The RORC Caribbean 600 is set to return in 2022 with a fleet of 70 boats starting the increasingly popular middle-distance race on Monday February 21.
One of the last international racing events to take place before the covid 19 pandemic in 2020, the RORC Caribbean 600 was canceled in 2021 but is back with a strong international fleet this year.
The 600nm course circumnavigates 11 Caribbean islands from Fort Charlotte, English Harbour, Antigua before heading north to St Martin, and south to Guadeloupe via Barbuda , Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St Barth’s.
The great battle at the head of the fleet will oppose the two giant monohulls, Comanche and Scorpios – both of which were built to break ocean records and achieve online victories.
The two boats have already met last year during the Rolex Middle Sea Race, where Comanche emerged victorious. Scorpios led early in the race, but eventually gave way to the smaller maxi-class yacht (only 100ft compared to Skorpios’ 125ft).
Launched in 2014, the Maxi designed by VPLP/Verdier Comanche is a proven yacht with many records to her name, now racing under new ownership under skipper Mitch Booth. The team will compete in the RORC Caribbean 600 after a strong start to the campaign, also winning the RORC Transatlantic Race for line honors and IRC overall on corrected time.
Enough sailing? Skorpios off the Dorset coast. The ClubSwan 125 is named after owner Rybolovlev’s famous Greek island, where Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Photo: Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images
The more recently launched ClubSwan 125 Scorpios, which hit the water for the first time just before the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, has probably yet to show its true potential, with many thousands of hours of work needed to optimize a boat of this size and complexity. . Juan K’s design is built to push the limits, as the largest offshore racing monohull, possibly the deepest draft non-lifting keel (7.4m) and largest deck plan combination. wing ever designed.
The competition between these two formidable adversaries at the forefront of the fleet will delight tracker fanatics.
They are not the only 100 footers to start. A record holder in its glory days, the 100 foot Maxi Leopard will join the front of the fleet. Although it doesn’t quite live up to the performance of the other two, Leopard can still deliver serious pace under the right conditions. Another swan over 100 feet, the 115 Shamanawill be competed in a little more comfort.
Volvo Ocean Race Fleet
Although not used in the Volvo Ocean Race (now Ocean Race) for several iterations, the Volvo 70s still prove to be impressive bits of kit and six of the canting keel offshore thoroughbreds will be on the starting line of this year’s Caribbean 600. They understand Trifork L4Previously Ericsson 4the Juan K design that won the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, which has now been carefully modified with side foils.
Alongside these boats inherited from the Volvo Ocean Race, three Volvo Ocean 65s – the only model used in the 2014-15 and 2017-18 editions of the Volvo Ocean Races and which will be used alongside the crewed IMOCA 60s in the next 2022-23 edition of The Race to the Ocean.
Multihulls
It has become a tradition to see MOD70 trimarans battle it out around the Caribbean 600 course, which weaves a circuitous course around a variety of Caribbean islands that can offer plenty of opportunities to change heads.
Powerplay leading the start of the RORC Transatlantic Race, 8th January 2022. Photo James Mitchell
This year’s RORC Caribbean 600 race is set to be no different with power play and Argo both ready to be on the starting line alongside the old modified MOD70 (now Multi70) maserati. Expect a close battle between these three.
They will all be faced with the 80-foot Maxi9-Multihull, Ultim’emotion 2previously Sodebowith a solid fleet of high-performance multihulls all looking to take the course by storm.
IRC Competitors
Although the fastest boats will fight for line honors and hope for the double whammy of home first and a time-out win, if the weather is right for some of the smaller boats in the fleet an overall victory is completely on the map.
Handicap winnings can be hard to predict because they are so dependent on the weather, but you’d be hard pressed to bet against Thomas Kneen’s JPK 1080. Sunrisewho won the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race and finished 2nd in the Rolex Middle Sea Race after a controversial shortened course due to weather conditions.
Sunrise towards the finish (and victory) of Cherbourg in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2021
Sunrise will probably be pushed all the way by another JPK 1080, Dawn Treader, which have proven to be impressive and will provide fierce competition. Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 scarlet oyster is still competitive, having given the giant Comanche a close race for IRC’s overall victory in the RORC Transatlantic Race earlier this year. In the meantime, the right conditions could well see a surprise win for JPK 1010, Jangadaone of only two IRC boats to race double-handed.
The fastest boats in IRC Zero will be looking forward to a blistering run in the Caribbean trades, and could also have a shot at IRC overall if conditions present themselves. The Pac52 warrior won was a class winner in the 2021 Transpac and has an elite crew including offshore racing legend Stu Bannatyne and will do battle with another Pac52, Callisto. Direct competition for these two will come from Botin IRC 52 talawho took third place in the recent RORC Transatlantic Race
Another fast boat looking for victory will be the always competitive teasing machinewhile the Cookson 50 Corsair will be looking to add another offshore win to her long list of trophies, which includes an RORC Caribbean 600 win in 2013 (and 2nd in 2018).
You can see the full Caribbean 600 list here
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