ARC or Alone

[jt11791]

Originally Posted by wholybee

My first crossing was as part of the Pacific Cup, partly because of the safety of having daily radio contact with other boats and safety teams, and partly because they inspected my boat and told me it was safe for the crossing. I think the Pacific Cup is much more comprehensive that the ARC in these regards. Having settled my anxiety, I would not pay to be in any group again.

Note when the ARC leaves. Get to the start a bit before them. Other boats in the ARC will be there. There will be a party. Make friends. Invite some of the for dinner and drinks on your boat. Discuss weather for the departure with them, etc.

If you need assistance of any kind, it won't matter if you are in the ARC or not, you will have their full support on the water. And you can make daily radio contact with your friends on the way, and have some familiar faces when you arrive.

So your best advice is to be a leach.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by jt11791

So your best advice is to be a leach.

Not at all. Only to be a friendly mariner. Would you rather recommend isolation, and that ARC members not be allowed to speak or be friends with non-members? Should we shun them, and not invite them for drinks or our own social activities?

I am not suggesting anyone contact the ARC's weather routers or try to use their clearance agent or attend any pre-cruise seminars etc. Just be friendly with the members, and communicate with them in the same way you would if some other not as organized group of boats was sailing the same way as you.

[sailingharry]

Interesting observations in this thread.

Some people quote that age-old incredibly stupid comment about the most dangerous thing on a boat being a schedule. I suspect out of date rigging is more dangerous. Or unfused wires. Or sea water lines without vented loops. But I guess their assumption is that if you go with the ARC, you are forced to leave at an inopportune time.

Others complain that the ARC is so risk adverse that they can't decide to leave. The exact opposite of the first complaint.

And then there are complaints that the ARC requires equipment inspections. Things like flares, bilge pumps, storm sails, other Nanny State requirements. Kind of diametrically opposite from the norm on this forum where anybody who doesn't have eight backups of an auxiliary piece of equipment is doomed to die. While I have never done an organized race or rally, I most certainly read and at least consider such well thought out offshore requirements as those laid out in the Offshore Special Regulations (ie, racing rules). One of the best ways to learn best practices is to read the thoughts of highly experienced people. Some on this forum I guess we're born with the knowledge.

Not terribly interested in doing an ARC myself, but I find the comments interesting reading.

[carstenb]

We came across the Atlantic with ARC+ in 2016. It was our first (of now many) long passage and since we were double-handing, we decided to spend the money. Some observations
1- the inspection was thorough and done well - although our boat was well equipped from our own readings and investigation so we didn't need the ARC list
2- The parties were ok, we like to party but could have lived without the ARC ones
3- we were NOT impressed with the ARC organization. Everyone was nice enough, but no one knew what was going on. Getting an answer was like yelling down in a well.
4- The morning "conference call" on the SSB was ok, but really, once a day has gone by you are out there alone

we feel no need to join any further ARCs or similar. Some people truly enjoy it and have crossed with the ARC every year for many years.

you will make some sailing friends in teh ARC, although if you are a social person you sould make many friends anyway

[swanpol]

best solo, for adventure,,,ARC are a bunch of sheeps going across with a SHEPHERD¡¡¡ and paying a high price for it,,

[sailingforfun]

Originally Posted by AJAL

Shall I join the ARC for first ever cross? Boat well equipped and crewed.

Depends on you. If you are a loner and on a budget, probably not.

We did it and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are 225 boats that participate. There are several large parties the week before departure. One was hosted by the City Mayor. There are small sundowner gatherings every evening hosted by ARC. There is a large parade of sailors grouped by country that winds though the marina. There is a last night big party with music and fireworks. The day of departure most of the town people come to the start and send everyone off. All in all it was a fun and festive week where we met several other sailors who became life long sailing friends who we crossed paths with on the other side.

The ARC does a safety check on each boat the week before. You are required to carry certain equipment which is necessary and educational. ARC requires you to have a Yellow Brick tracker so they can monitor your crossing. If you do not have one they rent you one for a small fee, I think it was $50. There will be 225 boats over a staggered start which is an impressive sight. Believe it or not, within 48 hours of the start you will not see another boat until the last day of arrival when boats are arriving to Rodney Bay. You will be lucky to see any on your AIS during your crossing. During the crossing, every morning the ARC publishes a progress report of all boats and by class you can read to follow how you are progressing versus others. The heat we went the fastest boat was 10 days, we were 19 days and the last boat was about 25 days.

