Monday 23 February 2015
Organised by The Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with Antigua Yacht Club
Start: Antigua, West Indies - Monday 23 February 2015
Course: Approx. 600nm non-stop around 11 Caribbean Islands
PRESS RELEASE: Antigua, Monday 23 February 2015
Awesome 66 - RORC Caribbean 600
A spectacular start to the 2015 RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua as IRC Zero and Canting Keel class, including George David's Rambler 88 and John Elkann's Volvo 70, Maserati cross the line ©Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
66 yachts started the 7th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600, with hundreds of race fans watching the impressive fleet from Fort Charlotte and Shirley Heights. Thousands more are now glued to the tracker and social media feeds. After a classic start in 15 knots of easterly trade winds, the fleet powered past the Pillars of Hercules, heading for Green Island where they will bear away and accelerate towards Barbuda, the only mark of the 600-mile course around 11 stunning Caribbean islands.
Phaedo3, Lloyd Thornburg's MOD 70 © Richard and Rachel/Team Phaedo
Lloyd Thornburg's MOD 70 Phaedo3, with Michel Desjoyeaux and Brian Thompson on board, had a conservative start with Petro Jonker's cruising catamaran, Quality Time crossing the line first. Phaedo3 lit the blue touch paper at Green Island, blasting through the surf at well over 30 knots. The lime-green machine reached Barbuda in less than two hours, well ahead of record pace and eight miles ahead of Peter Aschenbrenner's Irens 63, Paradox.
In the second start, 19 yachts in IRC Two and Three started the 600-mile race. For most of the crews racing in the smaller yachts it will be three or four days before they complete the challenge. Ed Fishwick's Sunfast 3600, Redshift, skippered by Nick Cherry, got a great start at the pin-end with Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster, judging the inner distance mark to perfection. Andy Middleton's First 47.7, EH01 and Scarlet Oyster were the first yachts in IRC Two to reach Green Island and it is likely that these two will be neck-and-neck for the duration of the race. In IRC Three, Peter Scholfield's HOD 35, Zarafa was leading on the water at Green Island. However the Two Handed team racing Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK 10.10, Raging Bee was the leader in class after time correction.
Scarlet Oyster, Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 ©Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
Jonathan Bamberger's Canadian J/145, Spitfire and Joseph Robillard's S&S 68, Black Watch got the best start in the 15 strong fleet racing in IRC One. However, Jose Diego-Arozamena's Farr 72, Maximizer, revelled in the upwind start to lead on the water at Green Island. Oyster 625, Lady Mariposa, sailed by Daniel Hardy had a great leg to Green Island as did James Blakemore's Swan 53, Music which was leading after time correction.
The penultimate start featured 21 yachts racing in IRC Zero and Canting Keel, arguably the best fleet of offshore sailing yachts that has ever been seen in the Caribbean. A highly competitive start saw Piet Vroon's Ker 51, Tonnerre 4, win the pin, while Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50, Privateer took the island shore route to perfection. Farr 100, Leopard sailed by Christopher Bake, also had a great start, controlling the boats to leeward heading for the Pillars of Hercules.
Hap Fauth's Maxi 72, Bella Mente had a sensational first leg of the race, rounding Green Island first out of the IRC Zero class, but all eyes were on George David's Rambler 88, as the powerful sled turned on the after burners. George David's new speed-machine could well break his own monohull course record; at Barbuda Rambler 88 was almost five miles ahead of the ghost track of the record set by Rambler 100.
George David's Rambler 88 ©Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
Two of the world's most magnificent schooners were the last class to start. Athos and Adela started their match race in the pre-start and there is no doubt that the battle of the titans will continue throughout the race. Athos won the pre-start in some style, chasing Adela downwind and away from the line, before rounding up onto the breeze and crossing the line over a boat length ahead of her rival. However, Adela was far better suited to the beat up to Green Island and led as the two schooners continued their rivalry towards Barbuda.
Note: Liquid, Pamala C Baldwin's J/122 and Quality Time, Petro Jonker's Du Toit 51 catamaran retired at the start following boat damage. All of the crew are well.
Bella Mente, Hap Fauth's ©Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
MEDIA REQUESTS:
Trish Jenkins - trish@j2pr.co.uk
RACE MINISITE:
Follow the race web site: http://caribbean600.rorc.org
Keep up to date with all the news, blogs, images, video and daily race reports.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub
Twitter: #rorcrc600 - Follow @OffshoreOne
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/race-information/tracking/2015-fleet-tracking.html
PLAY THE GAME - VIRTUAL REGATTA:
If you can't make the race but want to compete against thousands of 'armchair sailors' around the world, join the RORC Caribbean 600 Virtual Regatta:
http://manyclick.manyplayers.com/click.php?li=4428
( Entry list HERE)
CONTACTS:
Media contacts onsite, Antigua:
Race Reports:
Louay Habib
E: louayhabib@gmail.com
Local cell:
+1 268 717 7189
Lizzy Narraway, Media Assistant
E: en@rorc.org
Local cell: + 1 268 775 3716
International Press Enquiries:
Trish Jenkins, J2 Communications
RORC Caribbean 600 Press Officer
E: trish@j2pr.co.uk
Mb: +44 (0)7880 518689 - T: +44 (0)1983 292576
Race Enquiries:
Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC)
E: racing@rorc.org
T: +44 (0)20 7518 3131 /020 7493 2248
W: http://rorc.org
THE RACE:
RORC Caribbean 600 website: http://caribbean600.rorc.org
The RORC Caribbean 600 starts from Antigua on Monday 23rd February 2015
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
Past Results: RORC CARIBBEAN 600 TROPHY - IRC OVERALL
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)
ORGANISERS:
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 including the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championship 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 the RORC has extended its organisational expertise by creating a new Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014.
The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after the recent merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes, now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4000.
The RORC has also been a leader in yacht handicap systems and in co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, created IRC; the principal yacht measurement system for the rating of racing yachts 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
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