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Gitana - True spirit of the ARC, what is that?



Spirit of the ARC

> - Why the ARC?
I've heard a few people comment on why to do the ARC, why go now and not just when you want, when you're ready? From my own perspective, long before we left I was hugely reassured in the knowledge that there were a
lot of boats going together at the same time to do this crossing, meaning you'd never really be on your own – a huge comfort for a first timer on an ocean passage.

Some people need a deadline to say that's it, or like a business transaction have their completion date as a target – but that's not it.

> - What does the ARC mean to you (us)?
The ARC means a lot of different things, to a lot of different people. For the 5 of us our reasons are different and yet the direction the same.

The skipper James wants to get his boat to the Caribbean so he can winter there with friends and explore the islands.

His dad Des has dreamed of sailing an ocean passage for over 60 years andthis is him realising that dream and what a privileged it is to do it with his son, who he taught to sail all those years ago.


For Mike, it's a big step on the Gitana journey that he's shared from the beginning with James. As a naval architect he doesn't always have the opportunity to enjoy the finished article, but here it's the ongoing journey building from years of sailing with his father.

Dave has reached a hinge point in his career and used this as the catalyst for change. Owning at 29ft yacht in the west country and cruising with his young family over to the Channel Islands and around the SW, this is his chance for something bigger, broader and his family are coming to greet us on the other side.

For me, it's a return to a place I feel calm, at ease and challenged, to the sailing that I used to love as a professional before becoming a mum and a teacher. My first captain Pat Davies (who sadly passed away just before leaving for this trip) he saw potential and guided me to a career at sea, my dearest dad who we lost last year taught me to sail in the mirror dinghy he built in the living room in 1970's and was fascinated by the ships I used to sail on, he supported every daft venture I embarked on – I wish they could see me now!! I'm envious that James gets to do this with his dad, a journey I could never take, but I'm sure they would share great pride in.

> - How do we 'see' the spirit of the ARC?
The ARC for us hasn't finished by a long way yet, with a few more days to go and desperately wanting to keep that 3rd place, but for me, the spirit of the ARC has appeared already in so many ways. Not the parties and the meet and greet (although they play a massive role).

It's the 'do you have a spare tool I can use' from a boat up the pontoon, the quick chat on the pontoon at sunset, the flurry of 'quick questions' for the ARC staff who never fail to be bright and friendly (not just the yellow t-shirts!), the strangers who became neighbours overnight with whom you shared evenings on each others boats sharing experiences and reasons for being here.

Some skipper's are new to this, some are experienced hands, some have made the ARC crossing numerous times but this time its their first one, on their own boat, as skipper! So pre-trip nerves shared seem to ease the worry of 'am I the only one who feels like this?'

> - ARC on departure
In the first week following our departure, seeing other yachts on the horizon, catching the masthead lights and knowing you're out there together was reassuring (can't wait as we start closing in on the finish when that starts to happen again!); it was listening to the chatter on the VHF from the children on Banyu Aman and Aurora B, I've never met them but hearing their voices every day calling each other up on channel 16 before they switched to something else was such a lift. (Their voices on the VHF were so clear, better than many adults!).

At one point, we played tag with Banyu Aman and for two days one or the other were ahead looking back at the other until they gybed and headed West before us. That element of tag, checking out what their sails were doing and what angle they were making was a real comfort, the sight of other yachts for that first week really does settle you into the potential of 3 weeks at sea. The middle week leaving you unlikely to see anyone else!

During those first 10 days we spoke to other vessels and received emails from those we met in port letting us know how they're getting on (we're still waiting to hear how Degree of Latitude managed to dunk both their headsails in the sea in the first few days – a story for the bar no doubt)! These people understand the conditions, they understand the opportunities. We spoke to MR and TinTin and non-ARC vessels too who were happy to have others around them to talk about the sea state, the squalls, the conditions overnight and progress. The funniest was the dinner choices when one yacht piped up about their swedish meatball dinner – all I could think of at the time was Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places!! We also found out we're co-hosting a party in St.Lucia with TinTin for the OCC, so are looking forward to meeting them on arrival. All this from VHF!

> - The ARC Mothership
Then there's the mothership, our ARC hub who send us daily updates. When we received the emails to tell us about the non-ARC man overboard we heard on the radio on day 1, about the boats with delayed departures from Las Palmas - we talked about what we'd do if that was us, what if we had to divert? Further updates started to show some boats had diverted or retired for a variety of reasons, some with plans to rejoin later; for others their needs for a safe haven for injured crew or damaged boats could mean they'll finish the ARC in their own time when they're ready. Truly though, their ARC experience isn't over, it's just different and the community that has grown from this event steps in to help.

> - Sportsmanship in community
This is where the ARC shows its true value and sportsmanship/ humanity kick in. There was a Panpan sent out last week from a non-ARC vessel and what happened next is the reason why I would recommend the ARC to anyone wanting to cross the Atlantic at this time of year. The reason for the PanPan was due to a vessels collision with a whale damaging the rudder and the yacht was taking on water. They didn't need to issue a mayday as they felt they were managing the situation but we were alerted to their position and who was closest, ARC yacht Seren was standing by in case they were needed, the ARC community network stepped in and I'm sure everyone was comforted by that knowledge of help never been too far away – even on an Ocean crossing.

It might be a rally for some and a race for others, but sometimes other things have to come first and that's exactly what we saw.

> - Rally or a race
Every day we eagerly await the fleet position updates as well as general notices to the fleet and whilst there's a niggly voice in one crew member who feels it casts undue pressure (it doesn't by the way), for everyone else we're excited to see where we are, where are the fleet generally (Mike now has a little macro that works to convert the positions into an Excel chart so we can see everyone's positions visually). What's incredible is we've all started in the same place and will finish together in the same place, but the variety of choices made along the way are so different, some chasing wind, some avoiding swell, some going for the straight line route, others go by gut feeling, best sailing conditions and some sailing in company.

> - ARC journey continues
As our ARC journey continues, we can't wait to start seeing those masthead lights again, to hear the kids voices on the VHF again and prepare ourselves for the rest of the ARC. The real spirit of this event comes from the people who have joined it, the variety of experiences we're getting from it and the different (and similar) things we'll have done along the way.

I'm sure inevitably there'll be people who will take something else from the ARC, but for us, for Gitana, for me... it's seeing humanity at it's rawest, the elements at their most beautiful and sharing a journey that the ARC2018 fleet has created.

I love that the journey isn't over yet and can't wait to see what's next.

--
SY Gitana

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