After months of preparation the second edition of the Christmas Caribbean Rally have set sail for Antigua
At midday on 14th December the Christmas Caribbean Rally departed Marina Rubicon in Lanzarote under almost perfect conditions.
The crews for the Christmas Caribbean Rally hail from Great Britain, Holland, Germany, France and New Zealand and have undergone months of preparation to be ready in time.
The fleet will sail 2,850 miles across the Atlantic to Antigua for Christmas.
Following a week in Lanzarote where they attended instructive seminars, the teams are now well on their way and competition over who will cross the line first is rife.
Despite everyone insisting they’re not interested in racing, Mike Broughton is currently the favourite to win. He is skippering a Beneteau First 45 Raven and has previously crossed the Atlantic 16 times.
The wind is expected to veer round to the NE over the next couple of days as participants sail out past the Canary Islands.
Weather for the passage looks to be very favourable with steady tradewind conditions forecasted for at least the first week.
The rally is set to arrive in Nelsons Dockyard, Antigua in two or three weeks, where the Sailing Rallies team will be on hand to meet them.
You can track the teams’ progress at www.sailingrallies.com
Photo Credit: Sailing Rallies