ARC - do you admire or despise?

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EBunting

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'A lot of sailors seem to despise the ARC...' so says one of my favourite sites, Sailing Anarchy.

I was surprised to read such a strong term. I'm aware that the US market is a bit quirky and although a lot what they write about happens over here 'in Yurp' they've never actually seen it.

But still, despise. What do you think: do a lot of people feel that way?

Elaine
 
Anyone who can 'despise' a group of people so far removed from themselves and having so little, no impact on their lives and who seek none, really needs to talk to someone.
 
Despise is too strong a term, but I'm not a fan.

We entered another Rally 3 years ago (Biscay Triangle) - it was a "never again experience"

Some of the reasons:
- It's too scheduled - departure time is set in stone. Regardless of weather, if you express reservations a lot of pressure is brought to bear. (Both peer pressure and by the organisation). Love the phrase - should not be a problem for a well-founded boat. Who's going to admit he's not got a well-founded boat?
- Value for money - Apart from a berth in the port(s) of call, what do they provide? Most dinners/parties were to be paid for.
- Weather info - the weather info provided by the rally organisation was completely at odds with the info I found on the internet/navtex. It seemed doctored to suit their ends (get everyone out in time). As it turned out - our info was correct.

ARC specific points - I crewed a couple of years ago and received some feedback from friends who did the ARC last year
- It's getting altogether too corporate focused - the big boats get all the attention/care.
- At the St Lucia end everything is once again geared towards the bigger, corporate boats (and their early arrival time). By the time my friends arrived in their small 35ft boat the ARC organisation had all but packed up.
- Weather info again - ARC provided weather info wasn't worth the airwaves they were spoken on. Always "Jam tomorrow". Thank God for Herb.

I can see it's got some attraction for some people, but when we cross in a few years I will give it a miss. And keep well clear of the Canaries and St Lucia during "ARC-time"
 
I would sooner head off at own time and own pace doing something like that. I can see there is lots to be said for the comfort blanket of being part of a flotilla and i am sure the lectures and help are of use to many. generally the boating community seem a fair minded and helpful lot so get a group of departees at any of the world cruise jumping off points heading in any direction and you would normally find plenty of help and advice available informally. Before the arc someone comes and checks your boat and there may be a seminars on food power first aid etc useful but much of the info you could find yourself i am sure.

reading a report ( was it James Jermaine's or DD's) in YM earlier this year of the rally portugal ( io bel;ieve is th same peolpe whonrun the arc?) i think it seemed that boats went out in tough conditions for some so they headed back, husband and wife teams and crews that justifiably did not fancy F7 from the South and West inluding the boat JJ or DD was on

a few boats made it to the scheduled destination at the appointed time and had dinner
so the rest made their way down later having shelled out for what???

The ARC seems a lot of money it reseves you a berth and books out some restaraunts. BUT i am sure it has helped a lot of people cross the pond who might otherwise not have done so. therefore it helped them realise a dream and maybe open up blue water cruising to them and world beyond. how can you despise an organisation that does that? Yes they make a buck and yes it is not to everyone's taste, but to heap derision on them seems a little harsh.

all imho
 
why should people despise them, that's a bit strong.
If that's how they want to cross then leave them alone, a lot of people will get a great sense of achievement out of doing it.
Me? If i seen that many boats all heading for the same place I would go somewhere else.
My wife and i sail/liveaboard to get away from crowds and to have the freedom to do what we like when we like.
 
I don't despise it, but I am not attracted either. I would not like anyone telling me when to leave, nor do I like to move in groups. But I am sure the concept can work well for other people. There is not one cruising formula.
 
I think you may be asking the wrong people - as Flaming rightly points out, Sailing Anarchy is a purely racing website and their views probably bear little resemblance to those of the cruising types on this site.

It does seem that the ARC has changed completely from the original cruising event that Jimmy Cornell created, and maybe that was inevitable as soon as it became a "race". But clearly the race boys think that it's not that either.........

I'm with the other posters here who don't by any means despise the people who enter the ARC, but wouldn't want to do it themselves because it is hardly in tune with their cruising ethos. Crowds and regimentation are just what I hope to avoid when I head out, but good luck to those who are enjoying it.
 
I agree. It's not my type of sailing so I wouldn't want to throw my ill informed judgements around, at least not this side of a bottle of wine, but it seems to me that to use the word "despise" about the participants when, if you look closely, most of the gripes are about the organisers is a pretty lowbrow approach. More Daily Mail than Scuttlebutt.
 
We did the ARC in 2000 and it was great! At the time I had very little experience of blue water cruising and 'felt' safer crossing the Atlantic in a group. My other half didn't want to do it, but agreed to get me across.

We had a great time, met some wonderful friends (who we are still in touch with) and it was definitely right for us at that time. We got a lot of discounts on marinas on the way down to the Canaries and also discounts on charts, which was a real help. The social side of it was great, the lectures served more as a reminder of how to do things than learning anything completely new, but were useful.

