ARC Europe 2022

Steeped in history, the colourful island of Bermuda, and more specifically the town of St. George’s awaits the arrival of the ARC Europe 2022 fleet.

Having departed Sint Maarten on Saturday 7 May and with a passage of 875NM to travel, the journey has been fast with good winds from the south which will see the first of the fleet completing leg 1 in just 4 days. With the winds continuing to remain favourable, most of the fleet expect to arrive to St. George’s Harbour by the beginning of the weekend.

Being a central location, the stopover in Bermuda also plays host to yachts joining the fleet from mainland USA. The yellow shirt team have already welcomed several yachts to the Rally and are on hand to finalise the last of the checks before participants can enjoy the island and ARC Europe programme ahead.

ARC Europe 2022 ©Edward Penagos

The first event in the ARC Europe programme will be welcome drinks in the St George’s Dingy & Sports Club. Located towards the cut of the harbour participants can enjoy the fabulous view across the water looking back towards to the town and St David’s Island.

Including the new arrivals, the ARC Europe 2022 fleet will become 31 boats strong with some 100 participants in total. As boats and crews come together over the next few days, there is sure to be a lively atmosphere around the Docks in St George’s.

ARC Europe 2022 – Town Hall – photo © World Cruising Club

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 2 days.

ARC Europe 2022 ©World Cruising Club

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.

2022 ARC Europe – Mowgli Crew – photo © World Cruising Club

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 local rum cocktails.

The programme remains free over the next 2 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.