On Sunday, November 19th 2023, my family and I embarked on an unforgettable adventure. We set sail from Las Palmas with an ambitious goal: crossing the Atlantic on our Katamaran Lagoon 42 to St. Lucia, an impressive distance of about 2,700 nautical miles.
This is a family project we’ve been planning for the past four years, and the moment has finally come. As participants in the ARC Rallye 2023, we started with about 200 other boats, cheered on by many spectators and a fantastic harbor atmosphere.
I must say… we are quite excited, a bit nervous, but above all, incredibly eager for the upcoming three weeks at sea.
We were among the first boats to cross the starting line, beginning our journey with relatively calm winds. Although the wind conditions might have been unsatisfactory for the ambitious sailors, the spectacle was exciting enough for us 😉
The First Hours After our start, we took a deep breath and enjoyed the calm. The wind remained gentle at first, but around 4 PM it picked up, allowing us to set our Wingaker (downwind sail).
My son Nicolas immediately engaged in his new big hobby—fishing. We set up four fishing lines—two rod-and-reel setups and two hand lines. Within the first hour, we had success. A particularly beautiful Mahi Mahi bit on one of the rod-and-reel setups. The joy on board was immense, especially for our cat Flash, our fifth crew member.
As the sun set around 6 PM, we reached the southern tip of Gran Canaria and changed our course, which brought us more wind. Sailing at a speed of about 6-7 knots, we continued into the night.
Culinary Delights Day 0
- Lunch: Risotto with zucchini
- Dinner: Freshly caught Mahi Mahi, garden salad with tomatoes, peppers, and apples, and Japanese Gyozas
I just found your blog via your advertisement to rent your yacht on a FB group. I am going to spend some time now – my Saturday morning in Hong Kong – reading through the blog entries. Day 0 seems like a perfect start, the low wind speeds gave you a gentle start to relax and feel comfortable after the hard work coupled with growing excitement of preparation for the ARC, and no doubt a lot more excitement and too much adrenalin at the start. The slower boat speed would have helped with catching your first fish – well done Nicolas – and your confidence grown to change course to get a higher boat speed. I will stop now as I am keen to read the rest of the blog entries.