Advanced Rigging & Hydraulics extends support for ARC crews across the Atlantic

Advanced Rigging & Hydraulics (AR&H), part of the Ancasta Group, is supporting bluewater sailors beyond the dock this autumn, with General Manager Tom Cload providing technical support to ARC crews in Las Palmas at the start before joining a client’s yacht for the Atlantic crossing.

Rigging support in Las Palmas

As part of AR&H’s partnership with World Cruising Club, Tom will travel to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ahead of the 2026 ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), where he will offer specialist rigging advice and practical technical support to participating skippers and crews preparing for the 2,700NM passage to Saint Lucia.

He will host two seminars during the ARC pre-departure programme, covering essential rigging checks and maintenance before departure and the key areas crews should monitor once underway. Tom will also visit participating yachts in the marina, giving owners and crews the opportunity to discuss last-minute technical questions before setting sail.

For owners preparing yachts for extended offshore cruising, the role reflects the growing importance of detailed preparation, system knowledge and practical support before committing to an ocean passage.

First-time Atlantic crossing for AR&H rigger

Following his shoreside commitments, Tom will join the five-person crew of client Donald Kingsnorth’s Oyster 62, Pearlfisher, as co-skipper for the ARC rally itself. It will be Tom’s first Atlantic crossing.

“When Donald asked me to join Pearlfisher for the ARC, I was delighted to accept,” he says. “We’ve sailed and raced together on a number of occasions, and having worked closely on the yacht’s refit, I know Pearlfisher and her systems extremely well.

“Supporting owners preparing for offshore and ocean sailing is a significant part of what we do at Advanced Rigging & Hydraulics, so the opportunity to take that experience all the way across the Atlantic is particularly valuable.

“On a personal level, crossing the Atlantic under sail has long been on my bucket list, so I’m extremely grateful to my colleagues at AR&H and across the Ancasta Group for making it possible for me to take advantage of such an exciting opportunity.”

Donald comments: “I’m really thrilled that Tom has agreed to join us as co-skipper on this adventure across the Atlantic. Over the last couple of years, he’s become a good and trusted friend, and his experience and detailed knowledge of the boat will be invaluable. He’s worked closely with me to achieve this major refit which I could not have done without his and AR&H’s sound advice and attention to detail.

“Over the years I’ve sailed and raced boats of most sizes and delivered boats for friends into the Med, but like Tom, this will be my first crossing of the Atlantic. To be part of the ARC 2026 and supported by AR&H is a very enticing prospect, and I can’t wait for it to start.”

Offshore sailing refit for Oyster 62

Built in 2001, Pearlfisher was the first Oyster 62 and has undergone a substantial refit with AR&H and Ancasta Yacht Services – both part of the Ancasta Group – since Donald acquired the yacht two years ago.

The programme has modernised the yacht and prepared her for Donald’s ocean-going ambitions. Work has included a complete re-rig with rod rigging; a new custom furling boom and mainsail system with electric drive and remote operation for safe handling from the cockpit; custom davits and a tender upgrade; full tank and power monitoring systems; upgraded electronics and Starlink installation; a Remoran hydrogenerator; and two watermakers.

The refit combines the specialist rigging expertise of AR&H with the wider engineering and technical capabilities available through Ancasta Yacht Services, creating a yacht equipped for extended offshore cruising.

For AR&H, the crossing will provide an opportunity to take the same technical knowledge used during Pearlfisher’s refit into a real-world ocean passage, while continuing its wider support for owners preparing for offshore sailing.

Pearlfisher and her crew are due to depart Las Palmas with the ARC fleet on 22 November, with the aim of completing the crossing in under three weeks – arriving in plenty of time for the ARC prizegiving on Saturday 19 December, and for Tom to return home to celebrate Christmas with his family.