Since its inception in 1986 thousands of cruising enthusiasts have enjoyed crossing the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). This year is no exception, with entries racing ahead at 150 yachts by the end of February and set to reach the upper limit of 225 yachts by the end of April.

The Canadian catamaran Basia were five days into the ARC Atlantic crossing when their mainsail was damaged during a large squall. Skipper Michael Neumann explained: “We had to take down the mainsail as the batons had poked several holes through the sail. We continued our crossing using the genoa and also put up a storm sail." Unfortunately for the family boat whose crew for the crossing included his wife Barbara and daughters Cathy and Anna plus fellow crew mate Romauld, there were more problems to come.