RORC Caribbean 600: Melwin Fink and Lennart Burke ahead of Class 40 start in Caribbean classic

Around 500 athletes from 26 countries will compete in the 15th edition of the Caribbean classic RORC Caribbean 600. If you are lucky enough to be in the Caribbean at the time, you can watch the start of the 600-nautical-mile long-distance race through the Caribbean islands from Fort Charlotte high above the spectacular Pillars of Hercules or from Shirley Heights with impressively beautiful views.

After the start off Antigua, the RORC Caribbean 600 leads through the Anguilla Channel in the north and around Les Saintes off Guadeloupe in the south. The non-stop race also passes the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, Nevis, St Kitts, Saba, St Barth, Montserrat and Redonda. The race offers one of the dream courses in the international world of leading long-distance races.

The two founders and young sailors from Team Next Generation Boating are also taking part this year: Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are not sailing their Class 40 in the RORC Caribbean 600 as a pair, but have brought two more sailors on board. The Italian mini-sailor Nicolò Gamenara and the experienced Swiss Simon Koster have joined the crew for the four-handed regatta.

As we won't have as much wind towards the end, we really have to step on the gas at the beginning" (Melwin Fink)

The two German Class 40 climbers know Nicolò Gamenara from the Mini-Transat. Since then, he has helped out on the Class 40 "Sign for Com" from time to time. Simon "Simi" Koster, professional sailor and co-skipper on the Imoca "Hublot", sailed to fourth place in the Route du Rhum and came second in the Transat Jacques Vabre with his Class 40.

"We're really looking forward to racing in the warmth of the Caribbean. It's going to be fantastic! The Caribbean 600 is a very well-known race. We are delighted to be part of it," said Melwin Fink shortly before the start of the Caribbean rally. Fink continued: "The RORC Caribbean 600 is a kind of counterpart to the Fastnet race that we sailed in the summer. It will be a mega race, very demanding. As we won't have as much wind towards the end, we'll have to really step on the gas at the start. We expect the trade wind to be still at the beginning. At the end it will probably be quite a light wind push."

Looking at the forecast wind conditions, Melwin Fink explained: "Hopefully we can improve our light wind skills a bit more. Navigating between the islands will be very challenging!" The crew anticipates a sailing time of three days and a few hours. "The crew and boat are in great shape," assured Melwin Fink a few hours before the starting signal.

Caribbean start to the year for Burke and Fink

The quartet has spent the past few days in Martinique, where the "Sign for Com" has been moored since the final of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Master boatbuilder Markus "Porky" Mehlen and Lennart Burke had already been working intensively on the boat for 14 days when the other sailors arrived and helped with the final touches. For the two German skippers Melwin Fink and Lennart Burke, the Caribbean 600 is the first race of the 2024 regatta year, followed by appearances in the Atlantic Cup in May and the Transat Quebec Saint-Malo at the end of June. The Class 40 will start on 19 February at 16:10 German time and can be viewed here in tracking live be pursued.

Hanno Ziehm's crew will start on the Marten 49 "Moana" in the largest IRC fleet. As in the successful RORC Transatlantic Race, Lorenz Pinck will skipper the crew on the modified cruiser-racer. After the Transat, Lorenz Pinck said: "'Moana' is a great cruiser-racer with a powerful rig and sail plan." With the success in the race across the Atlantic behind them, the "Moana" crew is looking forward to the RORC Caribbean 600 with great anticipation.

The live broadcast of the start of the RORC Caribbean 600 is scheduled to begin at 3.55pm German time and will be shown on the homepage of the Caribbean classic here.

Click here for the preview of the RORC Caribbean 600: