The second edition of ARC Baltic has got off to a windy yet sunny start! Following four days of preparations in the new start port of Yachthafen Hohe Düne , Rostock, the 19 yachts making up the fleet this year departed yesterday afternoon with favourable winds of 15-20 knots from the south west. It was a quick passage with all arriving in the port of Rønne on the Danish Island of Bornholm by 1000 this morning.
During the fleets time in Hohe Düne, crews enjoyed a guided tour of the town of Warnemunde, crew welcome dinner, rally briefing that gave details and shared photographs of destinations to be visited over the next six weeks, and a skippers’ briefing including arrival and departure procedures, navigation advice and weather information.
The first leg of 110 nautical miles to Rønne was a mixture of good winds with a short and steep sea state. The departure of the ‘Round Bornholm Race’ of the Warnemünde Woche during the same afternoon made for an exciting passage full of sailing boats and commercial shipping.
“With our big blue parasailor up, we have been enjoying watching all the traffic zigzag and dart across one another.” – Crew of Widago
Now in Bornholm where Rønne Port have once again made arrangements to accommodate the fleet this year, participants can enjoy a crew barbeque on the dock tonight before a free day to explore tomorrow, where many will hire bikes or cars. On Thursday, a bus tour of Northern Bornholm will take the fleet to the small fishing town of Svaneke and visit Hammershus Castle, Northern Europe’s largest castle ruins.