Record conditions did not prevail at the RORC Caribbean 600 this year. However, just like the duel in the multihulls, the battle of the 100-foot maxis also offered thrilling sport. The monohull line honours went to Ramon Vos' crew on "Black Jack 100". In contrast, the race ended dramatically for the crew on Marc Lepesqueux's TS42 "Cata Sensation".
RORC Caribbean 600: Class40 crew rescues capsized catamaran
The catamaran with the sail number FRA 53228 capsized northwest of Antigua on 26 February. The Class40 team on "Solano" reacted the fastest. The team led by skipper and owner Robin Follin successfully rescued all six crew members of the "Cata Sensation" and brought them to Antigua. The organisers from the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) were able to quickly give the all-clear with regard to the sailors.
An RORC statement said: "We thank the crews of the Class 40 'Solano' as well as the MG5 'Wellness Training' and VO70 'Cockatoo' who also responded to the incident. We would also like to thank all the sea rescue services for their assistance in this situation. All crew members are safe and well and are being cared for by the RORC race team and helpers in Antigua."
The capsize occurred a good 15 nautical miles west of St. John's Harbour. According to consistent reports, the crew was travelling very fast at well over 30 knots and, according to initial estimates, was caught by a squall. The Coast Guard was notified about half an hour after the incident, dispatched its rapid response team and issued an urgent sea alert to all vessels in the vicinity.
Coastguard escorts rescuers and rescued people to the harbour of destination
Three crews had altered course to provide assistance. 25 minutes later, the good news came that all six crew members of the "Cata Sensation" had been rescued with minor injuries such as abrasions. A coastguard boat escorted "Solano" to Falmouth harbour. Meanwhile, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard continues to track the position of the capsized catamaran and issued a warning to all crews in RORC 600 and other boats in the area to exercise maximum caution in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the start and finish harbour for the RORC Caribbean 600 continued to fill up. Ramon Vos' crew on "Black Jack 100" was celebrated. The team led by skipper Tristan Le Brun took the line honours in the monohull yacht category after a thrilling duel with "Leopard 3". In the end, 29 minutes made the difference. "Black Jack 100" completed her 639 miles sailed in the RORC 600 in 1 day, 20 hours, 31 minutes and 36 seconds.
At the finish line, the owner said: "We came here to win. The crew is very competitive. With lots of young, very motivated people." But the victory, according to Ramon Vos, is only part of the joy. Looking at the competitors on "Leopard 3", he said: "It's important to have a fight. That's what makes it fantastic."
Thrilling 100-foot duel characterises the RORC Caribbean 600
"Black Jack 100" is the former "Alfa Romeo II", which her current team has given even more speed for offshore challenges in a refit. Nevertheless, the RORC Caribbean 600 was initially led by "Leopard 3" at the start this year. Tristan Le Brun explained: "'Leopard 3' is heavier and has more righting moment." Which is why her rival is 15 to 20 knots faster upwind.
By Barbuda, the "Black Jack 100" crew had turned the tables in the race around eleven Caribbean islands, leading by a good two minutes. By Nevis Island, Tristan Le Brun and his crew had extended this lead to more than twelve minutes. By St Barth, the lead had shrunk back to one and a half minutes. The bow-to-bow race between the two giants kept sailors and observers on the edge of their seats.
As so often in the past of the RORC Caribbean 600, the lee of Guadeloupe was the decisive factor. "Black Jack 100" navigator Max Deckers had a clear plan for this. "Max wanted to stay close to the coast: the shortest route, the fastest passage, where the wind sometimes comes from land," said Tristan Le Brun. The strategy initially paid off. But behind Guadeloupe, the upwind strength of "Leopard 3" came into play once again. Her crew was able to take the lead again and sail up to six and a half minutes ahead.
"Black Jack 100" has the better cards when it comes to raking
The joy did not last long, however, because the lighter "Black Jack 100" had the ace up its sleeve when reaching Barbuda. At Barbuda, Tristan Le Brun and his crew had sailed to a lead of 22 minutes. On the other bow, they even gained more than 35 minutes to the uninhabited Caribbean island of Redonda. This kind of power reaching gave "Black Jack 100" victory in the 17th RORC Caribbean 600, even though "Leopard 3" was able to snatch a few more minutes from her in the final sprint.
It was probably the best boat-versus-boat duel we have ever experienced in this race." Chris Sherlock
But the "Leopard 3" crew, who were narrowly beaten on the course, also enjoyed this duel between the two maxis sailing under the Monaco flag. Skipper Christopher Sherlock said at the finish: "'Black Jack' sailed fantastically. We take our hats off to these guys." Sherlock contested his eleventh RORC Caribbean 600 this year on Joost Schuijff's "Leopard 3". The reward for his efforts: his team took the lead in the IRC overall standings with a sailed time of 1 day, 21 hours and 40 seconds while the race was still ongoing.
The only German yacht in the race still had around 25 nautical miles to sail to the finish on the morning of 27 February: Henrik Teichmann's "45 South 2" from 1975, once built in New Zealand for the 1976 One Ton Cup in Marseille, was in sixth place in IRC 2 shortly before the end of the race. Line honours for the multihulls had already celebrated "Argo" two days ago. The tracking for the current RORC Caribbean 600 can be found here.
The clip of the victory of "Black Jack 100" over "Leopard 3" in the battle for line honours. In the overall IRC rankings, however, "Leopard 3" has the lead:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
