A multinational fleet has sailed from the Caribbean and USA to Bermuda, ready to sail across the Atlantic west to east with ARC Europe.A total of 77 sailors on 19 yachts flying the flags of 12 countries will be sailing to Bermuda, then cruising the Azores archipelago before heading for Lagos in Portugal.The main fleet started from Nanny Cay on Tortola, British Virgin Islands on May 5. The second fleet started from Hampton, Virginia on May 6. The two fleets will rendezvous in St. George’s Bermuda for some social time and preparations for the 1800nm mile Atlantic passage to Horta on Faial in the Azores.Over in Hampton Virginia, the four yachts on the US-Bermuda leg started on a reach in a brisk southerwesterly breeze. South African yacht Mojito really got the rally bug and were first across the line with the crew perched racer-style on the windward rail. The other yachts went for a more cruising approach, and with a good forecast, they should all be in Bermuda in a few days.ARC Europe isn’t just an A-to-B sailing rally, it is also a cruise and an opportunity to explore. In each destination, the crews will enjoy social and sightseeing activities including a rum tasting in Bermuda and watching bull running in the Azores. The Azores cruise is a popular part of the rally, that takes the yachts to four of these diverse and remote islands; Faial, Terceira, São Miguel and Santa Maria.Larry Ivins, skipper of US-flagged Hylas 54 Berkeley East said of last year’s ARC Europe: ‘ARC Europe brings a whole new dimension to the term ‘boat rally’.The stops in Bermuda and the Azores gave everyone a chance to really get acquainted, and the land time made it much more of a vacation, rather than simply ‘moving the boat’. We cannot imagine the solitude of crossing the Atlantic alone. Our special thanks for helping to make this long passage a wonderful experience’The average size of boats in the fleet is 14.5m, with the smallest being Moody 38 Elsocare (GBR) and Bavaria 38 Ocean Diatonic (GBR), and the largest are Discovery 55 Kalandia and Beneteau 57 Fred. All major boat builders are represented in between, including Wauquiez, Bavaria, Elan, J-Boats, Jeanneau and Moody.Skippers and crew range in ages from their late teens to the over 70s, with the average age being 54 years.Some boats are sailing home, others just starting their cruising adventure.Many of the yachts have previously crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean with the ARC, and are now returning home after several seasons Caribbean cruising. For four boats and crews, ARC Europe is a rather more epic return home - Lady Lisa (SUI), Lady Ev. VI (GER), Ariane (SUI), Thor VI (POR) have just completed a circumnavigation with World ARC, sailing through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, Indian and south Atlantic oceans.Nanny Cay on Tortola BVI and St George’s Bermuda have been popular hosts of the rally for many years.