson Bay executed a perfect departure for all the yachts setting them up to parade from the lagoon into the bay through the Simpson Bay bridge.
The ARC Europe fleet made a clean start and looked magnificent as they sailed out into the Caribbean Sea. They then made their way up the west coast of St Maarten, leaving Anguilla and Dog Island to starboard before setting a course to Bermuda.