Sponsorship has always played a key role in the success of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). This year is no exception, as Saint Lucia prepares to host the 30th edition of this trans-Atlantic crossing from Gran Canaria, which sets sail on November 24, 2019. Sponsors from various business once again showed their commitment and dedication to this highly popular international sailing event, at a recent cheque presentation ceremony at Sea Grapes Restaurant located at Bay Gardens Beach Resort.
In welcoming everyone, Mistress of Ceremonies, Mineva Ross of Events Company St Lucia, remarked: “Sponsors have contributed immensely to the annual hosting and success of the ARC and we look forward to your continued support in years ahead.” Seated at the head table was Ministry of Tourism official, Margaret Adams; CEO of Events Company St Lucia, Lorraine Sidonie; Senior Marketing Manager of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Jackie Mathurin; General Manager, IGY Rodney Bay Marina, Sean Devaux; and Events Manager Caribbean for the World Cruising Club, Peta Cozier. Special guests included three Saint Lucian members of the ARC Youth Team.
During his brief remarks, Devaux recognized the young Saint Lucians taking part in this ARC and said: “This year, for us, marks a little bit different. As you may know, we have our youth sailing programme, and six of the youths will be participating this year in doing that journey across the Atlantic.”
Devaux demonstrated how important the ARC is to Saint Lucia by revealing the following statistics. “Of those ARC participants who came here last year, about 70 per cent filled out a form, which ended up being somewhere about 690 participants. One hundred per cent of those decided they will return to Saint Lucia for a longer period of time at a future date. Seven million dollars was spent in Saint Lucia through that three week period, and 48 per cent of those that answered had two or more family members on-island to visit them after they arrived.”
Cozier thanked the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, all the sponsors and everyone who contributes to the success of the ARC. She mentioned that not only the ARC but the ARC+ brings a diverse group of boats to the island. Some 300 boats are taking part in this year’s ARC, and Cozier estimated that approximately 1,800 people will be in Saint Lucia to enjoy the event and associated activities. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Adams spoke about the importance of Saint Lucia’s nautical tourism product, identifying its tremendous potential for growth. She referred to events such as ARC as having been a catalyst for local economic development over the last three decades.
With that in mind, Adams stated: “The Ministry of Tourism intends to create the enabling environment that not only facilitates sustainable development and expansion of all classes of yachting, but also ensures that opportunities exist for Saint Lucians and foreign investors to maximize on their investment. Our focus has been on strengthening community involvement and support for the yachting sector, in order to deepen linkages and achieve greater impact within the industry.”
Sidonie is delighted that Events Company of St Lucia is among the leading partners of ARC 2019. She said: “We recognize the spin-off benefits that ARC brings to Saint Lucia. Both Mr Devaux and Ms Cozier were able to tell us about some of those. We are happy about that and happy to be the leading partner that enables such spin-off benefits. We are looking at over 300 boats and 1,800 visitors coming to our shores from Las Palmas to Saint Lucia.”
Sidonie pointed out that the trip would take anywhere from 10 to 15 days depending on wind and sea conditions. The CEO amused everyone by saying: “But if you are very brave and a very daring swimmer and decided to swim instead, it will take you approximately two months and four days.”
She praised sponsors and, in doing so, came up with her own acronym for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) – Always Ready to Collaborate. “That’s how we see our sponsors,” said Sidonie. “They are always collaborating, always coming on board to support ARC and we appreciate it.” She went on to list the following sponsors: Harbor Club, St Lucia Distillers, FLOW, SOL EC Limited, Sixt Car Rental, Wave Radio Station, DBS, (Constantine Holdings Limited (CHI), Massy Stores, IGY Rodney Bay Marina, World Cruising Club, and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
Senior Marketing Manager at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Jackie Mathurin was the next speaker: “We are delighted to be welcoming the ARC to Saint Lucia for the 30th time. For us it is an amazing opportunity, amazing testament to the value of Saint Lucia and our offering and how we have kept this wonderful international event happening every year.”
She mentioned that there will be a group from the diaspora—from the United Kingdom—as well as the High Commissioner in Las Palmas where the event gets underway with a grand parade of nations.
Following cheque presentations from representatives of the various sponsors, members of the ARC Youth Team who were in attendance were introduced to the audience. The team consists of twelve young persons: four from Gran Canaria, two from the United Kingdom and six out of Saint Lucia. The Lucian team members are Tyrus Antoine, Gabriella Chreiki, Chrisanki Flood, Krishna Joseph, Neil Melius and Adonai Modeste. Antoine, Flood and Modeste were present at the ceremony and they received tokens from Events Company of St Lucia, the SLHTA and FLOW.
