Photo: World Cruising Club
LAS PALMAS, GRAN CANARIA — The 2026 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers sets sail from here on November 22, with prizegiving scheduled for December 19 in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. More than 200 boats and roughly 1,200 sailors are entered, making the 2,700-nautical-mile crossing on the classic trade-wind route in an average of 18 to 21 days.
The fleet has grown more diverse in recent years: multihulls now make up 30 to 40 percent of entries, and the average boat length has climbed to around 50 feet. Roughly one in five boats is less than a year old at the time of departure, and Starlink connectivity has become standard kit for a growing share of crews making the crossing.
The rally, organised by World Cruising Club, remains the largest organised ocean crossing for cruising sailors, taking monohulls, multihulls and motor yachts from 27 feet to 100 feet across the Atlantic before Christmas.
