While members were busily getting their boats lifted onto the Parish Wharf this week, 2,000 miles away in the warm Gran Canaria sunshine, club members Steve Mortimore, Pete Bundell and Matt Bundell joined Mike Sweet and friends aboard his Moody 54, Leila, to complete final preparations for this year’s ARC+ Rally.
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC)+ signifies that rather than going from Gran Canaria direct to the Caribbean, the fleet of 89 boats will make a stop in the Cape Verde islands en-route.
Despite being a rally rather than a race, the boat has a handicap and a start time and the rally has a start and finish line so there’s everything to play for!
Setting off at lunchtime on 9th November from Gran Canaria with a brass band playing on the quay, the forecast suggested gusts of 28knots and 3m swells – albeit behind them all the way to Cape Verde.
To track their adventures, download the YB Races app from your favourite App Store and then select the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2025 Race before searching for Leila. Wishing the team fair winds and following seas!
Leaving Gran Canaria, 9th November 2025 , credit: Steve Mortimore