Sailing the Seas from Lagos
Ever since Henry the Navigator gazed out over the rolling breakers hitting the Atlantic coastline and craved the knowledge of what lay beyond, this area has inspired sailors to embark on ocean voyages. We sent Sophie Sadler to find out more about the Lagos modern-day adventurers.
Many of the sailors who cross the Atlantic from Lagos, do so as part of the Arc, an Atlantic rally for cruisers. A ‘must do’ for many sailors it attracts over 200 boats and 1200 people every year to sail the 2700 NM across the Atlantic. The starting line in Gran Canaria means that Lagos is an unofficial start point for many boats and each year some Lagos-based crews take part.
One of these is Belgian Jac Janssen, a retired engineer, who berths his 58 ft Oyster, Surya, in Lagos Marina. He has taken part in the Arc in 2010, 2013 and before Christmas completed the challenge for the 3rd time with three crew Jan Snep, (Dutch) Alex Pincket, (Belgian) and René Trippears (Belgian living in Aljezur). All of these intrepid sailors have boats in the Lagos Marina. He also employed professional skipper Augusto Pereira to oversee the preparations and accompany them on the voyage.
It took Jac, Augusto and André, (a third crew member that joined just for the delivery,) four days to sail the 650 NM to Les Palmas, arriving 12 days before the start, where there is a great party atmosphere and feeling of camaraderie with all sailors preparing their boats and flying their national flags.
I meet Jac in his Marina apartment to learn more about his adventures and the journalist in me is keen to hear about any near-death experiences! I soon realised, however, that Jac is not a man who would allow such an eventuality! “I have a backup for everything and if that backup fails there is another backup.” Although the ARC will not allow any boat to participate that is not fully prepared and each participant must have satellite communication so they can receive emails from the organisers, Jac says; “only a fool does not feel uncertainty when you set off to cross an ocean. Anything could happen.”
So if you are not doing this for an adrenaline rush why take on the challenge? “The Arc is not a survival trip,” he explains, “It´s about enjoying sailing. Although you start with 200 yachts after a days sail none are within eye vision so you feel the vastness of the ocean.” Surya can cover 175 NM per day sometimes 200 all with no motor, just the awesome power of the wind. “At night you feel the isolation and you can see a million starts so inevitably you start to think about eternity and the feeling of crossing an ocean is something very special.”
The rally finishes in St Lucia and most boats make it into port for the prize giving on the 16th. Jac tells me that on arrival there is a great deal of cheering and applauding from other crews on the pontoon and organisers come out to meet you with a rum punch. A steel drum serenades the sailors as they alight on to land for the first time in several weeks. Many friends are made in the bars and restaurants around the marina as everyone celebrates having achieved a dream.
Augusto Pereira, who manages boats for private clients and prepares them for ocean voyages, has already participated in the Arc 4 times, he tells me; “The Arc is not about getting to the finish line, it is about the joy of being on the ocean. The quietness of being away from society. It is one-hundred percent mindfulness and about being in the moment.”
Valentina Vela is originally from Italy, but moved to Dublin in 2011 and took a leave of absence from her job in Telesales in 2017, in order to complete a ten-weeks FastTrack in Lagos to obtain her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate with the company RU Sailing.
Inspired by the majesty of the Atlantic waves she experienced during her time in the Algarve, after completing her FastTrack, she immediately started dreaming about crossing the Atlantic. “I felt the need to get an oceanic experience to integrate my sailing training and the ARC, with over 200 yachts crossing the Atlantic at the beginning of November, seemed to me the perfect opportunity to achieve my goal.”
Her TransAt was a bit more adventurous than she had expected! "During the second day of our crossing, we experienced a major power system failure. Sailing the Atlantic is a deep experience. It can challenge you as a sailor and as a person. But for every difficult moment, it gives you, it always returns at least ten unforgettable moments of pure joy.”
In May, Jac will head back to the Caribbean to join the Arc Europe and bring his boat back home as part of this west-to-east transatlantic rally. Boats can start from Nanny Cay, in the British Virgin Islands, or Portsmouth, Virginia on the US east coast. I talk to Sarah Collins, Communications Manager at The World Cruising Club: “ This year, we anticipate having approximately 20 boats in the Nanny Cay fleet, and 8-10 from Portsmouth. The two fleets rendezvous in St George's, Bermuda before crossing the Atlantic to the Azores. After cruising the Azorean archipelago, boats sail to Marina de Lagos in southern Portugal, or sail independently to northern Europe.”
Lagos is an important cog in the wheel of the Arc challenges. ARC Portugal was originally started to help promote the opening of Marina de Lagos back in 1994. The rally sails across the Bay of Biscay from Plymouth in the UK to Bayona in Spain, before day-sailing down the coast of Portugal to Marina de Lagos on the Algarve. In every port there is a program of social activities or tours ashore, making ARC Portugal one of the most social of rallies. This year, the fleet is scheduled to depart from Plymouth on June 3rd, and the rally concludes in Marina de Lagos on 27th June.
The Atlantic, named after the Greek God Atlas, which covers one-fifth of the earth's surface, seems to act as a magnet challenging sailors to take on its might. There is no doubt that Lagos, in its unique geographic location, will continue to grow in importance as a starting point for Ocean Adventurers.
