World ARC fleet ready for the Indian Ocean
by World Cruising Club 5 Sep 2018 05:06 UTC
World ARC - Boats welcome dock darwin © World Cruising
After a free cruising period sailing the Great Barrier Reef between Mackay and Darwin stopping along the way to the beautiful Whitsundays one of the highlight for many World ARC participants the fleet made of 22 yachts finally gathered together in Darwin mark of the 2nd half of their circumnavigation.
After completing successfully the hull inspection on arrival, the boat proceeded either to Tipperary Water Marina or Cullen Bay Marina for the bigger ones. There participants took the opportunity to do some maintenance and work on boats to get ready for their Indian Ocean Passage.
On Wednesday, the official programme started with an optional crew dinner at Seafood on Cullen overlooking Fannie Bay and a beautiful sunset. The fleet enjoyed an endless selection of seafoods, steaks and a variety of local cuisine at possibly the best all you can eat buffet. A good opportunity for the participants to get together after having sailed independently for the last 3 weeks but also to welcome the new joiner of the rally like Terje and Pia on Aurora Polaris, Matt, Rob, Nicky and Sydney on Influencer, Simon, Douglas and Donald on Lydia, Helen and Martine on Misto and finally Steve and Anita on Timshel. An exciting adventure for all of them to start together but also time to wave good bye to their good friends Dieter, Ursula and Wiener on Christime sailing down the West coast to Perth to join their daughter who moved there few years ago.
Following that on Thursday morning participants enjoyed a boat cruise down the Adelaide River where they were able to see the famous "Saltie" crocodiles in their natural habitat. Fortunately they were able to see the well-known 5.5m long croc "Brutus" famous after having catch a bull shark in the river a few years ago. Our local guide shared a wealth of information about the ecological systems in the area and how they have changed over the years.
During the weekend the fleet had time to explore the amazing Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. Litchfield is conveniently located an hour and a half drive from Darwin and boasts amazing waterfalls, magnetic termite mounds and historic ruins. The crystal clear swimming holes and nice bushwalking trails make Litchfield a favourite among locals. Kakadu is a World Heritage listed National Park that covers 20,000 square kilometres with very diverse habitats and breathtaking landscapes. Many find the ancient rock art and stories of the Aboriginal tribes fascinating. Some chose the campervan experience, others an organized tour.
On Sunday evenings in Darwin, Mindil Beach is the place to be. Renowned for the magnificent tropical sunset, the Mindil Beach Market provides visitors and locals a vibrant, friendly and stimulating environment to enjoy culinary delights and peruse artisan crafts. Live entertainment includes street performers, live bands and cultural fire shows. Many of the participants were able to experience this fabulous market and take home some unique souvenirs from Darwin.
Monday was a busy day getting prepared to depart and sail onward. As anticipated, Australian Border Force completed the customs and immigration check out procedure in a timely manner and the reality set in that it was time to say goodbye to Australia. Monday afternoon, the skipper's briefing was held at Frying Nemo in Tipperary, followed by Goodbye drinks sponsored by Jeff the owner of Tipperary water Marina.
Finally all ready to go the 21 boats of the fleet took the start this morning in very light wind condition, Aranui being the first boat to cross the starting line fully under sail followed closely by Timshel, Madrigal, Mad Monkey and Pinta. The fleet is already making good progress to cover the 920NM taking then to Gili Gede in Lombok sailing at 6.5KN in 17Knt of breeze. The first boat Influencer who left earlier on Saturday is expected to arrive in Lombok this Friday, 07th of September when the rest of the fleet should follow from the 10th onwards. Experiencing engine problems coming into Darwin unfortunately Smoke and Roses will have to wait for some repairs until they can hopefully depart safely next week heading directly for Christmas Island to meet with the rest of the fleet after they departed from Indonesia.