CONGRATULATIONS! The first to cross to Atlantic on this years ARC+ – Catamaran Salto
Eight boats have now crossed the ARC+ finish line in Grenada, and are happily docked at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina.
The Outremer 52 Salto (NOR) was first to cross, closely followed 6 hours later by Simon Cook’s Outremer 55 Sizzle (GBR), with the rally’s youngest crew member on board at 9 months old!
The Norwegian Outremer catamaran Salto, sailed by the Vestnes family and crew, arrived just after 4pm (UTC-4) on Tuesday 3rd December. After 11 days and 17 hours at sea, and sailing almost 2,450 nautical miles from Mindelo, Cape Verdes, Henrik & Anne, along with their three children, Sara (9), Vetle (6) and Birk (2), plus crew members Ola and Pernilla, were thrilled to lead the 94-strong ARC+ boat fleet into the beautiful tropical spice island of Grenada, and the first catamaran.
Next to arrive on 4 December were: Appa (USA), Luminous 3 (GBR), Oxane (FRA), Born to Run (NOR), One Distraction (GBR) and Piment Rouge (FRA), who were all welcomed and greeted on the dock by the ARC+ Yellowshirts, and presented with a delicious ice-cold rum punch from Port Louis General Manager, Zara Tremlett, and basket of local produce from the Grenada Tourism Authority.
“It was a nice feeling to sail my own boat to the Caribbean for the first time, explained Henrik of Salto, on the dock the next morning after their arrival. “It was a good feeling to get line honours and a great achievement for us. It’s great to arrive in Grenada and the children were really excited to finally finish the long crossing. It was a good trip for them; they enjoyed themselves, slept well and we had fun. We fished, played and baked Christmas cakes.” Henrik has sailed his whole life and said: “This is definitely a great thing to have done, and ARC+ we are staying in the Caribbean for a month or two and then go to the Panama, Pacific and beyond.”
First monohull – Luminous 3
John McDonnell’s British Solaris 74 Luminous 3 – the largest boat in ARC+, and the first monohull to finish, took 11d 19h 38m 26s from Mindelo, Cape Verde to Grenada. John McDonnell bought the boat early in 2024 and has already covered 8,000 miles since May! After doing the Clipper Race a few years ago, back across the Atlantic, I decided I was going to do it again, but in comfort. This was his first time taking part in the ARC.
“So, this was fantastic. It was barefoot, t-shirt sailing. It was absolutely marvellous! Everyone hugged each other when we crossed the finish line. I’ve been dreaming about doing this for 30 years, and so have most of the other guys, so it’s great. This is our first time in Grenada. I’m looking forward to having a look around,” said John after arriving on the dock at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina.
“We invested in a Parasailor and that was a great decision because we didn’t use the main at all during the crossing. We had the Parasailor up and we peaked at 15.9 knots. However, it was my fault – I broke the haul on the halyard and we chaffed through the halyard, and we lost the whole lot in the sea. We had to pull metres and metres of Parasailor out the sea! If we’d kept the Parasailor up, we might have even beaten the line honours catamaran, Salto, in. We were going really well,” smiled John.
“The boat has been fantastic. That’s why I bought it, to do the ARC+ and the World ARC (starting in January from Saint Lucia) as I wanted to do it fast, and this boat does that.” Following the ARC+ we will join the World ARC in Saint Lucia. “My youngest daughter is coming with me across to the Pacific and my eldest daughter is joining in me in from New Zealand in Tahaiti, and my wife will be on board to. It’s one I’ve been looking forward to forever!”
With more arrivals scheduled, please keep an eye on our socials for regular updates.
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