ARC Europe 2024
by World Cruising Club 30 Jul 10:38 UTC
ARC Europe © World Cruising Club
Entries are now open for our annual west to east Atlantic cruise with the next edition of ARC Europe set to take place in May and June 2024.
The first leg of ARC Europe sets out from Simpson Bay in Sint Maarten and heads to a rendezvous in St. George's, Bermuda, where we gather other boats routed from different Caribbean islands and the US east coast. The enlarged fleet then sets sail to Horta, Faial in the Azores, the 'must-go' transatlantic stopover. While in the Azores, there is a group cruise through the archipelago calling at Terceira and Sao Miguel, with social and sightseeing opportunities on each island. The final leg of the rally will be to Lagos, Portugal, with an alternative supported cruising leg towards Northern Europe.
ARC Europe typically has in the region of 30 yachts with over 100 crews from many nationalities, making for a friendly atmosphere. The rally is six weeks of sailing in company, and the route allows for crew changes as there are good international connections for both start and finish ports, plus Bermuda and several of the Azorean islands. Many boats choose to sail with a number of different crew to make the most of holiday allocations, and four is the average boat crew. Taking more crew than for Caribbean cruising is a good idea, as the Atlantic west-to-east sail is a tougher sail than the tradewinds route to Caribbean.
ARC Europe 2024 Info Pack available here.