Hundreds of sailors set off across the Atlantic as the ARC celebrates 40 years

Around 1,200 sailors are taking part in this year's Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and ARC+ rallies sailing across the Atlantic from Las Palmas in two fleets destined for the Caribbean islands of St Lucia and Grenada.

- By Heather Prentice

On 9 November, over 400 sailors in 86 boats from 26 countries set sail with the 13th ARC+ rally from Las Palmas, bound 850 miles south to Mindelo in the Cape Verde islands. There the crews have several days' rest before departing on 21 November to cross the remaining 2,150 miles across the Atlantic to Grenada.

Days later, on 23 November, the ARC rally, first sailed in 1986, saw more than 150 boats from 30 different countries set off from Las Palmas to sail the 2,700 miles to St Lucia. The crossing normally takes around 18-21 days for the average yacht.

Crowds cheered the fleets at Las Palmas as the yachts set off.

A big swell made conditions slightly challenging for the ARC+ start with sailors experiencing northeasterly wind conditions of 15-18 knots.