Yesterday we saw the participants of the ARC+ event (sister event to the main ARC Atlantic Rally) depart for Cape Verde amidst some blustery winds and choppy seas. There was a real buzz in the marina as boats geared up for departure - some playing their chosen departure song (an Aussie crew left with 'Land Down Under' blasting out on deck), some with fog-horns going off and one enthusiastic  skipper set-off a starter gun to announce his boat was leaving. There are only 30-40 boats in the ARC+ event (compared to 200+ in the ARC proper), but despite this it was still a sight to behold and a great sampler for what we can look forward to in a couple of weeks. 

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