The buzz in Las Palmas Marina is building as the countdown to the ARC+ start continues and some 400 sailors are set to wave goodbye to the shores of Gran Canaria on Sunday. The warm sunshine is beating down on the docks as participants are checking off the jobs lists, getting ship-shape for the crossing. Tuesday was a holiday in Las Palmas, so whilst the city may have been quieter, there’s little break from the anticipation on the marina pontoons as the clock ticks down.
Aiding their preparations, a series of seminars has provided plenty of top tips with even the most experienced of sailors benefitting from the knowledge of the ARC+ Lecture Team. On Tuesday, Chris Tibbs began the programme with a detailed talk about dealing with situations no skipper wishes to face with a seminar on the Management of Emergencies. Discussing about the potential situations that may arise when undertaking an ocean crossing helps the skipper to prepare in advance, thinking through the scenarios and briefing the crew, to keep calm and find workable solutions. With over 27 Atlantic Crossings under his belt, Chris provided some great guidance, considering the possibilities of steering loss, dealing with water ingress, and Man Overboard scenarios.
Up next on the programme, Neil Brinsdon from Advanced Rigging and Hydraulics shared a detailed video of a rig check, taking participants from bow to stern of what they should check whilst underway. Common wear points and preventing chafe were also covered, as well as highlighting the rigours the tradewind sailing can place on a yacht’s rig. Sail set ups were then covered in a second detailed seminar from Chris Tibbs on Downwind Sailing.
Following a break for lunch, the ARC+ Communications Forum was a great way for skippers to get to grips with their satellite comms systems. Ed Wildgoose from satellite communications provider MailASail has been assisting ARC+ and ARC skippers with email solutions for many years, spending time in Las Palmas each year to ensure everyone can keep in touch whilst underway. It is a requirement of the rally to have email communications onboard, which means the boats can receive daily weather forecasts and fleet massages from Rally Control whilst underway. Ed’s seminar ran through troubleshooting common problems with a range of systems, as well as best practices for keeping the costs down.
Clare Pengelly’s Provisioning seminar was particularly timely as the pontoons have become awash with food items to be stored for the first passage to Mindelo, Cape Verde. The adage of ‘a well-fed crew is a happy crew’ is gospel for ocean sailors with meals and snacks a vital part of the daily routine on board. Las Palmas offers a wonderful bounty of provisioning options, with extensive markets to browse conveniently located to the marina. Further helping participants, several local companies work the ARC to offer dockside delivery and products prepared with the long voyage in mind.
Rounding off the day, celestial navigation expert Stokey Woodall delivered his seminar entitled - “Satellites to Frying Pans” – a fascinating guide for emergency navigation covering when things go wrong with navigation systems and how to overcome this. With more than 300,000 nautical miles under his belt, Stokey will shared with the audience how to navigate with a frying pan and tell the time by the stars. Even without technology failures on board, many ARC+ sailors were keen to try out the ingenious ideas that Stokey suggested.
After a lot of learning the ARC+ sailors we certainly ready to digest what had been covered in the day’s seminars with a drink or two. The Admiral Marine Sundowner, sponsored by the yacht and motorboat insurance specialists, was buzzing with conversation. Admiral Marine have been supporting World Cruising Club rally participants with bespoke policies for their bluewater itineraries for over a decade, and here in Las Palmas their customers benefit from a complimentary rig check before departure from the Alisios Sailing Centre team.
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Another day of seminars takes place today, Wednesday, together with a workshop and lunch for the ‘Doublehanders’ – those who will be sailing the crossings with only two crew. Tonight, the participants of ARC+ will be transported back in time to the disco decade with a 1970’s themed costume party.