Countdown to the RORC Caribbean 600

The Royal Ocean Racing Club is all set for the 15th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600, organized in association with the Antigua Yacht Club. Over 60 teams are expected to be competing with 500 sailors from 26 different countries racing in a huge diversity of boats. The 600-mile offshore race which circumnavigates 11 Caribbean Islands starts February 19.

Multihull Line Honours
Three MOD70s are set for a line honors battle; Erik Maris racing Zoulou (FRA) is defending their win by 21 seconds last year. Jason Carroll’s Argo (USA) took line honors in 2022, setting the Multihull Race Record of 29 Hours 48 Mins 45 Secs. Alexia Barrier’s MOD70 Limosa – The Famous Project (FRA) is the first MOD70 to enter the race with a majority female crew, including co-skipper Dee Caffari.

With C-Foils and T-Rudders, Zoulou and Argo have a speed edge on Limosa in decent breeze. However, the RORC Caribbean 600 course has many twists and turns which may suit Limosa in original MOD70 configuration with less drag.

Monohull Line Honours
Three high performance Maxis are in contention for Monohull Line Honors and the overall win under IRC. Farr 100 Leopard 3 (MON), skippered by Chris Sherlock set the original Monohull Line Honors Race Record in 2009. Now under new ownership, Leopard 3 has had a major rebuild shedding tons of weight and a new high performance rig. In the last four months, Leopard has won line honors in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and RORC Transatlantic Race.

The Wally 107 Spirit of Malouen X (FRA) poses the biggest threat to Leopard 3. The longest boat in the race is crewed by the Paprec Sailing Team, managed by Skipper Stephane Neve for the last 25 years. The trio of boats over 100ft is completed by the 102ft Southern Wind Egiwave. The Italian Pro-Crew come from Porto Cervo, Sardinia under the leadership of Mauro Montefusco and Pierpaolo Mori.

The Monohull Race Record was set in 2018 by George David’s Rambler 88 (USA) – 01 days 13 hrs 41 mins 45 secs.

MOCRA Multihull Class
While all three MOD70s will also be vying for the corrected time win under the MOCRA Rule, reigning champion, Adrian Keller’s Irens 84 Allegra (FRA) is the favorite to retain the title. The largest multihull in the race weighs in at about 30 tons but is also capable of over 30 knots of boat speed.

In total, nine multihulls will be racing for the MOCRA Class. The smallest is the TS42 Banzai, sailed by Belgian Vince Willemart. Guy Chester’s Crowther 46 catamaran Oceans Tribute (AUS) was sailed from New Zealand to Antigua virtually single-handed by Chester. Closer to home, Wooldridge & Davis’ Kelsall 47 trimaran Triple Jack (BVI) is a legendary Caribbean racer, rebuilt after it was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Yann Marilley Outremer 59 No Limit (FRA), Fabrice Cahierc’s Ocean Fifty Planet-R (FRA) will also be in the mix for a corrected time win in the MOCRA Class.

Class40
Class40s have been racing in the RORC Caribbean 600 since the first edition. This year 10 Class40s are expected, including eight launched in the last five years. The latest design is Stéphane Bodin’s 2023 Verdier Wasabiii. The latest Sam Manuard Mach 5 designs in the race are: LHOR One, owned by Cedric Chateau, with a crew including Rolex Fastnet winner Alexis Loison and rising French sailor Guillaume Pirouelle, and Alternative Sailing – Construction du Belon, with English Skipper Mathieu Jones.

From the USA, Martin Roesch’s Mach 3 Velocity has an all North American crew and the boat won the 2019 Race, skippered by Catherine Pourre. Alexandre Le Gallais’ TrimControl crew includes Carlo Vroon, son of Tonnerre de Breskens Dutch legend Piet Vroon. Twenty-five-year-old German, Lennart Burke is one of the youngest skippers in the class and will be racing the 2022 Verdier Sign for Com (GER).

Overall Winner under IRC
The IRC Fleet for the RORC Caribbean 600 is extremely diverse. The overall winner after time correction will lift the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy, but to win the prestigious silver trophy, any team must first win their IRC Class.

IRC Super Zero
In addition to the 100ft-plus boats (Spirit of Malouen X/Paprec Sailing Team, Leopard 3, and Egiwave), IRC Super Zero has seven teams in total which includes three round the world racing yachts with pro-am crews. The Farr 70 Ocean Breeze (AUT), skippered by Johannes Schwarz was the first pro-am team in IRC to finish the 2024 RORC Transatlantic Race. Oliver Kobale and Gerwin Jansen, with a multinational pro-am crew will be racing the Farr designed VO65 Sisi (AUT). The Juan K designed Il Mostro (CAN) will be raced by the Atlas Ocean Racing Team from Montreal, Canada, led by Gilles Barbot.

The smallest yacht in IRC Super Zero is the Marten 72 Aragon (NED) which includes round the world sailors Wouter Verbraak and Carolijn Brouwer amongst a top international crew. In the last 14 editions of the race, the overall winner has come from the IRC Super Zero Class.

IRC Zero
While every boat racing under IRC has the chance of the overall win, race pundits consider two boats in IRC Zero to be among the favorites.

Niklas Zennström’s 52-foot Carkeek-designed CF520 Rán (SWE) is taking part in her second race, but technical problems hampered the team in the last edition and in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Team Rán won the race overall with Maxi 72 Rán in 2012. Rán team manager Tim Powell leads an all-star cast, including navigator Steve Hayles, trim lead Toby Iles, and boat captain Tom Kiff.

