Yachting Monthly – March 2018

T

here’s one place

that cruising boats

congregate before

sailing offshore for

the first time, and

it’s at the start of

the Atlantic Rally for

Cruisers in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

I joined the crews as they prepared

for the start to find out how they’d

chosen their boats for the trip and

what they’d done to get themselves

ready for it. It is true that the size

of boats participating in the ARC is

increasing every year – a trend that

reflects the growth in cruising boat

length that is evident in marinas around

the UK – and the average ARC yacht

is now 50ft in length. Every year,

however, sees small yachts joining

for the 2,700-mile rally in company.

Some of these are full of character,

but many are ordinary coastal cruisers

diligently prepared for offshore sailing.

The Atlantic sailors

39ft Hillyard 9 Ton

Trimley Maid, a wooden

Hillyard 9 Ton, won the

2017 prize for most

beautiful yacht.

‘I’ve owned Trimley Maid

for 10 years,’ explains Grant

Jamieson-Hesk. ‘I’ve done

the ARC on a friend’s yacht

but wanted to take my own

boat across and explore

the Caribbean. Knowing

the boat so well gives me confidence in her.’

Grant’s elegant double-ended yacht is a design

from another era, where windward performance

was less of a priority. Her conservative sail plan

and cutter rig are well suited to shorthanded

downwind sailing. Affixed

to the stern is a self-steering

system by Hydrovane which

appears, if anything, over-

engineered.

‘It’s a brilliant setup that

works well in anything other

than very light winds, but

we also have an electronic

autopilot, so perhaps we’re

a little bit more high-tech than

we first appear. Power consumption is an issue

and that’s where the vane comes into its own.’

One of the smallest yachts in the fleet, Grant

plans to do a circuit of the Caribbean before

heading back to Europe later in the year.

Four sailors on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2017 share their

preparations for going offshore across the Atlantic

EXPERT ON BOARD

Trimley Maid stands

out in an almost

entirely GRP ARC fleet

Grant Jamieson-Hesk

(right) and crew

Small yachts rely heavily on sail

power alone, making for a fulfilling

or potentially frustrating experience