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ARC attracts record number of yachts

Contact: Shannon Lebourne

Tuesday 30 November 2010 –  Two hundred and thirty-nine yachts, the largest number on record, are en- route to Saint Lucia from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as part of the silver jubilee anniversary of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).

With income from the yachting sector accounting for approximately 10 percent of local revenue, Saint Lucia`s Director of Tourism Mr Louis Lewis hopes an increase in  participation in yachting activities, will yield a corresponding increase of revenue to the island.

“The ARC brings a tremendous amount of benefits because quite apart from the participants of the race, you have people who accompany the participants and those who arrive ahead of the yachts spend time on the island, rent villas and do grocery shopping and the like.

“When you have yachtsmen and women who spend three and four weeks out at sea and they land in Saint Lucia, a couple thousand miles away from their homeland they really want to understand and meet our citizens. It’s encouraging when they receive the warm traditional Saint Lucian hospitality, they venture out into the island, spend money and entertain themselves and all of that results in economic benefits for us.”

Meanwhile, General Manager of the IGY Rodney Bay Marina, Mr Adam Foster, says the Marina is once again happy to be associated with the event and will be looking forward to welcoming scores of locals during the many ARC fringe events.

“We want the Saint Lucian people to come down and support the ARC because everyone knows that Saint Lucians are the nicest people in the Caribbean so we want them to come down to the Marina and experience the yachting event.

“We encourage them to walk around the docks and interact with the visitors because we have twenty-six nations of people who are going to be on island for the ARC and these people have come a very long way to be here and so support of local is very important. This year in particular, we are showcasing the rich culture and traditions that we have on the island”.

Organisers of the world renowned Transatlantic race say the Saint Lucian community is very important to the continued success of the ARC.

The first yacht in this year’s race is expected to cross the finishing line during the first week of December amidst much fanfare.

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