Walrus and crew complete the first leg of World ARC 2025 and arrive in Santa Marta marina.

Provisioning for the sail between St Lucia and Columbia was constrained by what could be transported by ‘blue trolley and dinghy’…

The week leading up to the start of the World ARC Rally was a whirlwind of boat maintenance, reconnecting with friends and family, and a varied schedule of social, administrative and informative events.

The World ARC officially begins on Saturday but before that the final preparations need to be made.

The serious business of preparing Walrus for her circumnavigation of the globe began in earnest over the following days.

In the week leading up to the official start of the World Arc 2025, the crew make repairs to Walrus and explore Saint Lucia’s shops and services.

This week’s Monday menu followed a visit by dinghy to the Massy Superstore in Rodney Bay Marina town centre.

About 30 nautical miles from St Lucia we first spotted the faint outline of land. After 22 days at sea, you can imagine the excitement.

Walrus and crew make the final leg of the Atlantic crossing to the island of St. Lucia.

For this week's Technical Tuesday, Dicky explains how power is generated, how it is stored and what we do with the power once is has been generated.

Dicky was on watch when the squall hit Walrus and bashed away at her, pushing her here and there and whipping her sails into a frenzy of flapping.

This week's video diary takes you below decks to give you a tour of Walrus' saloon and the heads.

Monday’s menu from now on will be dictated by the ‘what must be eaten sooner rather than later’ and what’s available lurking at the bottom of the only-slightly-chilled-fridge’.

As we begin the crossing of the Atlantic engine trouble threatens to delay our journey. So, repairs need to be made in order to keep to schedule.

The heart-stopping moment when Walrus’ engine failed to start and the implications of being in the middle of an ocean with the only means of propulsion being our sails sunk in.

Sunset on Walrus as the crew cross the Atlantic Ocean headed for Saint Lucia.

Dicky explains how to use a North Atlantic ocean passage chart in the event of a total electronic equipment failure.

We are currently sailing day and night with a poled-out foresail, which is easy to manage and is enabling us to make speeds of, on average, 6 knots (or 6 miles, more or less an hour).

Monday’s menu was cooked in the galley while Walrus was at anchor.  An altogether simpler task than cooking at sea, while bobbing along on the ocean waves.

As Walrus, Skipper and Crew enter into their second week on their journey, the marina of Las Palmas beckons.