World ARC 2024 - Entries now open

World ARC © World Cruising Club

Are you dreaming of tropical islands and faraway places? Are you wondering what to do after the ARC? Looking for a safe, supported and social experience cruising the world's oceans?

Then join us and a varied fleet of yachts from all over the world for the adventure of a lifetime and sail the world's oceans with World ARC. Entries are now open to join us for the twelfth edition of the rally, departing from the Caribbean in January 2024 to sail on the ultimate trade-wind sailing adventure.

The WCC Event Team are on hand in each port to organise a comprehensive social schedule of parties, dinners, tours ashore and other fun activities to enhance your experience during every stopover. They take on the task of liaising with local officials and finding the best places to visit, meaning that you have more time to relax and enjoy the adventure.

Click here to request an information pack.

About World ARC

World ARC is built on the three main elements that make our annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) so popular: safety, social contact and fun competition.

Safety

The safety of our participants is our primary concern. We have selected a route that ensures that yachts cross the Pacific and Indian oceans during the safest period and at the height of the favourable tradewind season. We avoid areas of political instability like the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, which also enables you to visit some of the most remote and attractive cruising locations worldwide.

We have a training requirement for skippers and crew, and we also require yachts to carry certain safety and communications equipment. All yachts will be fitted with a YB3 Iridium tracker, which will provide automatic position updates so your family and friends can follow your progress.

Social

We keep the World ARC fleet small and select - between 30 and 45 yachts - which we find provides the optimum combination for socialising, making friends and supporting each other during the circumnavigation. Our crews are usually a mix of friends, couples and families, and great camaraderie is formed over the social activities ashore and the daily radio nets at sea.

Our experienced event team meet the Rally in each official port and provide support and advice on everything from the best restaurants to how to obtain spares. We organise a range of social and sightseeing activities in each port so you get to experience the best of each destination.

Fun Competition

While we offer a competitive element to World ARC with timed starts and finishes and a range of fun prizes, we state that the event is not a race. The competitive element adds a little spice and fun to passage-making, while still allowing for the use of engines and all the comforts of long distance cruising.

The rally is split between organised legs and independent cruising, giving participants an opportunity to cruise at their own speed, or to lay-up and visit other locations by air or overland.

Peace of mind is the real benefit of taking part in World ARC. We remove the stress and uncertainty of planning a round the world journey and arriving in new countries and unknown ports. We will help you with everything from paperwork and bureaucracy to weather routing and selecting the best charts.

Who takes part

Every edition of World ARC is a different mix of ages, nationalities, backgrounds and aspirations. When you need a helping hand, this diverse mix of people become true friends, ready to lend tools, expertise or moral support.

All ages are welcome to sail on the rally. Many will be enjoying a grown-up 'gap year' between business commitments, some will be running their business from onboard, while others will have retired. The kids will just be having the time of their lives!

These adventurers come from countries as diverse as the UK and Scandinavia, Australia and Russia, USA and Italy - typically 10 or more different nationalities are represented in the fleet. Boats may be sailed by a couple, by a family, or a group of friends. Some boats change crews regularly, while others stick together all the way.

Boats that have completed World ARC vary from standard production cruisers to modified racers, heavy displacement home-builds to luxury custom yachts. We strongly recommend that World ARC boats be more than 12.19m (40') long and carry a minimum of safety and communications equipment, but otherwise the choice is yours.

Each year World Cruising Club host the 'Bluewater Weekend' in conjunction with the expert brokers at Berthon. This is a great place to start if you are thinking about purchasing and fitting out a boat for an adventure like World ARC. See our Training Page for more information

How to reserve your space on the rally

To enter, all you need to do is to complete an entry form online and pay your boat fee by cheque or bank transfer. Click 'Join a Rally' to sign up.