It’s been a perfect day here in Gran Canaria. The sun is out, the skies are blue and there’s a gentle breeze blowing. Perfect for a practice sail and an opportunity to get out of the marina ahead of Sunday’s start to familiarise everyone with the boat and procedures on board.
With over 130 boats now in Las Palmas, skippers of more recent arrivals came to the ARC platform to collect their YB Trackers, to confirm their arrival and also collect Lateral Flow tests for all on board. The ARC Kids Club run by the Federación de Vela also got underway and many of the children in the rally enjoyed a fun morning of games on the beach followed by dinghy sailing in the shelter waters outside the marina.
First thing this morning around 40 participants joined renowned ocean sailor and astronavigation expert Stokey Woodall at a Sextant Workshop held on the eastern breakwater. With the sun high in the sky, many bought their sextants along with them to refresh their knowledge before doing sightings during the 2,700nm passage. Stokey passed on lots of useful tips and information before making sure everyone’s sextants were properly set up and many also joined the emergency navigation seminar via Zoom later in the day.
Tomorrow the ARC programme continues and participants can find out about options for Returning to Europe, with a Q & A session, as well as hearing from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority about what to expect on arrival in the beautiful Caribbean. There’s also an optional Crew Supper at the Embarcadero Restaurant in Las Palmas marina.