RORC Caribbean 600. The Magic Carpet Ride

The 8th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 started in spectacular style with the record 70 yacht fleet gathering in the starting area outside English Harbour, Antigua. Under the Pillars of Hercules, the magnificent collection of yachts started the 600 nmile race in a sublime 14 knot south-easterly breeze with brilliant sunshine. The conditions were enough to have the fleet fully ramped up and a not insignificant swell added to the excitement. Five highly competitive starts thrilled hundreds of spectators lining the cliffs at Shirley Heights and Fort Charlotte. Not only was this a record fleet for the RORC Caribbean 600, it was undoubtedly the highest quality of participants since the inaugural race in 2009.

CSA, IRC 2 & IRC 3 Start
24 yachts engaged in a pre-start peloton resulting in a tremendous battle for the line. The all-girl Sirens' Tigress; IRC 2 champion, Scarlet Oyster and Polish team, Por Favor executed text book starts. However, winning the pin was American Swan 48, Isbjorn. Jua Kali also got away well which was marvellous for the British team who badly damaged their rig in the Atlantic en route to the start.

IRC 1 & CLASS40
17 yachts started the race with American Sydney 43, Christopher Dragon winning the pin ahead of Canadian Farr 45, Spitfire. Spanish Tales II was the first Class40 to cross the line with Antiguan entry Taz also starting well. Belladonna, skippered by RORC Admiral and IMA Secretary General  Andrew McIrvine had a great start controlling the favoured coastal side of the course.

IRC Zero & IRC Canting Keel
The most impressive start in the eight-year history of the race featured 23 head-turning yachts. 115ft Baltic, Nikata tried to use her might to win the pin but encountered severe congestion, forcing the superyacht to round the wrong side of the pin. Lithuanian Volvo 60, Ambersail were overeager and with no room to bear away, sailed around the pin end buoy. Irish Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners was adjudged OCS and had to restart. Dutch Ker 51, Tonnerre 4 with octogenarian owner Piet Vroon on board had a cracking start, as did Hap Fauth's Maxi72, Bella Mente going for speed and heading for the lift off the cliffs. Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze Clark's, 100ft Maxi Comanche had a slightly conservative run-up to the line before the big winches growled in a dial-down and Comanche powered up, accelerating into the lead.

Superyacht
The penultimate start featured two of the largest yachts competing in the RORC Caribbean 600. Southernwind 102 Farfalla executed a textbook start to begin the 600-nmile race, assisted by a crew including Steve Hayles as navigator, winner of the race with Niklas Zennstrom's RAN in 2012. The magnificent sight of 178ft schooner Adix crossing the line under full sail drew gasps from the crowd ashore. Adix is the first three-masted schooner to take part in the race.

MOCRA Multihull
Six Multihulls including MOD70s Phaedo3 & Concise 10 lined up for the last start of the day. Phaedo3 and Concise 10 locked horns in the pre-start as expected, with Phaedo3 co-skippered by Lloyd Thornburg and Brian Thompson gaining a small but significant advantage at the start. Concise 10 had to tack offshore to escape bad air and ploughed through several spectator boats that had gathered close to the exclusion zone. The two MOD70s are expected to have a titanic battle over the next two days. Belgian Zed 6 reported a broken daggerboard before the start but managed a repair in time to begin the race.

With a south-easterly breeze the fleet took a long starboard tack to Green Island where they bore away for Barbuda hoisting downwind sails. The sleigh ride has already begun for Comanche, Phaedo3 and Concise 10 with the YB tracker already showing the trio hitting close to 30 knots of boat speed. The wind is expected to return to the east before morning and freshen to a possible 20 knots when many more of this magnificent fleet will be enjoying the magic carpet ride of strong trade winds.

Watching the start from the cliffs at Shirley Heights was RORC Chief Executive Eddie Warden Owen who could not help but marvel at the quality of the fleet: "This is an amazing collection of boats sailed by the best offshore sailors in the world and was shown by the intensity of the start. Each fleet battled for the outer favoured end of the line, caused by the wind being south of its normal easterly direction. No one held back," said Warden Owen "And I am surprised we only had one boat over the line at the start. The lighter wind increasing as the week goes on, could favour a small boat for an overall win under the IRC rating rule. It will be fun to watch, but I'd much prefer to be out there racing."
Hundreds of spectators watched the start of the 8th RORC Caribbean 600 from ashore and on the water

For more information visit the RORC Caribbean 600 mini-site: www.caribbean600.rorc.org
 
High resolution images will be available from the race for editorial use and requests for specific interviews/photographs/video should be made to: press@rorc.org

RACE MINISITE: Follow the race on the minisite: http://caribbean600.rorc.org

Keep up to date with all the news. There will be blogs from the boats themselves on the race course, images, video and daily race reports. Follow the action as it unfolds on the RORC Caribbean 600 website.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook. Follow the race on: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub
Twitter: #rorcrc600  - Follow @rorcracing

TRACK THE FLEET:
Every yacht is fitted with a race tracker and their progress can be followed on the race website: http://caribbean600.rorc.org/Tracking/2016-fleet-tracking.html

Join the Virtual Regatta HERE: http://click.virtualregatta.com/?li=4559

(Race Reports): Louay Habib

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Media contacts onsite:

Race Reports:
Louay Habib
E: louayhabib@gmail.com
Local cell:
+1 268 717 7231

International Press Enquiries:
Trish Jenkins, J2 Communications
RORC Caribbean 600 Press Officer
E: trish@j2pr.co.uk
Mb: +44 (0)7880 518689
Local cell: +1 268 789 7913    

Race Enquiries:
Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC)
E: racing@rorc.org
W:  http://rorc.org

THE RORC CARIBBEAN 600

    RORC Caribbean 600 minisite: http://caribbean600.rorc.org
    The RORC Caribbean 600 starts from Antigua on Monday 22nd February 2016
    The 600nm course circumnavigates 11 Caribbean Islands starting from Fort Charlotte, English Harbour, Antigua and heads north as far as St Martin and south to Guadeloupe taking in Barbuda, Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St Barth's    
    Twitter Hashtag : #rorcrc600
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub/?ref=hl
    Minisite:  http://caribbean600.rorc.org
    Virtual Race: http://click.virtualregatta.com/?li=4559
    Track the fleet: http://caribbean600.rorc.org/Tracking/2016-fleet-tracking.html

Past Results:
RORC CARIBBEAN 600 TROPHY - IRC OVERALL (Best best corrected time under IRC)

    2015 - Hap Fauth, JV72, Bella Mente (USA)
    2014 - George Sakellaris, RP72, Shockwave (USA)
    2013 - Ron O'Hanley, Privateer, Cookson 50 (USA)
    2012 - Niklas Zennström's JV72, Rán (GBR)
    2011 - George David, Rambler 100, JK 100 (USA)
    2010 - Karl C L Kwok, Beau Geste, Farr 80 (HKG)
    2009 - Adrian Lee, Lee Overlay Partners, Cookson 50 (IRL)

THE RORC:

    Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas such as the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championships in the Solent
    The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600 based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success and last year the RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the new RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada in November 2014 
    The club is based in St James' Place, London and Cowes, Isle of Wight
    In co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, RORC is responsible for IRC, the principal international handicap system for yacht racing worldwide.The Spinlock IRC rating rule is administered jointly by the RORC Rating Office in Lymington, UK and UNCL Centre de Calcul in Paris, France
    The RORC Rating Office is the technical hub of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and recognised globally as a centre of excellence for measurement. For Spinlock IRC rating information in the UK please see:  www.rorcrating.com
    www.rorc.org
    http://caribbean600.rorc.org