The crew of Amels' 55m Gene Machine came to the aid of the crew of Bavaria Minerva, a 13.4m sailing yacht in distress at the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). Minerva's forestaff was torn and as a result the boat lost its mast.
«Other ARC members graciously offered Minerva's crew what fuel they had so they could motor the boat to the Caribbean, but it soon became clear that they would not have enough fuel to complete such a trip»," said Gene Machine's Captain Fraser Gow.
Complicating the situation was that the Minerva's desalter was out of commission. The crew would not have enough fresh water to reach land.
The superyacht and the small sailboat met 1200 miles off Antigua. Three of Minerva's crew immediately went aboard Gene Machine. The other two stayed on the sailboat until they were sure it was secure and could be towed to safety. Both vessels arrived in Antigua on the morning of December 12.
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is an annual transatlantic regatta for cruisers. It is one of the largest sailing events with up to 225 yachts competing. In 2016, there were 212 yachts from 31 countries at the start of the ARC. The famous racing maxi yacht Rambler 88 took part in the rally.
The Rambler 88 set a new record for the 2,700-mile distance of the race. The yacht managed to cross the Atlantic in 8 days 6 hours and 29 minutes, an hour and ten minutes faster than the previous record.
