Time is Nearly Up
Rich's 2025 World ARC PatBon Blog
Richard Hurd
Sat 12 Jul 2025 18:43
It’s just gone 0300 and I’ve just started my final watch of this adventure. The moon is bright, the sea is calm, the wind is light and we make slow progress towards Port Vila in Vanuatu which marks the final full stop to my World ARC voyage of around 8,720 nautical miles.
We arrived in Vanuatu five days ago in Port Resolution on an amazing island called Tanna. Welcomed by the local community on the lawn of the ‘yacht club’ in an elaborate ceremony where gifts were exchanged, children from both the community and from the ARC sang songs and food provided. The community were so welcoming and warm, especially Werry who ran the little shack of the yacht club with his wife Monique. On the other side of the peninsula, we came to the most glorious white sandy beach, stretching into the distance - what a place!
We also went to another village called Kastom, located close to the erupting Mt Yasur volcano. Taken by Land Cruiser trucks across the rugged landscape of mud tracks, boulder strewn rivers and steep slopes, this wasn’t for the feint-hearted! But it was a special day - tribal dancing and singing with the smouldering and grumbling Yasur as a backdrop. Then by vehicle to the crater rim where we literally stared into the centre of the planet glowing red and orange with lava being ejected from the central vent. Quite extraordinary.
After three lovely days in Port Resolution, we sailed north to the next island called Erromango and the delightful Dillons Bay. David ran another tiny Yacht Club and once again the community there welcomed the fleet and proudly showed their subsistence farming gardens, school and community hall. Such a simple uncomplicated life here, but with the perils of a changing climate, posters alerting of new pests and bugs on the march to destroy their traditional crops and an ever encroaching western element permeating their ancient culture. Timmy, a 12 year old lad paddled out in his dugout outrigger canoe to 1D and obviously wanted to come aboard. Wide eyed at all the tech and shear beauty of the boat. In turn, he allowed me a paddle in his simple canoe, held together by twine and electric cable, but in a strange way just as beautiful as 1D. Just how long can these ancient cultures exist?
I arranged a dinghy drift party at Dillon’s Bay - I guess my last hurrah! With a dozen or so dinghies rafted up behind Living the Dream, we all had a fab time with Nakula leading the ‘dinghyroke’ (yes even I sang a song ….well that’s probably going a bit far, but it was ‘99 Red Balloons, followed by a very drunken ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor’), Laurène was in charge of the ‘dinghy line dancing’ (what could possibly go wrong🤣) and I’m left with the difficult task of deciding on the best pirate outfit - I think Nakula did an amazing job, with their Jolly Roger 🏴☠️ flying high - but no parrots on board - hence disqualification, my parrot disappointingly turned out to be a kiwi in disguise, so it probably has to go to Elliot from Pure Joy with both a parrot and a hook hand! What a fun evening, with only Guiemette from Saltair getting very soggy!
So it’s now tonight and I’m terribly sad, yet proud, that my dream from 43 years ago (yes I was 17 when I decided that one day I’d sail the South Pacific Islands) is about to be realised. To have that dream in your belly for so long and to have found a way of making it happen is a tribute to my family, a lot of luck in life and a determination. It’s not all been plain sailing, but wow what an amazing 6.5 months! Departing St Lucia on 5th Jan, to soon jetting off to Brisbane on the 17th July for the first British and Irish Lions rugby test match, there have been so many incredible experiences with the World ARC. The World ARC fleet really has become a family, especially since joining 1D. Friendships for life have been made, Paula has been able to join me to share some stunning parts of the world - Galapagos, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu to name a few. The people, places, experiences have been truly wonderful and something I’ll never forget. Thank you.
Mt Yasur crater and lava
Port Resolution Yacht Club
Me behaving badly as a Pirate
The dinghy party
Richard Hurd
+44 (0)7801 530070 (Only WhatsApp messages & calls)
richardphurd {CHANGE TO AT} gmail {DOT} com
SY. One Distraction.
Sent while sailing around the world😎