The most important function of the ARC is safety. If a boat has an issue, they know where all the other boats are in proximity to lend assistance, but more importantly they seem to have the ability to contact commercial ships and reroute them for assistance. During our crossing there were two emergencies that required the assistance of commercial ships. If you cross on your own and have a health issue or boat break down issue, good luck trying to contact someone in the middle of the ocean for assistance. You’ll probably run out of flares before then. We liked the comfort and security of knowing the ARC was there 24/7 if we needed them.

Any long crossing we would always sign up with the ARC. Their around the world ARC is always sold out.

[AlanT]

We did the ARC both ways in 2006 & 2009. In our case it was not optional, my wife would not have made the voyages without the perceived comfort of the ARC and so I willingly signed up.

Was it worth it? Well since I would not have had her company for the voyages without it the simple answer is yes. For those not in a similar situation here are some observations.

We did not rely on ARC for sailing or routing decisions. We signed up with Herb and in fact broke with ARC in Bermuda and in The Azores due to a divergence between Herb's advice and the ARC's 'schedule'. Herb has now retired but I would not rely on group-think when it comes to weather related decisions, a forecaster that is looking out for you is a valuable tool.

We did make many friends as a result of the ARC, we helped other boats with issues (there was one dismasting on the W-E crossing). Friends with whom you have experienced hardship and shared experiences tend to stick and we are still in touch with many of them. We knew them over the SSB by their boat names before we met them at the conclusions of the voyages (and stops in Bermuda/Azores).

The dismasted Swan yacht was assisted by another ARC participant who was able to offload enough fuel for the Swan to reach the Azores. This was facilitated by ARC over their radio net but as others have noted there is not really a 'safety net' of going with the ARC, although that was indeed my wife's perception. We detoured for several days to assist a solo voyager with rudder issues mid Atlantic - but that was co-ordinated by Herb - not by ARC as he was not an ARC participant. In reality it was the SSB radio that procured assistance in both cases.

You should not count on getting assistance should you need it, although it is quite possible that you will regardless of whether you are in ARC or not. In this circumstance your SSB radio net is your best resource.

A related topic is whether SSB is really needed with the availability of Sat phones. I would say yes. We had a sat phone on board for emergencies but that would not have helped us help others, and it would not have connected us with the others in the same ocean that might have been able to assist us if needed.

~A

[Nicholson58]

Check out the Salty Dawgs fall rally to the Caribbean. If this is your destination goal, cost is lower, great help, lower pressure (not a race), weather routing, 100 new best friends. They have a booth at the Annapolis sail boat show if you want to meet in person.

Hampton to Antigua is the standard crossing although cruisers join and leave the rally at different points. Departure day is flexible.

https://www.saltydawgsailing.org/

Is the ARC even running this year?

See you in English Harbor?

[dan604]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

The most dangerous piece of equipment on a boat is a calender.

A truer statement was never said about sailing.

[LifePart2]

When we crossed the pond the first time from West to East in 2011 we did not join the ARC. However, we took notice of their recommendations:
We went through our boat systems to make sure we had the right equipment in good working order. We looked at their safety training requirements and either booked them for ourselves or made the decision not to.
We also took note of their requirement of a 'qualifying trip'. So we sailed four days from USVI to Turks and Caicos as our own qualifying trip. That gave us considerable confidence that we could do a multi-day passage.
We watched the weather and made our own decision on when to leave. First stop was getting to Bermuda, then from there we waited out some wind before we left - and then had to come back an hour later as a weld on our dinghy davits had broken and we didn't want to do two weeks with that being insecure. So we got back into Bermuda and managed to find someone who could to the welding on a Sunday! Next day we set off again and had an uneventful passage.

There were a number of boats doing the ARC Europe that were leaving about the same time.
On the passage we did not see ANY boats.

To my mind these ARCs are actually dangerous for these reasons:
1) if gives you a false sense of security. After the second day at sea you won't see anyone else and, most likely, you won't even be in VHF distance of any. You are on your own.
2) Group think is VERY dangerous. As captain of your ship it is YOUR resonsibility to make decisions about navigation, weather and so on. When you have 200 people discussing it there is a lot of peer pressure and a huge tempation to defer to the 'experts' in the group who will decide if it is time to depart or not. And what is with the fixed departure date???? When we decide we are going somewhere our departure date is always 'the first' - ie the first available date that has a good weather window and other appropriate factors. If you want to go tomorrow or next week, that is fine, but I will go at my time. Being 'forced' (expected) to leave on a specific date makes no sense and is dangerous.

When we crossed back 5 years later we departed Cabo Verde in January as the trade winds are more reliable than in November and, once again, had a fantastic uneventful trip with the spinnaker up for 5 straight days and nights. So we had Christmas in Sal instead of St. Lucia. What's wrong with that?

