Eleven boats joining ARC Europe 2015 are sailing in a WCC rally for the first time and we caught up with a few of the ‘newbies’ dockside at Nanny Cay in Tortola to hear their first impressions.
Liveaboards, Joseph and Dawn’s Ayala’s Morgan 461, Pixie Dust (USA) from Oviedo, FL, USA started the Salty Dawg Rally in 2013 but didn’t complete it due to steering problems. Their intention was always to get to Europe, but they weren’t in a hurry, so this is their first WCC rally. The crew of five will be making the transatlantic passage from Tortola to Europe, via Bermuda and the Azores, finishing at Marina de Lagos in Portugal in time for the European summer sailing season:
“Our family and friends are really pleased we are doing this as part of a rally, in company of others, They feel comforted by that,” explained Dawn. “Everything is great so far with the rally. We’ve checked in, had our safety equipment check, enjoyed meeting everyone and we are very happy. We are looking forward to the crossing and to spending three to five years cruising in Europe.”
From Western Australia, double handers Robert and Revle Elks’ Outremer 51, Intrepid Elk (AUS) took part in ARC+ last November and are one of several crews completing an Atlantic circuit with ARC Europe:
“ARC+ was our first rally and we enjoyed it very much. We got to meet most people in the rally and it was really nice to get to know everyone before we set off. We found the World Cruising staff to be so helpful and for us it is one of the best things about the rally. To have that support is great,” said Revle at the informal Ladies Round Table earlier in the week.
There are several children sailing in the rally and for the three young boys on the 48ft Leopard catamaran, Widago (USA), this is the start of one huge Moseley family adventure. The inspiration for the boat name came from Guyon and Ali’s three children; William, David and Gordo and this marks the beginning of a life-changing new experience. They have never sailed in a WCC rally before, so ARC Europe will be their first and they have also signed up for ARC Baltic 2015 and then the World ARC, to complete a circumnavigation before heading home in 2017:
“We were going to sail on our own but then we found WCC and were drawn by the support and camaraderie of a rally group; it seemed to make sense for us, especially with the children. The rally takes a lot of the pressure of planning away and we like the group safety aspect as well as the social side. We will continue to the Azores, which we are really looking forward to and then depending on the weather, we may stop in the UK before joining ARC Baltic in Germany. Our boat is now our home,” explains Guyon Moseley who left Key Largo, Florida. “I’m lucky that my wife is happy to take part in this great adventure along with our three children. As long as I have an iphone and email, I will continue to work as I have a small business and am very flexible. We both help out with schooling for the boys and we are really enjoying that. For the leg from Tortola to Bermuda, I will also have my best buddy and his daughter on board. It will be lots of fun.” Follow the Moseley’s adventures on: http://widago.com/
Check out the progress of the boats once the rally starts on Saturday 9 May via the fleet viewer on the WCC rally website where logs, photos and news will be regularly posted: https://www.worldcruising.com/arc_europe