"Why do it? " asked Ron Green, the managing editor. It was a question I was asking myself. The interview was taking place in my comfortable office which contrasted with the conditions we will face.

After 26 weeks of preparation I was also wondering why I had asked 5 friends, John Taylor from Staplehurst, Julian Croysdill from Sandhurst, Paddy Armstrong from Leeds, Robert Filmer from Cliffe and Ray Ingram from Sutton Valence to join me for a 2,800 mile journey across the Atlantic in my 40 ft Ketch "Messenger". The answers sound silly.

"Because I have always wanted to" or "because it is there". They are hardly good reasons to attempt such a hazardous journey.

I am told that it is usually a pleasant, once in a life-time experience.

Any sailor who is promised a single course and favourable winds for three weeks cannot resist the temptation.

Since entering the Atlantic Rally for Cruising (ARC), I have found a number who have done it. It is nothing like the brave attempt that family and close friends think it is. It is like those who love cricket playing at Lords, golfers hitting a ball at St Andrews or rugby players touching the turf at Twickenham.

Yes, things can go wrong.

The last 26 weeks has been spent in trying to prevent many of them happening. But there is always the unexpected. The Atlantic weather is not always benign. "Messenger" is 30 years old, (who would take part at Brands Hatch in a 1974 car?) and crew can be sea-sick. On occasions so much so that they can need medical help.

Some 1,500 miles from the nearest land, there are only other ships in the vicinity who may be able to help, if they hear, what at best, are feeble radio calls for help.

Cricketers, golfers and rugger players can also meet with accidents, sometimes on their hallowed grounds. But I comfort myself by thinking it does not often happen to the ameteur on their special day.

"Messenger" left Gibraltar on Sunday 12th, November, 2006, taking seven days to reach the soft breezes and clear sunlight of the Canary Islands, from

where I am sending this bulletin.

Having been given number 205, we have joined 325 other boats all preparing to set out on Sunday to travel to St Lucia. We are making friends with other groups from Kent. We bumped into Andrew Clague from Canterbury in "Blue Cowrie" soon after we landed here in Las Palmas. I will let you have other names when we discover who they are!

Today, we try out our Man Overboard drills. Tomorrow the Skippers have their final briefing, and at 11.00am on Sunday those racing depart.

This class includes some of the most beautiful designs ever produced. They will chase the wind in order to press on to the Carribean in half the time it will take us.

At Midday the rest of us will leave. We are a 300 or so bunch of boats containing the beautiful and ugly, the fast and the slow, the modern and old fashioned, the high tech and old salts. Unlike those racing we will avoid the high winds. Many of us will take more than 20 but less than 30 days to cross "the Pond". (Out of superstition I only whisper those twowords.)

I hope to send regular reports on our progress.

See arc.worldcruising.com/en/ for more details...