CRUISING
THE ARC+ RALLY MIGHT HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING THE ‘EASY’ ATLANTIC CROSSING, BUT THIS YEAR’S EVENT WAS FAST AND OCCASIONALLY FURIOUS, AS ELAINE BUNTING REPORTS
It’s the dream that never fades. The desire to sail across the Atlantic seemingly doesn’t wane, no matter what the state of the global economy or geopolitical upheavals. Post-pandemic, it is a boom time.
Nowhere do you see this more clearly than in the annual ARC rally, which has spawned two parallel events to satisfy demand: the ARC+ rally from Gran Canaria to Grenada via Mindelo in Cape Verde; and the new ARC January early in the New Year. Between them, 278 yachts will have sailed across by the time you read this. The organisers, World Cruising Club, are simultaneously running two World ARC circumnavigation events.
Of all these, the ARC+ rally is the quiet success. Although eclipsed by the publicity generated by the original and bigger event, it has grown steadily since it was launched 10 years ago and regularly produces its own waiting list. There are good reasons why this is the pick for crews in no particular hurry to reach the Caribbean, which have made it the favoured way for crews of family and friends to cross in company.
A LIGHTBULB MOMENT
Sweet Dreams is the name of Roz Preston’s yacht, though her sailing now has a bittersweet element. Preston, from Edinburgh, sailed throughout her married life with her husband, John. They both had busy working lives and when they had enough of it decided to build their dream yacht.
“We saw an article on [traditional wooden] boatbuilding at Lowestoft and had a lightbulb moment. We both gave up our jobs and did a one-year boatbuilding course at Lyme Regis,” she says.
The experience spurred them on to commission a design by Bill Dixon and set up a team to help build the one-off 44-footer in a barn in Dorset. Sweet Dreams echoes the Eurythmics hit of the same name. It captured their sentiments and had a personal connection; John had been chairman of a record company, and counted Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart as friends.
The Prestons spent 10 years sailing in Scotland, the Baltic, Scandinavia and as far south as La Rochelle, then in 2017 John died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage.
Among many other bleak decisions Roz had to make was what to do with Sweet Dreams. John had been the skipper and driving force. “I felt it was important for me to reconnect with the boat and sailing,” she says.
But to go further afield, she needed help.
“I’d always sailed with my husband and if he wasn’t around there was no one in charge. I’m not really in my comfort zone taking the decisions, and physically
