Half of the ARC Europe 2022 fleet have reached the shores of Bermuda and the atmosphere is beginning to build around the docks in St George’s. Crews are happy to make landfall either by dinghy from the anchorage in the harbour or docking on the conveniently located quayside in the centre of St George’s.
Covering a distance of just under 900 NM, Leg 1, from Sint Maarten to Bermuda, has not been without its challenges for some of the fleet. Despite good southerly winds of around 20kts at the start, day 3 of the route saw squalls of 40kts twisting around 180 degrees, causing damage to sails on Pleasure, Arausha and Blue Orchid. Luckily there is a good sail maker close to the docks in St George’s, Ocean Sails, and their sewing machine is sure to be put to good use over the next few days.
High winds on the East coast of mainland USA during the week caused very unsettled weather in the local area to Bermuda and many of the skippers experienced dramatic electrical storms. For some, over long periods, which as many sailors will know, is an un-nerving situation to be in. Thankfully no damage has been reported and the remaining fleet expect to be into Bermuda within the next two days.
The super-fast Akilaria 40 Mowgli was having a fantastic run hitting speeds up to 11.5 kts until they incurred significant damaged to one of their rudders. Fortunately there are 2 rudders on this boat and with a wealth of experience skipper Slaven Fischer along with his crew member, Pavle Grdan, managed to remove the damaged rudder and remain under full command of the vessel continuing their journey at a very respectable speed of 5.5kts.
Despite these challenges, crews are happy to arrive in Bermuda where they can be sure of a very friendly welcome by the locals. This evening, St George’s Dinghy and Sports Club are hosting an informal welcome event where ARC Europe participants can enjoy spectacular views across the harbour while enjoying the famous dark'n stormy from Gosling's.
The programme remains free over the next two days allowing crews to experience Sail GP which takes place on the Island this weekend. With the excitement of these high performance F50 foiling catamarans in town along with a wide variety of attractions and tours on the Island participants are sure to enjoy their time in Bermuda before preparations begin for the start of Leg 2 on Wednesday 18 May at 1200 hours (UTC-3).
