The 28th ARC will set sail today, bound for Saint Lucia. A 2,700 nautical mile trans-Atlantic adventure awaits for crews of 223 boats crossing the start line.
Conditions for the start are looking favourable, and during the morning the wind will increase to NNW-NNE 10-15 (force 4) then 13-18 (force 4-5) offshore. During the afternoon the wind will tend to continue to veer and increase to be N-NE 15-20. There is an increasing chance of showers during the afternoon.
The start sequence will be as planned today - Multihulls and Open Division boats at 1230, Racing Division at 1245 and Cruising Division at 1300.
Ed the Iguana is now happily at home on Starship (AUT), an Austrian boat with three children onboard - Lukas, Florian and Katharina. Their parents and grandmother are also on board, so Ed will have plenty of family members to get to know.
Ed is already quite familiar with the boat as in 2009 he made completed the ARC on the very same boat with the Stellamans Family, although the boat has since been re-named. He’s settled in well already, making friends with a Turtle, two Tigers and a Koala so he will not get lonely. Ed is the world's most traveled plastic lizard, having sailed in the ARC for many years.
All of the ARC boats are fitted with Yellowbrick satellite trackers, so are visible at all times on the Fleet Viewer - this allows every to see where the boats are, their exact position, heading and boat speed. The information is updated every six hours.
Updates and photos from will be posted on the ARC rally website,
Facebook Page and
Twitter feed.