This is the start and the first leg of our around-the-world adventure, where we participate in the World Cruising Club’s round-the-world rally, World ARC.
World ARC is a sailing adventure taking place over 15 months and covering 26,000 NM. Following the classic trade winds route, the rally avoids regions of political instability, piracy and storm seasons.
Dates: January 7 – Feb 5, 2026, 31 days
Price: 4 640 Euro
Nautical Miles: 1 200 NM
Skipper: Bengt Tarre, mobile +46 70 696 57 03
Start: St. Lucia, Rodney Bay Marina
End: Las Perlas, Panama
We will gather a few days before the start to prepare for the first leg to prepare the boat, stock up on provisions, and get to know each other and Celeste. There will be plenty of social activities organized by the World ARC for all participating yachts with crew. St Lucia also have plenty to explore.
On January 10, we leave the dock and head to the start for the first leg of this adventure. The leg i 1 100 NM and will take 5-8 days. We quickly settle into our sailing routines, and the watch shifts begin. You will be on watch for three hours and off watch for six hours. The responsible watch team handles steering, trimming, and navigation. Everyone on board also helps with cooking and maintaining the boat. The skipper and first mate will always be at hand to guide and help when needed. You will build on your experience from off shore sailing.
It’s always special to approach a new coast after several days at sea. Once we arrive in Panama and have taken care of the boat, we’ll celebrate completing the first leg and share experiences with the other participating boats.
We sill sail to Colon and from there start our passage through the Panama Canal, which is a truly unique construction, and exciting to pass through.
In addition to locks, the canal also features both a natural and an artificial lake. The passage is about 40 NM.
Once we’ve passed through the Panama Canal we will prepare for sailing the first NM of the Pacific Ocean, but before that there will be some time to explore Panama.
To Las Perlas it is 45 NM. Here, the fleet of the World ARC regroups, and there will be time to share experiences between the different crews.
Las Perlas is also an archipelago with many beautiful and exciting islands, the largest being Isla de Ray. Las Perlas is the final destination of this trip.
The Las Perlas Archipelago has some of the most pristine and well-preserved beaches in Panama, along with dense jungles full of flowers and birdsong. The marine life around Pearl Island is abundant.
Read more about the Rally: Word Cruising Club
Read more about what you can expect sailing on Celeste: Sailing on Celeste
SAILING ROUND THE WORLD 