ARC 2023 - A party atmosphere... with the spirit of racing

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Almost a victim of its own success, the ARC is now divided into two separate events – the classic ARC and the ARC Plus, whose route takes in Cape Verde and has its finish line in Grenada. The ARC January, meanwhile, is ready to be activated in the event of oversubscription. This 37th edition saw no fewer than 155 yachts take part, including a record 44 multihulls. Of the 930 sailors registered, most arrived safely in Rodney Bay marina on the island of Saint Lucia, with only three withdrawals reported. This 2023 edition was marked by a start in light trade winds, followed by particularly mild conditions. In terms of equipment, 2023 was the year in which the Starlink on-board communication system became widespread.

Régis Guillemot’s ORC50 Ti Ana was just a few hours short of crossing the line first - an honor achieved by the Swan 90 Berenice. Each finish was punctuated by a warm welcome day and night on the pontoons, right up to the eagerly awaited prize-giving ceremony, which crowned Régis and his crew as all-class winners in the multihull division. A second ORC50 and two Outremer 51s also performed well - Piment Rouge came 4th in class A. Excess 15s were the most represented multihulls this year, with 5 entries, all heading for charter operation, though their crews were not content with a leisurely delivery mode, as the fastest boats took 5th, 6th and 8th place respectively. In category B, the Privilège 37 Taona (the ARC’s smallest multihull) won the racing division on corrected time, ahead of the Nautitech 44 Open June and the Lagoon 42-2 Vitamin Sea.

Start dates for upcoming ARC rallies in 2024:
January 13: World ARC - departure from Saint Lucia
May 11: ARC Europe - departs from Saint-Martin
June 9: ARC Portugal - departs from Plymouth (UK)
November 10: ARC Plus - departs from Las Palmas (Canary Islands)
November 24: ARC - departs from Las Palma

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