Sure, the parties are no doubt fun, but I am sure you can find some cheaper way to join a party at each end.

This is not a flotilla. Flotilla sailing in the Greek islands is a great way for new sailors to develop some confidence. There you DO have people all around you how can help you out in a pickle. This is not. If you don't feel confident to make a two week passage on your own, then keep making shorter passages until you do. Or hire an experienced skipper to join you. Also maybe have an extra crew member or two to take the pressure off the overnight watches. We find three vs two makes a huge difference in getting rest.

You will know when you are ready to go. When you do, have a great trip!

[wackerb]

As a 70 yr old first time sailor I joined Jimmy Cornell's Atlantic Odyssey of about 40 boats for a Canarys to Barbados crossing. Inspection and pre-departure seminars were worth it. I don't even remember any parties, but that is not my thing. We all had in-reach (mine rented cheap) and daily position updates. Two boats had issues and help from other members to get to Cape Verde for repairs. We only sighted one or two others on the first and last day. Destination was crowded and handled well for us. I don't even remember the cost, but the peace of mind was worth it. Departure was planned well in advance for when the trades started and we only had 2 days of light winds. For me, the kinds of ports and situations you end up with for over 50 boats would be a big negative. YMMV

[Sindbaad]

Originally Posted by AJAL

Shall I join the ARC for first ever cross? Boat well equipped and crewed.

If you are looking for added protection: forget it.
If you are out to experience the ocean and what it has to offer: go for it outside the ARC.
I had the same dilemma, however I chose to go across in late February, single-handed.
I faced difficulties, but the 25 days that I spent on the ocean alone in my Hallberg-Rassy, Monsun 31 is the time of my life well worth going back to often.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by dan604

A truer statement was never said about sailing.

Actually, it's one of the most trite and falsely astute, worn out, and meaningless quotes out there.


Let's see. A schedule allows you to be out of the hurricane box. If you didn't have a schedule, you'd easily be 1000 miles too far south on the appointed day.


While no longer relevant, a schedule allows you to enter a port with a COVID test under 72 hours old. If we didn't look at the weather, and the distance, and select harbors, we wouldn't have been able to make the 100 miles between our COVID test and the Canadian border.


A schedule allows you to get south before winter sets in. Coming down the St Lawrence heading for Newfoundland, a schedule allowed us to see how we were progressing against a desire to clear out of Canada before 15 September.


A schedule allows you to go south safely. What is the best time of year to go from Bermuda to BVI? Whenever you feel like it? Or after the hurricane season (that's a schedule).


A schedule allows you to pick up crew. We helped a friend move his boat from Bahamas to Newport. We picked a day to fly there (that's a schedule, right?). When we were there, we looked the weather, and considered postponing (a front coming in), but decided the week of flat calm after that would be pretty awful -- so we went and had a great trip. But we were prepared to hold if the front were, say, a hurricane. If you wish to have extra hands aboard for a passage, do you give them a date? Or say "I'll let you know the morning I'm leaving -- hope you can get tickets."


Now compare that to a cell phone (some skippers prohibit use on watch). Or out of date rigging. Or no storm sail. Or a host of other failed/failing equipment.


EDIT -- sorry about this post. I just realized I was flame-baited by a new user who made this pearl of wisdom his very first post.

[glenvk]

The greatest benefit in going with the ARC is that there are a lot of other boats out there with you. I recall on one ARC crossing of the Indian Ocean one of the boats hit a submerged object. Everyong was quickly rescued by another ARC boat. The boat that hit the submerged object sank.
Forget about concerns of a colision with one of the other ARC boats, unless you plan on not keeping a look out.
The ARC has two call in's daily where everyone gives there coordinates. It is also psycologically reassuring. You don't have to register for an entire arround the globe. You can just register for a particular leg.
In my humble opinion, if you are prepared to fork out the money it is worth considering.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by AJAL

Shall I join the ARC for first ever cross? Boat well equipped and crewed.

Alone and start a week or two earlier, so in case something happens you have all the boats coming behind you. Start from gran Canaria so you can join all.the parties and courses for free, never got ask...just buy and wear an ARC shirt and all is good.
ARC starting day was seldom a very good day to start the crossing, last 3 years actually the worst ever.

This year in February helped a friend with crossing, after around 300nm of cabo verde westward we hit 5 days no wind zone...had best time ever, chilling, swimming,cooking,sunbathing on the spot(made 1nm in t days)...from day 2 on all the arc boats where motoring past us, the last nearly run over us, actually would if we hadn't give them a VHF call. They missed the best and we helped one out later that had no diesel left as they were all wasting it motoring through 5 days dead calm to makenit in the ARC time frame...dangerous and no fun.