ARC+ start delayed by storms: what it teaches about weather

What happened

The World Cruising Club (WCC) has delayed the start of the ARC+ Atlantic rally from Las Palmas to Grenada because of adverse weather, according to Yachting Monthly. Sailors aboard 78 yachts were due to leave Las Palmas for the Cape Verde islands on Sunday 8 November.

Two low pressure systems close to the Canary Islands are set to bring storms and atypical conditions on that date. Instead of the more typical northerly breezes, the forecast was for strong south-westerly winds as the fleet left. The new planned start is Wednesday 11 November, and the WCC says it will keep monitoring the forecast closely.

One crew member, Amy Kemp aboard the Farr 56 Zina, described the forecast as storms, 50-knot gusts and enormous waves. She said she felt "like a lump of concrete has been lifted from my chest" when she heard about the delay.

Why the weather is behaving oddly

WCC meteorologist Eric Holden explained the set-up. A large 1037mb area of high pressure north of the UK continues to block the jet stream, which is causing low pressure systems to back up in the Atlantic and push farther south-east than is usual.

He added that a 1001mb low is deepening over the Azores, where one typically expects high pressure at this time of year. It is expected to drift slowly south-east under the high over the coming days.

What it means for someone learning to skipper

Most of us will not cross an ocean, but the question here is one any skipper faces before a passage: is the forecast acceptable for leaving? In this case the WCC looked at the forecast and chose to delay the start.

Three habits are worth borrowing. First, compare the forecast wind with what is typical, as the story does when it contrasts south-westerlies with the more usual northerly breezes. Second, look at the pressure pattern behind the forecast, not only the wind. Here a blocking high and a deepening low explain why the weather is out of character. Third, treat a delay as a sound outcome: the organisers have a new date and will keep checking the forecast.

Notice also that Holden described how the low is expected to move over the coming days. A skipper planning a passage can do the same: check before you commit, then keep checking.

Where Sail Academy fits

Sail Academy covers all 18 modules of the RYA Day Skipper theory syllabus, with a film for each, three boat-handling simulators and a mock exam.

It is theory only. It is a way to build understanding at the chart table and is not a substitute for practical training on the water, and Sail Academy does not offer or imply any certification.