World Cruising Club would like to assure ARC Europe 2020 rally participants that they are continually monitoring the on-going situation regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. This is of course a rapidly changing situation and World Cruising Club are working to support current participants with their plans to cross the Atlantic in May and June.
ARC Europe was born as a rally to support those taking their yachts back to Europe after the Caribbean Season, and has grown to be popular amongst North Americans heading to Europe to cruise the Mediterranean, and most recently as the last leg home for those completing a circumnavigation with World ARC.
For some participants therefore the rally provides the familiar ARC support for an extended passage where the main aim is to get from the start to the finish, with some fun along the way. For others it is more about the journey and the places to be visited along the route.
For those participants who simply “want to get home” World Cruising Club plans to deliver a supported rally, although it is going to be limited by travel restrictions on the route. It may be necessary to start from elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Azores visit will be restricted to a brief refuelling and re-provisioning quarantined call; the finish destination at Marina de Lagos is open.
There is no doubt the rally will be an adventurous delivery trip, and not suitable for those starting off on a voyage of discovery across the Atlantic, for whom it will be better to postpone for a year. World Cruising Club have written to all 2020 entrants today, with the offer to postpone until 2021, or stay with the 2020 route.
A further update will be published once the results of the consultation are consolidated.
Any changes to the itinerary will be subject to further amendment as travel and social distancing restrictions come into force. At this point it is not possible to say what these will be.