Peter & David Askew’s Botin 52 Wizard (USA) will be skippered by The Ocean Race winning skipper Charlie Enright. The Askew Brothers raced their Volvo 70 Wizard to overall victory in 2019. The new Wizard was formerly Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, a RORC Yacht of the Year, and three-time winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The Wizard crew are mainly from USA but includes Briton Simon Fisher, Canadian Richard Clarke, and Australian Phil Harmer.

Three displacement boats in IRC Zero will be hoping for big upwind conditions: Jean-Pierre Dréau’s Mylius 60 Lady First 3, Mills 62 Leaps and Bounds 2 skippered by Luca Lanzillo, and Colin Buffin’s Swan 62 Uxorious IV (GBR).

IRC Zero has a highly competitive line-up, including Frederic Puzin’s Ker 46 Daguet 3 (FRA). This will be the third race for the top French team who achieved third in class last year and fifth overall. Jon Desmond’s Mills 41 Final Final (USA) from the NYYC is also an expression of interest for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup.

IRC One
Three well sailed JPK 1180s are set for a thrilling battle in IRC One: Richard Fromentin’s Cocody (FRA), Tom Kneen’s Rolex Fastnet winner Sunrise III (GBR), and Dawn Treader (GBR), skippered by Ed Bell.

Cocody showed their mettle in the RORC Transatlantic Race with second overall and a class win after boldly taking the hard northern route. Dawn Treader is a young team that have been racing together for a few of seasons, including a team-building RORC Transatlantic Race. This is the second RORC Caribbean 600 for Dawn Treader and Sunrise III. In 2022, Sunrise III held off Dawn Treader by just 11 minutes after IRC time correction to win the class.

The biggest boat in IRC One is last year’s class winner – Tom Stark’s Nielsen 59 Hound (USA), co-skippered by Dan Litchfield. The classic Hound is 51 years old and has been lovingly restored for cruising the Eastern Seaboard of USA with Stark family and friends.

The Hound will be guided by navigator Richard du Moulin who has been in four America’s Cup campaigns and multiple offshore races all over the world, including 26 Newport Bermuda and five Rolex Fastnet Races. The smallest boat in the race is Nathalie Criou’s Figaro 2 Envolee, co-skippered by Berenice Charrez. The Swiss Bioengineering scientist is on a mission to merge extreme sports, notably offshore sailing, with scientific exploration.

IRC Two
For the lowest IRC rated boats in the RORC Caribbean 600, the race is a real marathon just to finish before the big party at the Grand Prize Giving, but make no mistake, IRC Two produces a very competitive competition, especially after IRC time correction, and is often the class where new sailors learn the art of offshore sailing from experienced competitors.

Well sailed boats in IRC Two include last year’s class winner Peter McWhinnie’s JPK 1080 In Theory (USA), representing the Larchmont Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Club. In Theory also won IRC Three in 2020. Gavin Howe’s Sun Fast 3600 Tigris (GBR) won IRC Two-Handed in the 2024 RORC Transatlantic Race with co-skipper Maggie Adamson. For the RORC Caribbean 600, Tigris will be four-up with Sam Cooper and Timothée Villain-Amirat joining the crew.

Bernie Evan-Wong’s Lapworth 39 Huey Too (ANT) is a legendary boat in the Caribbean. Evan-Wong has competed in every edition of the RORC Caribbean 600. Huey Too’s crew includes the youngest sailor in the race: Carrack Jones was born the year that Evan-Wong did the first race! Fourteen-year-old Carrack has attended the last two Optimist Worlds and North Americans representing Antigua & Barbuda, and last year sailed his Opti for the 100 nm from Antigua to St Martin.

Charles MacDonald’s Samoa 47 Argonaut (RSA) carries the biggest IRC Two rating and is representing the Royal Cape Yacht Club. The family-owned South African-built boat has spent most of its life racing in and around Cape Town, including five Cape2Rio races over the past three decades. Argonaut’s crew includes members of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club in Guernsey, UK.

The smallest boat in IRC Two is Enrico Calvi’s Dufour 34 Duffy (ITA). The Lega Navale Italiana team come from Naples and have competed in nine Rolex Middle Sea Races and one Rolex Fastnet Race. The largest boat in IRC Two is Joel Aronson’s S&S 49 Rule One (USA) from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Bermuda.

As a warm-up to the RORC Caribbean 600, 16 teams are expected to participate in the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series which includes inshore racing on February 13-14 and the Antigua 360 ‘Round Antigua’ race on February 16.

Details: http://caribbean600.rorc.org

THE RORC CARIBBEAN 600 SERIES:
• The 15th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 starts from Antigua on February 19, 2024. The 600nm course circumnavigates 11 Caribbean Islands starting from Fort Charlotte at English Harbour and heads north as far as St Martin and south to Guadeloupe taking in Barbuda, Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St Barth’s

• The 2024 RORC Caribbean 600 is preceded by the 2nd Nelson’s Cup Series with two days of inshore racing on February 13-14 followed by the Antigua 360 Race on February 16. This is the same format as the 2023 edition.

RORC Caribbean 600 Records
• Multihull Record: 01 days 05 hrs 48 mins 45 secs in 2022 by MOD70 Argo (Jason Carroll)
• Monohull Record: 01 days 13 hrs 41 mins 45 secs in 2018 by Rambler 88 (George David)
• IRC Corrected Record: 03 days 10 hrs 09 mins 41 secs in 2022 by Pac52 Warrior Won (Christopher Sheehan)