The 13th edition of ARC+ 2025 set sail from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday (9 th November) as over 400 sailors began the first leg of their transatlantic voyage.
At 12:45 UTC, the 30 multihulls crossed the line under the watch of the Spanish customs patrol vessel Condor acting as committee boat, followed by 56 cruising and open‑division boats at 13:00.
As Afloat reported last week, there was an enthusiastic opening ceremony in Las Palmas, which had an Irish presence thanks to individual Irish crews participating across the fleet, but no Irish entry this year.
A total of 86 boats from 26 countries are participating, travelling 850 nautical miles south to Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands, then 2,150 nautical miles onward to Grenada.
Conditions at the start included a big swell and northeasterly winds of 15–18 knots. “The start went really well today… the fleet made a real spectacle,” said Paul Tetlow, Managing Director of World Cruising Club.
Onboard the multihull Kasafari, competitor Robin Bader commented: “Preparations have gone really well… we realised it requires a lot of planning ahead.”
Meanwhile the crew of Vision shared: “We have been overwhelmed by all the friendships we have made in just the few weeks here.”
In the multihull division, boats such as Nicara (Lagoon 60) and Enjoy the Silence (Outremer 55‑2) enjoyed strong starts, along with Melusy (Outremer 45).
In the cruising and open division, XoXo (Oyster 595) led early, followed by Eveline (Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 50DS) and Gorila (Wauquiez 55).
Most yachts are expected to reach Mindelo in 5–7 days, restock, then depart around 21 November for the 14–18‑day ocean leg to Grenada, culminating in the final prize‑giving on 11 December.
