World Cruising Club
The World Cruising Club is a UK-based sailing organisation founded by Jimmy Cornell in 1986, and now run by a team in Cowes, UK, headed by Andrew Bishop. World Cruising Club organises cruising rallies for yachts to destinations worldwide. The best-known event is the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), an annual rally for cruising yachts that has been crossing the Atlantic since 1986.
Since then, more than 6,000 boats from scores of countries have taken part in World Cruising Club rallies, looked after by dedicated teams in every port en route. Cruising in company provides a safety net of fellow yachtsmen, all travelling the same route at the same time. The organisation ensures that participants are prepared for the voyage and supports them on their adventure.
World Cruising Club has offices in the UK and USA, and affiliates in Germany and the Netherlands.
World Cruising Club has a portfolio of sailing rallies that take place every year:
- ARC & ARC+ Cape Verdes
- ARC Europe
- ARC Portugal
- World ARC
- ARC Caribbean 1500
- ARC Bahamas
- ARC USA
- ARC DelMarVa
- ARC Baltic
- Malts Cruise
For people planning an ocean voyage, World Cruising Club provides advice and training in the form of two-day seminars in the UK and USA, and short question and answer sessions at major boat shows.
World ARC
The World ARC begins from St. Lucia in January, circumnavigating the world in approximately 15 months.[1]
World ARC is open to monohulls with a minimum LOA of 38 feet (12 m), and multihulls between 38 feet (12 m) and 60 feet (18 m), and must carry a minimum of two crew members.[2]
ARC Caribbean 1500 and ARC Bahamas
Since 1990, the Caribbean 1500 has been a popular way for north American yachts to cruise to the Caribbean for the sailing season. Starting in Virginia, USA every November, the rally sails to Tortola BVI, and the ARC Bahamas fleet sails to Marsh Harbor in the Abacos.
ARC Europe
ARC Europe is a cruising rally crossing the Atlantic from west to east at the end of the Caribbean sailing season. ARC Europe has two starts, in Tortola BVI and Portsmouth VA, and calls at Bermuda, before cruising the Azores and finishing in Lagos, Portugal.
ARC USA
The partner rally to ARC Europe, ARC USA departs Tortola BVI and sails either to Bermuda before the yachts head to east coast ports or directly to Ft. Lauderdale via the Old Bahama Channel.
ARC DelMarVa
This is a week long cruise takes Chesapeake Bay sailors around the DelMarVa peninsula, starting and finishing in Annapolis, MD. The aim is for Bay sailors to gain confidence cruising longer passages offshore.
ARC Baltic
This six-week summer cruising rally offers a different focus from our trans-ocean events; days cruising at sea, combined with an exploration of the Baltic’s fascinating culture and history.
ARC Channel Islands
Run in association with RYA Active Marina, the rally offers an week long organised cruise to Cherbourg, Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney.
ARC Portugal
This rally crosses the Bay of Biscay, then day sails the coast of Portugal to finish in the Algarve in time for the Mediterranean season, exploring ashore with tours and social activities in every port. ARC Portugal starts in Plymouth, UK, in early June finishing in Lagos, Portugal, three weeks later. The rally has been runnign for over 20 years and is sponsored by Marina de Lagos
Malts Cruise
A relaxed cruise around the lochs and islands of western Scotland, enjoying the wildlife and scenery. The cruise visits several distilleries, and there are opportunities for whisky tasting en route.
Training and Seminars
World Cruising Club also run a series of seminars in the UK, Germany, USA and Australia for sailors interested in our events. Experienced lecture teams focus on the preparations for yacht and crew, and also provide helpful hints about undertaking the voyage. These vary from 2 hour panel discussions held at boat shows, to 2 day residential course.
Noonsite.com
Noonsite.com is the global site for cruising sailors, full of information on 197 countries and 2200 ports. The website is a directory of essential information on all matters of interest to sailors planning an offshore voyage anywhere in the world, whether already underway or still in the preparatory stages
All the information on the site is available free to users.
- Access country specific information - immigration and clearance details
- Find ports, marinas and docking facilities
- Check the location of businesses and services you need as a cruising sailor
- Read reports and comments from other cruisers
- Explore the general cruising pages with information about security, cruising information, cruiser networks, equipment, weather links, books and charts and much more.
- Login to add your own comments directly to pages.
- Share your feedback and cruising experience
Ocean Crew Link
Ocean Crew Link connects sailing crew looking for boats with boat owners looking for sailing crew. Unlike other sites, Ocean Crew Link specialises in opportunities for ocean sailing crew, and is World Cruising Club’s preferred sailing crew match service with a special focus on voyaging rallies like the ARC, Caribbean 1500 and World ARC. Boat owners and charter companies use Ocean Crew Link to find crew for rallies and independent cruising. Each month there are around 150 opportunities to sail as crew available on the site.
References
- ^ World ARC Ready for Take-Off sailingnetworks.com
- ^ World Arc Circumnavigates the Globe matchship.com