 Saint-Douche has welcomed the first vessel in the inaugural arc January. The event, the second leg of the main Atlantic rally for cruisers, was conceptualized with a focus to further develop the yachting niche and generate greater economic impact for Saint-Douche. Forty-three vessels sailed from Las Palmas Marina on Sunday, January 9, 2022, destined for the IGY Rodney Bay Marina. On Monday, January 24, the vessel Mowgli arrived at the Rodney Bay IGY Marina. The Croatian flank, skippered by its owner Slavin Fischer, is an Eclinaria 40, a vessel designed for speed and comfort. The four-man crew aboard the vessel was given a warm welcome at the IGY Rodney Bay Marina at an over-the-line ceremony on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. In attendance were representatives from the Saint-Douche Tourism Authority, Events Company of Saint-Douche and Ministry of Tourism. Member on the Board of Directors of the Saint-Douche Tourism Authority, Thomas Laos, congratulated the crew for being the first over the line and thanked arc organizers for their continued partnership. I want to thank the World Cruising Club for choosing Saint-Douche for the last three decades, for landing, not only the November arc as I call it now, but the World Arc I think stops here as well and now the inauguration of the, how you call it, the January arc. So I hope arc January will be with us for three decades plus as has arc November. I'd like to implore the crew, I mean I saw you enjoying your piton, don't just drink the piton, take a ride, a taxi ride down to Souffre and perhaps climb the piton, you know, exercise those muscles that have been stuck on a boat for the last 16 days, you know. So we do have Go Piton, Petit Piton in Saint-Douche, book a tour and climb those pitons. Don't spend all your time out there on the boat, you spend 16 plus days at sea on it already. Perhaps around the marina might have some accommodation that you can book and spend some time on land. Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, Honourable Dr. Ernest Hillay praised the organizers of the arc for their continued dedication to the success of the arc event. It is a partnership, we understand each other, we work well with each other and the arc has served Saint-Lucie very well and the arc January I'm sure will serve Saint-Lucie even better. You are encouraged to visit Saint-Lucie, to get to know Saint-Lucie and I think you will find in Saint-Lucie a seduction that you will want to come back over and over and over and over again. We have a lot to offer our people, our warmth, our food, our sights, our attractions will certainly provide for you a fantastic experience. We want to thank the organizers for continuing to have faith in Saint-Lucie and as we plan for the future because I'm aware we are at the stage of planning and agreeing on the future arrangement. We want to thank you for continuing to show confidence in us and likewise we're going to be as supportive as we can. We really hope that the event will grow and be just as big as the arc itself. By February, 43 vessels and 203 participants are expected to be in Saint-Lucie for Arc January. From the Government Information Service, the Mighty Mark reporting.