Team JAJO en route to a spectacular Caribbean season via the ARC
by Team JAJO 22 Nov 2025 23:13 AEDT
VO65 Team JAJO © Brend Schuil
The VO65 Team JAJO, led by skipper Jelmer van Beek, will depart on Sunday, November 23rd as a participant in the ARC, heading toward the Caribbean. The 40th edition of the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) will take the former Ocean Race yacht and its fellow participants from Las Palmas on Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean — a journey of approximately 2,700 nautical miles.
"The ARC is essentially our first major event since I took ownership of the boat this summer," says Jelmer van Beek. "Of course, we've done a lot of sailing in the Netherlands from Scheveningen and were prominently present with JAJO at SAIL Amsterdam. We also sailed the boat from Scheveningen to Gran Canaria in two legs over the past few weeks, but this will be our first real race again."
The ARC is the world's largest transatlantic sailing rally. Each year, hundreds of vessels (many of them recreational) set off in November from Las Palmas on Gran Canaria toward the Caribbean, with the finish line in Saint Lucia. While the fastest yachts compete for course records, every participant takes home the unforgettable experience of crossing the Atlantic.
Van Beek: "I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to race across the ocean again. After all, that's one of the reasons I bought this boat. I've crossed the Atlantic seven times before with this boat, but it never gets old and always leaves you wanting more. The challenge in this year's ARC is that we want to beat the boat's previous record from 2015. Exactly ten years ago, the yacht — then sailing as Team Brunel — set the course record at 8 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes and 30 seconds. If we can improve on that, it would be incredible. And if we do, the overall course record — currently held since 2016 by George David and Rambler 88 (USA) at 8 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes and 15 seconds — may even be within reach."
"But even if we don't break the record, it remains an amazing race to sail. We'll be sailing with a combined crew of professionals and paying guests, and the primary goal is simply to arrive safely in Saint Lucia."
Busy winter season in the Caribbean
"After the ARC, the boat will compete in the RORC Caribbean 600. We will also be taking part in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and our partner JAJO is strongly represented in the Caribbean. Saint Martin will serve as our home base during the European winter, but we will certainly also visit the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, where we'll be sailing, including with JAJO employees."
This winter, 24-year-old Guus van der Vis will serve as co-skipper aboard Team JAJO, looking forward to his first season onboard. Van der Vis: "I'm incredibly excited, and I can't wait to log a lot of offshore miles in a relatively short time, something this VO65 is absolutely perfect for."