A spiritual send-off from Mauritius

The World ARC fleet departed from Port Louis, Mauritius today on the next leg of their round the world adventure. It has a been a popular stopover for the crews and the conclusion of the World ARCs time in Mauritius was marked by a multi faith blessing ceremony highlighting how multicultural Mauritius truly is. The ceremony involved five different faiths blessing the fleet wishing them a safe onward passage – a unique tradition for the crews to be part of.

Today’s start took place in ideal conditions for the fleet as they began the 130 nautical mile passage to Le Port, on the next island in the Mascarenhas Archipelago of La Reunion. A light 12-14knots of breeze from the north north east whisked the fleet away from Port Louis. The first boat across the line was Tulla Mhor, swiftly followed by the Wennberg family on Take Off, and Ken and Eileen on Aurora. The downwind start was an ideal opportunity for Hanna to set her parasailor, and Owl made quick work sailing away under goose-wing.

The passage to La Reunion is the shortest competitive leg on the World ARC itinerary and if the conditions hold, the boats are expected to arrive from first light on Friday morning. Ashia will be setting off slightly later from Mauritus but will catch the fleet up in Le Port. All should have arrived by mid afternoon on Friday. 

The first item in the rally programme in La Reunion is the welcome reception hosted by the Western Tourist Office and Reunion Federation of Tourisme, followed by an all-day island tour on Sunday. Crews will also use the weekend to prepare costumes for the popular Hallowe'en party, on Tuesday.