World ARC are in the “Spice Isle”

Located in the eastern Caribbean Sea Grenada is full of spice, rum and wonderfully warm welcomes. Arriving into Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina after a sail of 2,300NM starting from Recife in Brazil, each boat was welcomed by the Marina with their legendary local rum punch. 

The fleet in general have had a great sail from Brazil. With a lift of over 3kts provided by the current in parts the journey it was quick sail for most of the boats. Unfortunately a couple experienced D1 rigging issues but both situations were contained and the support of fellow World ARC boats shone through. Keeping together as buddy boats, Saphir af Stockholm was shadowed by Mistral of Portsmouth and together they provided encouragement to each other and arrived safely into Port Louis Marina. Tam Lin of Gloucester who also had a rigging issue had to motor more miles than expected and it was Sea Monster and Escapade of London who came to the rescue transferring fuel between each other to pass back to Tam Lin. With risk of further damage, Tony and Katy on Tam Lin decided to head into Man O'War Bay in Tobago where Katy describes it simply as ‘stuck in paradise’. And to show just how precious the bonds are between the fleet, Martin on Escapade has purchased a new D1 in Grenada and has flown out to Tobago to help fix Tam Lin’s rigging. All being well they will all be in to Grenada by the weekend.

Many of the fleet return to the Caribbean Sea and those in previous ARC+ rallies started their original journey, Caribbean to Caribbean from Grenada so returning to this island has been a very special occasion. Of course, the official World ARC Rally start line is in Rodney Bay, St Lucia and in a couple of weeks the entire fleet will cross their circumnavigation line. With this finish in their sights, the well deserved celebrations have begun. The World Cruising Club programme included happy hours at the well known Victory Bar which has become the hub for sundowners and gatherings. The Marina hold a monthly happy hour and they very generously invited World ARC participants along. Port Louis Marina have been hugely accommodating and we take this opportunity to thank General Manager Zara Tremlett and her dedicated team for all their support. 

Also on the World Cruising Club programme was an afternoon tour taking in flavours of the island. The first stop was a visit to Grenada Distillers to learn the detailed process of producing some of the finest rums on the island. After the tour of the factory, it was time to sample a huge variety of rums from passion fruit to delicious chocolate flavoured tipples. Staggering out of the distillery (ha-ha), the next stop was at Tri-Isle Chocolate Company where the guide was very entertaining and knowledgeable not only about the coco plants but many other fruit, nut and spice plants and trees which grow locally. The last stop was to the historical Fort Frederik which was built by the French on top of the hills with sweeping views of the island and glistening ocean beyond. It was thanks to Sheldon Noel of Royalty Taxi and Tours for providing a very informative talk on the recent history of the island which was fascinating.

The day ended at Coconut Beach Restaurant located on the beautiful Grand Anse Beach where the prizegiving event for Leg 16 was held. To great applause and excitement, the winners of Class A and B were announced along with the ETA and fun competitions. It was congratulations to KALLI for winning Class A with Isabel coming second and Fatjax third. First in Class B was Kaja, followed by Bahati second and Mistral of Portsmouth third. The winners of the ETA were Navillus 3 who were awarded a voucher from the Marina who very kindly sponsored a complimentary 2-night stay. The fun completion was won by two boats, KALLI and Escapade of London. The fishing competition was won by the crew on KUMA and as the current beholder of the Pride of WARC Flag he stayed on stage to invite all the boats in the fleet who have yet to receive it to add their emblems to the boarder. It was a very fitting gesture.

We would like to thank the Grenada Tourist Board (GTA) and mention special thanks to Mrs.Chinel Thomas Sandy for attending the evening. The GTA provided goodie bags to each boat on the rally filled with local treats. Thank you also to the GTA for recognizing all those vessels who firstly arrived at the Caribbean waters in Grenada. These skippers were lucky to receive an extra gift of rum!

The past week has been jam packed with socials to include a couple of memorable pontoon parties courtesy of Fatjax and Abide. Also the ladies got to leave the boat jobs behind for a few hours and have lunch together in Knife & Fork. The special times continue.

The world ARC programme recommences in Marigo Bay, St Lucia on Wednesday 16 April where the fleet will gather for their final sail together up the coast to Rodney Bay on Saturday 19 April. Until then many are off to explore the tranquil anchorages of the Caribbean Seas.