Mayflower Marina, Plymouth is delighted to have hosted the World Cruising Club’s 2022 ARC Portugal fleet as they assembled at the marina during the build up to the start of the 1,000nm sailing rally on 12 June.
15 yachts left the marina and headed for the start line in Plymouth Sound on a sunny Sunday morning at 0900hrs as the three-week long rally got underway. It was especially poignant to see the fleet depart Plymouth Sound after two years of Covid delays.
The rally participants, which include crews from the UK, Netherlands and Australia enjoyed a host of week-long pre-sailing hospitality in the city before they set sail on Sunday morning.
Charles Bush, MD Mayflower Marina said: “The ARC Portugal is an annual feature in our event calendar. Our relationship with the World Cruising Club goes back to the inaugural rally to Portugal way back in 1994, and it is always a pleasure for us to have the rally fleet stay with us as they prepare for their voyage to Lagos. We are especially pleased to see the rally return to our marina after two years of interrupted sailing events.”
Rally Skippers often base their boats at Mayflower in Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth some months before the voyage, making use of the excellent facilities to prepare for their offshore adventure. There is a palpable sense excitement in the days leading up to the start. For some of the crews this will be their first taste of blue water cruising and the start of more sailing adventures. The ARC Portugal yachts are expected to arrive at Marina de Lagos on the Algarve on 6 July.
More on the World Cruising Club and ARC Portugal Rally can be found at worldcruising.com/arcportugal including the yacht tracks via the fleet viewer.
