The overnight sail form Mauritius to Reunion Island was blessed by the weather gods. Once cleared off the land, a south westerly 15-20kts wind on the beam took the fleet nicely westward.
Arriving into Le Port in Reunion the following morning the fleet were smartly moored up two abreast along the dockside and swiftly cleared into the island. And what an extraordinary island Reunion is! With so many thrill-seeking activities to enjoy it was hard to keep up with all the adventures on offer.
In celebration of their arrival to Reunion, a welcome reception was held on the docks right beside the fleet. Kindly sponsored and represented by Ports de Plaisance Ouest, Regie des Port de Plaisance du Territoire de l’Ouest, Office de L’Ouest, Ile de la Reunion Tourism, Office Tourism Ouest and Ville de Le Port Reunion the evening was filled with music, dance, drinks and delicious foods.
After kind words of welcome from local dignitaries, Event Manager, Andrew Pickersgill, provided a brief history of World ARC and what brings all the vessels into the port. This was followed by the prize giving for Leg 12. Winners of Cruising Class A were Fatjax, followed by Brainwave in second place and in third place, KALLI. Cruising Class B was won by Asante, second place was Kaja and third place was Bahati. To spice up the actual prizes, awards were presented to the boats coming in 3rd 5th and 9th place.
The Pride of ARC award was presented by Katy and Tony on Tam Lin of Gloucester, and they chose to hand the flag on to Isabel and Stian for his help with the dingy in La Caudan Marina and assisting with Aliena on arrival.
Congratulations to all the fleet on a very successful sail from Mauritius.
It was an early rise the following morning to join the World ARC tour which involved a breathtaking hike above the clouds. Led by experienced guides, participants had the opportunity to stretch out those sea legs and experience a very memorable trail walk taking in some astonishingly spectacular views of Piton de la Fournaise, the volcano to the southeast of the island. On route to the lunch location there was a stop to view the black expanse of La Plaine des Sables.
After learning about the unique geology of the volcano and the how the island was formed, the group had worked up a good appetite which was satisfied with lunch on a local farm. Utilising one of the farm barns, La Ferme Otentik has diversified and provided a truly unique and very special dining area for all the fleet to enjoy home cooked local dishes. On the way home, a quick stop at Grand Bassin viewpoint provided the last “wow” comments of the day.
With a good 5 days ahead of them before the start to South Africa, many took off to explore further. With such extraordinary geology, hiking up the majestic pitons has been the most popular. But crews have also been kayaking, diving, abseiling, canyoning, go-karting, jetskiing, helicoptering and even flights in a gyrocopter. Karen on Mistral of Portsmouth commented “this island has definitely exceeded our expectations we’ve had a fabulous time”. It’s certainly been the island of Adventures!
In the background there are always a handful of people who add to their week to ensure the fleet are looked after and their stay goes smoothly. It is special thanks to Angélique Gardien from Ports de Plaisance Ouest for preparing all the clearance documentation and offering each boat such a warm welcome. She has also manned the office over the weekend to assist with the many questions and requests from the fleet. Thank you also to Jerome Belhuerne, Marina Manager, and the rest of his team for having the fleet to stay once again and we already look forward to returning next year.
Additionally, we would also like to thank Kevin Glamport, Communications and Activities, for Regie des Port de Plaisance du Territoire de l’Ouest and Madame Canaguy, Office Tourism Ouest for the wonderful warm welcome the fleet received on the first night. We appreciate all the hard work that goes into planning such an event. Thank you for your continued support, the evening was a great success and adds to great memories of the stay in Reunion.
The start from Reunion is through a timed gate. Some of the fleet have departed early eager to take advantage of the calmer winds, however, the majority of the fleet departed this morning, 6 November 2024. After a 1,380NM sail the boats will make landfall in Richards Bay, South Africa, which will take between 7-10 days. We wish the fleet fair winds for their final leg of the Indian Ocean.
Thank you Reunion for a wonderful week!
