The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is an annual transatlantic sailing event for cruiser yachts

Cruiser Yacht

The term cruiser yacht refers to sailing or motor yachts that were built for long distance sailing and offer enough comfort and space to live on the boat permanently. This would not allow to carry cargo and, by definition, exclude racer yachts. Another feature that is often used to define the term...

 held since 1986. It also includes a sailing competition for racer

Yacht racing

Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...

s under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club

Royal Ocean Racing Club

The Royal Ocean Racing Club also called RORC was established in 1925 as a result of a race to the Fastnet rock from Cowes and finishing in Plymouth. The RORC is the principal organiser of offshore yacht races in the UK, including the Fastnet race, the Admirals Cup and the Commodore's Cup...

 (RORC). ARC starts at the end of November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...

 and ends before Christmas in the Caribbean destination Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay is a bay on Saint Lucia; it is along the northwestern coast of the island to the north of Choc Bay. It is named after British naval officer George Brydges Rodney. At Rodney Bay you can climb aboard the brig Unicorn, used in the film Pirates of the Caribbean and see the west side of the...

 in Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...

.

The ARC is the largest trans-ocean sailing event in the world and regularly attracts over 200 boats of many different shapes and sizes. The route takes between 14 and 21 days aided by trade winds

Trade wind

The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...

, and covers over 2700 nautical miles. Founded by Jimmy Cornell

Jimmy Cornell

Jimmy Cornell is a Romanian-born British yachtsman, bestselling author and the founder of the World Cruising Club.-Biography:Jimmy Cornell was born in Romania in 1940, growing up in Brasov. After studying Economics at the University of Bucharest he emigrated to London, England in 1969 with his...

 it is now organised by the World Cruising Club

World Cruising Club

The World Cruising Club is a UK-based sailing organisation founded by Jimmy Cornell in 1986, and now run by a team from Cowes, UK, headed by Andrew Bishop...

, which also arranges a World ARC.