This morning, the World ARC fleet headed off on their first journey across the Pacific. It was a busy and colourful start with many boats choosing to fly coloured sails in the 10-15 knot northerly breeze. The crews appeared very competitive and almost two thirds of the fleet had crossed the line within 3 minutes of the start. It was a real spectacle to see the boats as they headed out to the south west, through the remainder of the Las Perlas Islands.
The start marked the end to the World ARC programme on the Panamanian island of Contadora which included a Hash House Harriers trail to explore the island yesterday morning and a Skippers Briefing in the afternoon. In the evening, crews also got together for a BBQ on the beach, provided by the Hotel Contadora, during which prizes were awarded for Leg 1 of the Rally.
First place overall in the Cruising Division for Leg 1 was the USA registered yacht Alpheratz and first in Class A was the German yacht Kathea. Chez Nous was the first catamaran on corrected time in the multihull division. Several 'fun' prizes were awarded to thank contributions to the photo competition and also to the World ARC website.
The landfall for the fleet in Galapagos is the port of Baquerizo Moreno on the easterly Galapagos island of San Cristobal. The crew are expected to be welcomed in by the Rally Control team and their yacht agents in Galapagos during the later half of next week. The positions of the yachts, provided by Yellowbrick tracker units, can be followed on the World ARC http://www.worldcruising.com/world_arc/eventfleetviewer.aspx.