Welcome to Saint Lucia!
First to finish on Friday 6 December was the largest boat in ARC 2024, the Southern Wind 105GT No Rush (IMN), owned by Ghada Barsoum and skippered by Diogo Cayolla. Diogo explained, “We played it safe, we didn’t want to risk any damage. We just wanted to cross and have a good experience.” Despite the careful sail plan, the top speed was 22.6 knots; “It’s a lot” added Diogo.
Also on Friday, Jean Philippe Blanpain’s Vismara 62 Leaps & Bounds 2 (MLT) was the first IRC racing division yacht to finish, arriving in Saint Lucia after dark. The second racing division yacht was Matthias von Blumencron’s JV43 Red 2 (CHE), logging 3,135NM in a fantastic 13 days, 22 hours, 8 minutes and 15 seconds. “We had great fun!” said Mathias.
The first two boats to finish in the cruising division were the two Italian Swans. Alessandro Fabbri’s Swan 75 FD Maimai (ITA) crossed the line in Rodney Bay on Sunday 8 December, followed almost six hours later by Daniele Banchini’s Swan 82 S Nazca 2 (ITA).
The close-fought tussle between the leading cruising multihulls was concluded late on Sunday night, when the MC75 Jack (GBR) skippered by Morgan Hayes crossed the line just 30 minutes ahead of Laurent Chatelenat’s Outremer 5X Addiction (CHE).
An hour and a half after Addiction, Christian Prié’s Marsaudon ORC 57 Avel Vaez (FRA) rounded Pigeon Island and crossed the line just before 01:00 local time on Monday morning.
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| Jack | Leaps & Bounds 2 | Maimai |
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| Red 2 | No Rush | Maimai |
First double-handed yacht was the Hallberg-Rassy 54 Bluewater Mooney (DEU) crewed by father Wilhelm Klaas and daughter Caroline, arriving after 17 days and three hours. In January Bluewater Mooney will be circumnavigating with World ARC with a wider family crew.
First family yacht to arrive was Outremer 5X Lana (NLD) - the van Klaveren family includes 13-year-old daughter Liv and Laia the dog (the first of four dogs and two cats to on passage to Saint Lucia).