What Next?

There were many reasons why we returned to our house in Australia, unpacked and settled in.  Primarily we wanted to see our sons and renew friendships.  We also needed to take care of various bureaucratic and medical issues and after renting our house for four years, the house was due for some maintenance.  We have also been taking advantage of now having a residential address and stocking up on all those items we can get cheaply on eBay – not something we could do when we had no fixed address.

Visiting the boys in Canberra

 

But niggling away in the back of our minds was the big question of what next?  We have been travelling on land and sea for nearly 5 years.  We have sailed in the Mediterranean for 4 years, mainly in Greece and Turkey, and loved it.  Is it time now to put down roots again at Shamballa and embrace the tree change life?  Or should we continue sailing in the Mediterranean, going back to Greece and Turkey after we explore Sardinia, Spain and Portugal this year?  Or should we continue sailing west and make the big leap across the Atlantic to the Caribbean?  

This?

Or this?

Or across the pond?

There was no eureka moment but gradually the answer sneaked up on us and one day we found ourselves signing up for the ARC+ Rally for this November.  The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is a well established rally run by the World Cruising Club.  The rally was first organised by the sailing great, Jimmy Cornell, in 1986.  The rally concept has expanded and the World Cruising Club now organises rallies around the world, in Europe and the USA.

 

In the main ARC over 200 boats cross the Atlantic in loose convoy leaving from the Canary Islands in mid-November and arriving at Saint Lucia in the Caribbean before Christmas.  The 2700 nautical mile journey generally takes about 20 days.  

We have signed up for the smaller ARC+ Rally.  This rally of about 70 boats flagged from more than 15 nations leaves from the Canary Islands and goes first to the Cape Verde Islands, a sail of about 6 days.  After a few days layover sightseeing and socialising, the convoy continues across the Atlantic to St Vincent in the Caribbean which usually takes about 14 days.  The route is slightly longer than the main ARC, about 3000 nm, but is broken up into a shorter time period continuously at sea.  Plus it goes to Cape Verde, an appealing destination off the beaten track.

The start of the ARC+ a few years ago

Destination St Vincent

We are only on the waiting list for the rally but are hopeful that we will get a place as some tend to sign up early, just in case, and then drop out.  We also still need 2 more crew to help with the watches.  Anyone interested??  

So in between the maintenance chores and socialising while at Bellingen, we are buying pilot guides and spare parts off eBay and thinking about getting back to our westward sailing in April/May.