On the way back across the Atlantic, we chose not to do ARC Europe, but went 'alone'. Two main reasons for this:
1. It didn't seem as good value due to lack of discounts etc.
2. We had already met a group of friends doing the same passage so set up our own SSB nets.

Next time we cross, we probably won't do the ARC, but that doesn't mean I don't think it is a good thing. I would recommend it to anyone doing their first crossing and at the end of the day if it encourages people to cross an ocean they otherwise would only dream about crossing, then who can criticise?

Despise people who do it? I think there must be some bitterness there...is it jealousy because these people are actually out there doing it instead of just talking about it?!
 
Yes, I despise the ARC. The organisation of course - not the people who enter, that's a silly misinterpretation of your question.

I have met so many people who ended up dissatisfied with their experience or feeling it was poor value for money. Even people who dropped out in midstream.

No other kind of tour operator could possibly stay in business with this level of unsatisfied customers. The ARC can do so because it doesn't rely on repeat custom and is being sold partly on a lie. It is that there is something particularly 'safe' for the less experienced sailor about crossing the Atlantic in this way.

Anyone who is considering the ARC might also like to take a look at the French "Iles du Soleil" trans-Atlantic Rally, which sells itself on adventure and socialising. When we met up with yachts on this rally in Brazil, the level of satisfaction seemed much higher than the ARC.

(I have not sailed in either rally myself.)
 
People despise flotilla sailors in the Med, too. But it is a way of giving confidence to those for whom it is something new.
 
"Cruising really isn't their thing.... "

At a sea survival course much earlier this year, the difference in attitude between me (a pond crosser) and them (fastnet racers) was "we are all disciplined, tough etc and would only take to the liferaft if (she) was sinking .. " ...
 
Having done the arc in 2003 I can testify that crowds were not really a problem! 2 days out of las palmas and the only boat we encountered over the following 2 weeks was a rowing boat, unfortunately we got close...too close... in fact close enough to see the xtremely worried expression on their faces as we were just about to 'T bone' them!
 
Genuinely interested to know many people did you meet who felt this way, and where were they?

Slightly at odds with my experience, as I talk to people at the finish every year. Wondered if 'so many' was more than, what, 20, 50, 100?

Bearing in mind 10,000 people have now crossed with the ARC.
 
Sounds as though the detractors are keeping a low profile today, perhaps because the word 'despise' is a bit emotive. You can be sure there are a fair few around here who look down their noses at those who take part. The view that most of the participants are inexperienced and incapable of doing the crossing without 'hanging on to Mummy's apron strings' is as common as it is wrong.

Here is an article I wrote after taking part in the ARC, joining ARC Europe then dropping out and travelling independently:

Pros and Cons of rallying


Many sailors speak disparagingly of rally participants, assuming they are all beginners who wouldn't leave the Solent without a nanny organisation to look after them and imply that real sailors travel independently. We have done both and would consider another rally in future. We met no-one on the rallies who couldn't have gone across the ocean on their own, the supposed wet-behind-the-ears beginner is a complete myth.
Pro

* The biggest draw for many people is the social side, getting to meet other crews, not to mention the numerous parties. For us the party circuit started in Lagos when we invited everyone who was flying an ARC flag aboard for drinks; we regularly met up with that group over the next 6 months in many anchorages.
* The support provided by the rally organisers was useful, for example they found me an english-speaking dentist when I lost a tooth three days before departure from Las Palmas.
* The daily radio net and position reporting meant that our family knew where we were (at least some of the time) and when things went wrong there was help at hand. Our friends on Spirit of Clyde rescued a French singlehander whose boat sank and two other boats stood by to help.
* Reserved berths at either end were useful and it was good to have someone to take our lines as we came into St Lucia with engine problems.
* The ARC rallies are run as races and the friendly competition added to the interest of the passage. For the keen racers there was also an all-out racing division.
* Because of the number of people taking part, some of the big names in ocean cruising came to give seminars, for example Jimmy Cornell on routes beyond the Caribbean and David Jones on Caribbean meteorology.

Con

* Rallies always have pre-set start times and there is pressure to stick to those because of the shore team's hotel and flight bookings. If the weather turns bad, as it did when we left Bermuda for the Azores, you have to be strong-minded to stay in harbour when others are pressing on.
* In a very structured rally like the ARC there is no opportunity for unplanned stops so we missed out on the Cape Verdes and Barbados. For that reason alone we will probably avoid the ARC next time round.
* Some crews get a bit over-enthusiastic about completing the crossing and hit the party scene hard. That gets a bit wearing if you're moored right in front of the marina bar and the music is still going strong at 5a.m.
* The downside of the racing element is the temptation to hang on to canvas a bit longer and risk damage to gear.
* On a multi-leg rally like ARC Europe, the fast boats spend a lot of time in port waiting for the others to catch up and the slow boats have a shorter time to rest and repair before moving on.
* The cost is quite high for those on a limited cruising budget.
 
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