Atlantic Rally For Cruises

Aboard his Lagoon 42, Jaroslaw Chlopek and his team conquered the ocean in just 15 and a half days. After competing and winning the race twice before, he came first in his Lagoon again this year. He tells us the secrets of his victories.

Choose your route
The ARC is a very well organized and safe event that nevertheless retains a real competitive spirit. The ARC teams prepare us for the long sailing period with seminars to learn how to cross in the safest possible way while having fun. It’s also important for us to share things with other competitors: share our experiences and provide valuable advice. The whole soul of the race can be found in each of us and through the values we share.

My memories are filled with sunsets and sunrises, leaping dolphins, fishing parties. It is a wonderful feeling to wake up every morning and discover a new landscape dressed in deep blue where the sky and the ocean merge. I’m a little nostalgic, for sure, but every sailor has a certain amount of romanticism in him… you have to admit!

Form a dream team
The last edition of the ARC was one of my best in terms of weather: sunny without too much wind, with really pleasant temperatures. On board, there were eight of us. The crew consisted of two businessmen (one known to be a true gentleman, the other for his particular sense of humor), three salty seadogs with sharp knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean and three newbies. Ages range from 17 to 68, our goal was to enjoy… and above all to win!

Getting ready
In order to ensure the safety of our crew, we have honed our skills in the use of the spinnaker and code O. The seminars organized by the ARC have also been very helpful in enlightening us on other topics, such as the victualling the boat to ensure sufficient food and drink, or the best strategy to adopt once underway.

Onboard, we encountered a few difficulties, especially when it came to baking bread… It took us more than 4 days to get the recipe right! More seriously, we took time to effectively analyze the weather windows and find the right set- ting for the spinnaker at night. Indeed, on a moonless night, you can hardly see anything on deck, and it is better not to have to venture forward to stow the spinnaker when the wind is picking up, but especially, keep your cool!

MY SECRETS

It may sound strange, but every time I have won the race, I have always followed the same recipe:

• Don’t be afraid, and trust yourself in all circumstances
• Have a spinnaker in good condition, and keep it flying at night
• Goosewing the code 0 and spinnaker (to optimize use the wind)
• Have sailcloth and a sewing kit available to repair the spinnaker and other sails
• Access to reliable and easily analyzable weather forecasts
• Have a team of cyborgs at your side that never needs to rest
• A good atmosphere on board, and above all good ice cream to keep it going throughout the race!