For the seventh year running we publish the results of the ARC survey we carry out jointly with the rally's organisers, World Cruising Club (see page 42). As the world's largest transocean event, the ARC offers a unique opportunity to ask 200 skippers about the equipment they used, how well it worked and how easy it was to maintain and repair.
There is no other field survey that comes close to this in terms of numbers of boats and the distance sailed - around 5,000 miles by the time they reach the Caribbean. In the early days equipment manufacturers and agents seemed to treat the survey as an irritation, an inconvenience and more than one threatened to take us to law. But gradually most have come round to the view that this sort of testing is something that none of them could easily replicate so by carefully studying the results it gives them the opportunity to improve the brand.
Not only that, ARC entrants, most of whom have spent many thousands of pounds equipping their boats for the adventure of a lifetime, are getting much better service as representatives of equipment manufacturers and suppliers spend the week in Las Palmas before the start checking over and servicing their kit. But year after year there are two common causes of equipment problems. The first is nothing to do with the hardware, but its installation and there are still too many examples of gear badly fitted, especially complex items such as generators and watermakers.
The second can be laid squarely at the feet of the crews themselves who leave the fitting of equipment to the last minute when they are in Las Palmas. With no opportunity to test it before they head off to the Caribbean, it's hardly surprising that there is a high failure rate, usually owing to a small problem. And you can bet it will be the manufacturer who gets it in the ear.
