ARC+ Opening Ceremony brings fantastic atmosphere to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
by World Cruising Club 2 Nov 16:36 UTC
ARC+ Opening Ceremony in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria © World Cruising Club
The city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria came alive as the annual ARC+ Opening Ceremony took place amid scenes of colour and celebration.
The ARC+ transatlantic sailing rally sees hundreds of participants cross the Atlantic Ocean every year, travelling to Grenada via the Cape Verde islands. These participants travel from around the world to take part in the rally, bringing amazing diversity to the Port of Las Palmas.
This year, 413 participants from 29 countries are due to set sail on 9 November, in what will be the 13th edition of ARC+.
The opening ceremony began at the northern end of the marina, where participants gathered holding flags from their respective countries. There was then a vibrant procession along the main promenade of the Port of Las Palmas which finished next to the main marina offices.
Adding to the visual spectacle of the event, local bands Guiniguada and Batucada joined the parade which only served to enhance an already brilliant atmosphere.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, ARC+ participant, Anthony Judd, sailing on board Bingera, said: "It's just fantastic to see all the nations. It's a great way of gathering people together to celebrate a great event.
"Gran Canaria has to be commended for putting on some fabulous music- those bands were awesome! They really add to the atmosphere and celebrate Las Palmas.
"The programme has been really good so far and we're looking forward to next week with all the seminars. Check-in was really efficient and working with the safety team went beautifully.
"Ahead of the start we're feeling pretty good. The weather forecast from here to Cape Verde looks very nice. A few holes in the wind may develop but hopefully it will be a comfortable and safe passage for everybody."
The opening ceremony was a fantastic success, but it is just one part of an extensive ARC+ programme delivered by event organisers, World Cruising Club.
So far, participants have enjoyed getting to know the rest of the ARC+ fleet through a series of social events such as sundowners' events and the Official Welcome Party.
Additionally, a portion of the fleet took part in the Foresta Project on 31 October. This is a tree planting project on the island of Gran Canaria which World Cruising Club has been involved in since 2010. Collectively, ARC and ARC+ participants have planted over 4,000 trees, removing over 5,200 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Now that the opening ceremony has been completed, the excitement from participants will build even more as they prepare their boats to set sail.
Visiting friends and family, as well as locals from Gran Canaria, are encouraged to watch the start on 9 November as the fleet set off on the first 850NM leg of their journey to Mindelo in Cape Verde.
From there, they will sail 2,150NM to Grenada, completing an epic journey filled with a lifetime's worth of memories.