Yesterday marked the start of the 21st edition of ARC Portugal seeing yachts assemble in Mayflower Marina in Plymouth, UK. With nine yachts participating this year, ARC Portugal again attracts a diverse fleet including a mixture of sailors who are new to longer passages, experienced racing crews and those who have sailed the Atlantic numerous times. Yachts including the Hanse 505 Isabella of Portsmouth, Azurée 46 Tazkeena IV and Sigma 38 Degree of Latitude will be taking crews south to the final port of Lagos over the next 3 weeks.
Yesterday the Rally Office opened in Plymouth where skippers and crews registered with rally team. Each received welcome packs and further information about the destinations to be visited on the rally. A busy day of safety checks of each boat ensured that the fleet were correctly equipped to undertake the passage across the Bay of Biscay and coast of Portugal. The safety checks also provide a useful opportunity to talk over safety at sea as a crew, allowing any queries to be discussed with each other and the safety inspector.
Yesterday evening concluded with a sailing dinner at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, joining local sailors after their evening racing session. It was the first chance for ARC Portugal crews to get to know each other and talk about the first leg of the rally, Plymouth to Bayona.
Tonight crews can look forward to a rally briefing followed by welcome drinks and a buffet dinner. The rally briefing will provide an overview of the destinations, tours and dinners that they can look forward to in each port, as well as explaining the support that’s in place throughout the rally. The skippers briefing tomorrow afternoon will give more detail about the first leg to Bayona, a 550 nautical passage due to start on Sunday morning however, with a low pressure system and high winds approaching it’s likely the start will be delayed to ensure a safe and comfortable passage.