N(ot the)ARC 2020

R

roaringgirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 Nov 2014
Messages
886
Location
Half way around: Wellington, NZ.
bit.ly
We're planning on crossing the Atlantic from the Canaries around November 2020. I don't want to do the ARC again, but I would like to set off at the same time as a bunch of other boats, for safety. Where/how do the NARC boats organise themselves?
 
Must say Ive not heard of any other non pro rallies setting off from around here. But there is a constant stream of yachts heading that way from November til at least now....I was doing it myself this time last year. I looked at Marine Traffic yesterday searching for a friend who is about to slip from GC. Checking the route ahead all the way to West Indies, I stopped counting at 100 yachts in transit. Chances of a visual sighting are slim but mebbe in vhf range. Avalook?
 
We had already bonded with a group of mainly Dutch kid boats by the time we reached La Gomera, and a bunch of us set off around the same time when a weather window looked good, (and went via Cape Verde) but various NARC groups are loosely forming in most Canary marinas around November time (if not before that). I wouldn't worry, it's difficult to avoid them. Don't forget the ARC is mainly British, with Scandinavian and German boats making up the numbers, but there are plenty of other nationality boats crossing for whom the ARC means little (including lots of small, steel, shoe-string French boats who prepare by nipping up to the bakery first thing, making sure their plotter - a 15 year old mobile phone - is fully charged for the last time, and casting off with a quick glance to make sure the kids, dogs and granny are still on board).
 
If you are not planning on doing the ARC, then you have a good excuse to make Barbados your first landfall - lots to see and do here, and we are 100 miles closer to the Old World (unless you are crossing at higher latitudes heading for eg Antigua).

There are usually impromptu SSB nets set up for boats crossing - if you keep an ear open re what is happening on the ARC grapevine, and monitor the ARC webpage for details of any of their nets, then something should turn up.
And as Siwhi says, there should be lots happening in the Canaries - you will be looking forward to getting to sea as a respite from all the hectic socializing! :)
I am glad to see that that the small steel French boats are still going strong - your description above is very apt. Also, some of them don't have heads on board - rather, the heads is usually the pulpit (or pushpit) used for supporting oneself. A bit disconcerting to see in a crowded anchorage in the Caribbean.
 
Bajansailor said:
If you are not planning on doing the ARC, then you have a good excuse to make Barbados your first landfall - lots to see and do here,
Click to expand...

I’ve just crewed for a friend. We left Gran Canaria at the end of Dec bound for Barbados. At least 5 boats left the same day.

Lost sight within a few hours. Lost AIS and vhf radio contact within a few days. Met up again later at PSC anchorage ?

Something that I previously did not know, family can track progress via a satellite subscription of the boat AIS.
 
I'll be doing the non arc in Nov as well.
I think Olin Karcher is also.
Perhaps the admin will set up a NARC forum?
Or a facebook group?
 
davidjackson said:
I’ve just crewed for a friend. We left Gran Canaria at the end of Dec bound for Barbados. At least 5 boats left the same day.

Lost sight within a few hours. Lost AIS and vhf radio contact within a few days. Met up again later at PSC anchorage ?

Something that I previously did not know, family can track progress via a satellite subscription of the boat AIS.
Click to expand...

And you didn't give me a shout when you arrived here......... :) no worries, I hope that Barbados lived up to your expectations.
How many days was your passage, and what type of boat?

Re a satellite subscription (I guess via Marinetraffic? www.marinetraffic.com ) do you know how much a subscription is for tracking one boat? I presume that they charge per month, or is it per year?
 
After crossing I used to joke that, if you had to abandon ship on the way, the greatest danger was being run over by another yacht in your life raft. We were not part of, nor had we left while any organized event was on. A
 
Bajansailor said:
And you didn't give me a shout when you arrived here......... :) no worries, I hope that Barbados lived up to your expectations.
How many days was your passage, and what type of boat?

Re a satellite subscription (I guess via Marinetraffic? www.marinetraffic.com ) do you know how much a subscription is for tracking one boat? I presume that they charge per month, or is it per year?
Click to expand...

I didn't know that you were there or I would have tried to contact you, shame. Where are you?

Barbados certainly lived up to my expectations. People were great, warm and friendly. Easy to get around the island and plenty of things to see and do (while avoiding the Brits abroad beach bars).

We were on a cat and the passage was 16 days, 8 hours, a tad under 7kts average.

Yes, marinetraffic let's you track one boat via satalite, when out of vhf range, for one pound per day.
 
Excellent re Barbados lived up to your expectations David!
I live on the north east coast, about 10 miles from Carlisle Bay, and also about 10 miles from Port St Charles on the north west side of the island.
16 days is very good going from the Canaries! And crossing on a cat down wind must have been very comfortable.

An old friend turned up here last week on his cat Barnacle C, singlehanded - he took 13 days from the Cabo Verdes.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ai...52375/mmsi:235105921/imo:0/vessel:BARNACLE_C/

Re Marinetraffic, that is useful info re how one can track an individual boat for a pound a day - that should give many folk good reassurance. Combine this with a satphone that can send and receive texts, and nobody has any excuse now for not staying in contact with folk ashore.
 
Kelpie said:
Do the satellites pick up your (VHF frequency) AIS transmissions? Or does the boat need extra hardware?
Click to expand...

I think so - hence the hundreds of pink blobs making their way westwards across the Atlantic at the moment.
I guess that if you have a sub to track a particular yacht, her name will come up on one of the pink blobs.
If you 'right click' on a pink blob (or any other vessel), and then click on 'measure distance' you can see what speed they are doing.

I have seen a few cruise ships that say they are mobile AIS stations - other vessels in the vicinity of them (ie within VHF range) will be identified on Marinetraffic, even in mid-Atlantic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top