Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine January 2016

REGATTA NEWS
ARC Caribbean 1500 Wraps Up in Tortola
A fast passage and downwind sailing marked the 26th running of this event. After a
three-day weather delay thanks to late-season Hurricane Kate, and a fast passage
at sea for most, the 2015 ARC Caribbean 1500 wrapped up in Tortola with the final
prizegiving on November 23rd.
2015 was a tricky year for the 1500 departure. Traditionally the rally heads to sea
from Hampton, Virginia on the first Sunday in November, but this year that was
November 1st. The decision was made to push the start to November 8th to allow
hurricane season to fizzle out. And it was the right one. Yachts that left from
Hampton the week before experienced headwinds and calms, and some indeed
saw wind speeds in the 60s as they skirted Hurricane Kate, which had formed after
they’d departed.
Caribbean 1500 participants on an island tour of Tortola
JANUARY 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 14
The later start date, delayed even more by Kate, allowed for the weather to settle.
After departure and a rough Gulf Stream crossing with sustained winds in the 20s, a
high-pressure ridge filled in north of the fleet and made for reaching and running
conditions for most of the passage and few motoring hours recorded.
“I only wish we would have rigged and learned how to use a spinnaker pole
before the trip!” exclaimed Kirk of Sweet Caroline. “Most of the trip we really could
have used it to wing out and stabilize the genoa.”
The big winners in the Cruising Division were the two Swan 48s: Catch 22, the modern,
faster Swan, which took Class A, and Isbjorn, a classic S&S Swan 48, which took
Class B. Seahorse, a Leopard 48, won the Multihulls Division and took Line Honors in
the Cruising Division. Moonwave, a Gunboat 60, took Line Honors with no motoring
hours and was in fact the first boat to arrive in Tortola, but they had departed a day
early. Isbjorn also took home the Steve Black Trophy for Overall Winner in the
Cruising Division.
Yachts in the ARC Bahamas fleet started alongside the ARC Caribbean 1500 fleet
after the weeklong pre-departure program in Portsmouth, then diverted south and
west once across the Gulf Stream bound for Marsh Harbor in the Abacos and the
finish port at Harbourview Marina. The Bahamas fleet enjoyed great sailing as well,
reaching fast down to the islands. Traveling Light, an Atlantic 42 catamaran, took
the prize for Line Honors.
In the BVI fleet, The Tempest Trophy, Navigator’s Award and the Hal Sutphen
Seamanship Award mark the highest honors. The Navigator’s Award, sponsored by
Weems & Plath, was awarded to Free Spirit for their prowess in taking celestial sights,
while the Seamanship Award went to the crew on Sweet Caroline for their wonderful
preparations, including passing the safety equipment checks in Portsmouth with
flying colors.
The Tempest Trophy was presented to the yacht that best displayed the “Spirit of
the Rally” and was in reality a lifetime achievement award for this year’s winners.
Miles and Anne Poor on Karina, their Tayana 55, are perennial entrants and through
their MRP Refits business have helped dozens of owners outfit their boats for the rigors
of ocean sailing.
Visit www.worldcruising.com/Carib1500/event.aspx for more information
and full results.
Atlantic Odyssey Gets Underway
Northeasterly winds of 12 to 15 knots saw 38 Atlantic Odyssey boats start from
Lanzarote, Canary Islands on November 18th, bound for the Eastern Caribbean.
“With 37 children under the age of 18 among the 40 boats preparing to take the
start, the Atlantic Odyssey has been described by a French journalist as ‘le transat des
enfants’,” said organizer Jimmy Cornell. “This apt description was in fact bettered at
the welcome party held in the delightful setting of the Castillo San Jose looking out
over the Arrecife seafront, when the tourism counsellor of Lanzarote suggested that a
more fitting name of this successful event would be the Family Odyssey.”
2015 sees the Atlantic Odyssey enter its third year, with an increase in entries year
on year showing this original concept has hit a chord with cruising sailors. Spotting a
gap in the market is Jimmy Cornell’s specialty ever since he conceived the Atlantic
Rally for Cruisers 30 years ago, which saw more than 200 yachts cross the Atlantic.
The need for a smaller scale event prompted Jimmy to come out of retirement and
launch the Atlantic Odyssey in 2013.
“We really want to encourage families to take part,” said Doina Cornell, who coordinates
the events alongside her father, Jimmy. “So we offer a special discount to
boats with crew members under 16.” Jimmy and Doina know better than most what
cruising families want, having spent seven years sailing around the world together in
the 1970s along with Jimmy’s wife Gwenda and son Ivan.
Meanwhile the 12 yachts taking part in the inaugural Islands Odyssey have left the
Canaries bound for the Cape Verde and Barbados. The Islands Odyssey is a pilot for
an event later this year: the Barbados 50 rally, sponsored by Barbados Tourism, will
commemorate the 50th anniversary of Barbadian independence by sailing a historic
route from London to Barbados via West Africa and the Cape Verdes.
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