First day of the 25th edition of ARC Portugal in Plymouth!
by World Cruising Club 31 May 2019 01:06 UTC
2019 ARC Portugal - Checkin © World Cruising
The ARC Portugal Rally Office opened first thing in the morning marking the start of the 25th edition. Attracting a diverse fleet of 20 boats, the Yellowshirt team started to check-in most of the boats at Mayflower Marina, Plymouth, as the skippers popped in. Managing to go through the paperwork and receiving their ARC Portugal briefcases, T-Shirts, programmes and YB Trackers together with all the information for what their next three weeks of Rally life will bring, participants then assembled on board their yachts awaiting for their pre-booked Safety inspections.
These started at 0930 in the morning and will been going on until all boats are checked, making sure all vessels are safely ready for their Biscay crossing. "The ensuing safety check that I had been a little apprehensive about was carried out in a very friendly, efficient and good natured way by Chris who also offered very useful advice along the way." Said skipper Rob Fletcher from yacht Zafiro.
The first boat to hoist the ARC Portugal 25th Edition flag at Mayflower Marina was Poli Poli. The skipper, Toby Hufford, together with his crew, decided to dress the boat with code flags and started to fire up the rally atmosphere down on the docks, followed by many others during the day.
This evening, the crews will be gathering at the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Club for an informal supper, the first one of many, where they'll be able to share tips and stories, and get to know each other better accompanied by food and drinks served at the Club Bar. This is the perfect opportunity to talk about the different ways each boat has approached their preparation towards Sunday and what they're looking forward to down the line.
The first leg of the rally will start on Sunday morning with the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club's flagpole as a start line. The spectacular area where the Club's located will offer a scenic view as all yachts will gather in the bay before the start signal. They'll be heading south, towards warmer temperatures of the Galician sailing town of Bayona some 550nm away.