For several years now, Chantiers AMEL has been a partner of the Rallye des Iles du Soleil, a transatlantic crossing which is organised by the Grand Pavois Organisation. Through sponsoring this unique event, AMEL offers owners of its yachts the opportunity to cruise together in a small fleet, alongside other yacht brands, ensuring a safe, pleasant, and convivial experience. The rally finishes in Guadeloupe, on the little island of Marie Galante, an ideal location from which to embark on a sailing trip through the Caribbean. What’s more, the proximity of the AMEL Caraïbes facility in Martinique offers AMEL owners the chance to carry out any necessary post-crossing servicing.
We recently met up with Peter and Rosie, owners of ‘Rainbow’, an AMEL 50. They are currently moored at the AMEL pontoon in La Rochelle and have just signed up to take part in the 2024 edition of the rally. They were delighted to answer our questions!
Questions
Is this your first AMEL?
No, we previously owned an AMEL 55 (also called Rainbow), which we had from 2014 until early 2023. We travelled halfway around the world with her! The first year, we sailed from La Rochelle to the Mediterranean… Spain, Portugal, the Algarve, Hyères, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Malta. Then we headed back to Spain, passing Gibraltar on our way to Lagos, then Madeira and the Canaries. In November 2016, we crossed the Atlantic as part of the ARC+ from Gran Canaria to Cabo Verde and then onwards to the Caribbean. In January 2017, we sailed through the Panama Canal with the World ARC, heading to the Pearl Islands and onto the Galapagos. We then sailed for another 21 days to the Marquesas Islands, then the Tuamotu Archipelago, Tahiti, and Bora Bora. There, we left the World ARC fleet and continued on at our own pace towards Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia, spending around 8 weeks at each stopover. In November 2017, we arrived in New Zealand, where we stayed put for one and a half years. We returned to New Caledonia in July 2019, then sailed on to Bundaberg in Australia (famous for its rum distillery!), and finally to Brisbane. We stayed there until Christmas 2019, when we flew back to Germany to spend the festive period at home. Unfortunately, in April 2020, Rainbow became stuck in Australia when the Coronavirus pandemic hit, which prevented us from sailing her back. At this point, Peter decided to contact the AMEL Shipyard to look into buying an AMEL 50, but Antoine in the Sales Department told him that there was a 2-year waiting list! Despite the wait, we decided to place our order for a 50, and to have our AMEL 55 shipped back to Europe. In 2022, Rainbow arrived in Spain. We sailed her back to La Rochelle ourselves, where, in 2023, she was delivered to her new owner.
How did you find out about the Rallye des Iles du Soleil?
We got in contact with the organisers of the ARC about once again crossing the Atlantic, this time in our AMEL 50. And then we heard about the partnership between AMEL and the Rallye des Iles du Soleil and set out to find out more about this event.
Why did you decide to sign up for the rally?
This particular rally is a nice size, it’s a really convivial event.
Did you have any problems with the language?
Not at all! We were put in contact with Alexa in La Rochelle and all our discussions were conducted in English.
Have you already scheduled some training dates with the rally organisers?
Yes, but unfortunately the first date we tried to sign up for was already full (use of survival equipment, etc.). However, there will be a meeting in La Rochelle at the end of May for all participants.
How will you be preparing your yacht for this transatlantic crossing?
The team at AMEL’s pontoon first has to refit the genoa and forestay sail, which we removed for the winter. Then, at the beginning of May, our skipper will arrive to take the yacht from La Rochelle to La Coruña. After this trip, he will be coming back to La Rochelle so that we can adjust the shrouds and make sure that the rigging is properly set up. We’ll also start provisioning the yacht. Departure from La Rochelle is scheduled for early June, with departure from La Palma in early November.
Will you be joined by any family or friends?
This time, we have enlisted the services of a professional skipper (from the company PYD), as we are not as young as we used to be (nearly 75 years old!). This will make the watches easier, and it will be more relaxing. It’s usually just the two of us on our AMEL yacht, although on one occasion we did invite two friends from our club on Lake Constance (where Rosie learnt to sail) to join us on our Panama Canal to Galapagos trip. All the other trips aboard our AMEL 55 and our AMEL 50, we’ve undertaken as a couple… and we’ve enjoyed them immensely!
We sincerely hope that other AMEL owners will sign up for this rally. We’ve already spoken to the owners of ‘Vo-Vo’ and ‘Moana’, two other AMEL 50s, who seem to be very interested.