 Preparations for the hosting of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers continue here as officials create an environment of safety against the coronavirus. Hema de Mar reports. The events company of Saint Lucia ECSL and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, SLTA, held a check presentation ceremony for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, ARC. This event is being scaled down from 250 to 100 participating vessels due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In attendance at the ceremony were key stakeholders and sponsors of the event, which is held annually in Saint Lucia for the past 30 years. The IGY Rodney B. Marina is the event partner for the ARC and was represented by the general manager, Sean DeVaux. Also present was the chairperson for the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Chris Gustav and CEO of ECSL, Lorraine Sidoni. The events manager for the Caribbean for the World Cruising Club, Peter Kozier was also in attendance. Stakeholders expressed their appreciation to sponsors for their support, especially during a challenging year. Lorraine Sidoni is the chief executive officer for the events company of Saint Lucia. We do have 30 years of data to work with. So we have a list of sponsors that have supported us. I'm not sure if any has supported us since the start of ARC and ARC Plus, but we do have a list of sponsors that have been with us for a number of years. So in terms of targeting companies to be a sponsor, we normally start with that list and then we extend it. We decide and we try to figure out which companies can get any sort of investment or return on investment in terms of the sponsorship and we would try to attract new companies as well. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers will run under strict protocols for the protection of participants and the public against the coronavirus. The general manager of the IGY Rodney Bay Marina, Sean Devoe, explains the protocols that are in place. For the ARC, the participants will undergo one week of voluntary isolation on board. After that, they will conduct their negative, well a COVID test which hopefully will be negative and they will be approved to sail across the Atlantic. Crossing the Atlantic on average takes about 16 to 21 days. So if we add those days up on the sea and the isolation in Las Palmas, the average participant will get to Sindhuja having been in isolation for 21 or more days along with a negative COVID test in hand. In addition to that, daily temperature checks will be conducted and recorded by the captain on board for everybody on board. Those documents along with others will be provided to the Port Health 48 hours before arriving to Sindhuja. And if they are deemed through the CMO's office, if they are deemed to see anything irregular or there could be a potential threat, the vessel is dealt with on anchor and not on the shores of Sindhuja. Though organisers for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers are working with the Department of Health to ensure the event is executed safely from the Government Information Service, Lomadi Makh reporting.