On the beach

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is a chance for many to fulfil a dream – yet it is one that takes many forms. Sam Jefferson chatted to some of those who were, in old sailors’ parlance, on the beach – looking for a place on a yacht

The term ‘on the beach’ used to be common parlance among sailors and essentially meant you were out of work and looking for a new ship. Major ports such as Singapore, Sydney, and Rio would all have big communities of itinerant sailors who had washed up on their shores looking a berth. Those days have passed and perhaps the term is now better known because it is a Chris Rea song, although memory of that might also be – thankfully – dying now. Anyway, the nearest modern equivalent can now probably be found in Las Palmas prior to the start of the ARC, where a diverse selection of dreamers, sailors, and desperadoes gather each year to secure a passage on a yacht headed to the Caribbean. Many camp on the beach just next to the marina

Perhaps, understandably, the ones left on the beach are those with limited experience. In all of my time covering the ARC (a period which, unbelievably, spans from 2010 to the present day) I have never actually met a single person who has secured a passage in this manner. It must happen, but obviously, once they have hitched a ride, they assimilate into the ranks of the other sailors. I, therefore, felt the time was ripe to follow the fortunes of a few of these dream chasers and see where they wash up in a month’s time. So, if you pick up a copy of next month’s magazine, hopefully, we will have a report on what happened to our bold adventurers.

Amit Mendel, 28, Jerusalem, Israel

“I’ve been waiting for one week to get on a boat so far,” Amit explains. He looks pretty relaxed sat at the Sailors Rest bar sipping on a coffee and smoking a cigarette. “I actually got a place on an ARC boat last year but I had to drop out because I had a problem with my teeth.”