Jim Immer’s ARC Europe Adventure Aboard ‘Queen Bee II’
Jim Immer of El Dorado Hills shares his story of sailing the ARC Europe 2026 aboard the Hallberg-Rassy 57 Queen Bee II.
The ARC Europe 2026 got underway on May 9 from the harbor outside Simpson Bay, St. Maarten. Thirty-five impressive offshore cruising yachts lined up for the start, all eager for bragging rights and the honor of being first around the offshore buoy. While none of the six ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) events are officially races, put two sailboats on the same course and competition is inevitable.
The Europe route would take us from St. Maarten north to Bermuda, then east to the Azores, nearly 950 miles west of Portugal. From there, the fleet would split, with some boats heading to Portugal, and others continuing on to northern Europe.
I joined the crew of Queen Bee II, Neil Gerrard’s London-based Hallberg-Rassy 57, a few days before departure. Rounding out the crew were Jeff Gordon and Becky Broudie. All three were experienced sailors from the UK or Australia, with Becky currently based in Barcelona. I joined the crew through Ocean Crew Link after Neil and Becky reviewed my racing/cruising sailing résumé and my 20,000 miles of offshore experience. We followed that with a detailed Zoom interview covering everything from safety equipment to crew expectations.
Our early duties were to provision the boat and prepare for a seven-week voyage, including layovers in Bermuda and the Azores. Fortunately, St. Maarten is a major Caribbean cruising hub, serving everyone from charter sailors to superyachts. We were able to purchase a mountain of provisions, and everything was delivered right to the dock.
One of our biggest jobs was installing a brand-new jib and an in-mast furling mainsail that had been air-freighted by Elvstrøm from Denmark. Wrestling 70-foot fiberglass battens vertically into the mainsail proved to be quite a challenge, made possible only through the generous assistance of the Dutch crew aboard the Outremer 60 Lana. It was a memorable workout that nearly finished me off. The well-earned dinners ashore that followed, along with ARC barbecues, briefings and cocktail parties, were much appreciated.
The ARC’s rigorous safety inspections answered many of my questions, but one thing can never be verified beforehand: crew chemistry. That’s always a gamble. Fortunately, while there were a few bumps along the way, the crew got along well overall, making for a memorable adventure.
