In existence since 2006 ARC -The record, set by Rinaldo Del Bono with the Italian maxi yacht "Capricorno", has been broken. At around 11 a.m. Central European Time (6 a.m. local time), the time had come: after 10 days, 21 hours, 25 minutes and 10 seconds, the clock stopped for Maximilian Klink and his crew when their 20-metre carbon fibre racer "Caro" crossed the finish line in Rodney Bay in the north of St. Lucia. Seven years ago, the "Capricorno" had taken around eight hours longer to cover the 3,000 nautical miles from Gran Canaria to the Caribbean.
The "Caro" was only completed in mid-June. It was designed by Botin Partners , built by Knierim Yacht Building. The boat is specially designed for long-distance regattas with a small crew. Her displacement is just 16.7 tonnes with a length of 20 metres and a maximum width of 5.20 metres. The sandwich construction for the hull and deck consists of carbon prepregs with a foam core. This construction method was also used for the Ker 51 "Varuna" and the STP 65 "Container".
Lightweight with large sail area
The four-saling rig is also made of carbon, the sail wardrobe is from Doyle Sailmakers. On an upwind course, 226 square metres of cloth can be set, downwind 566 square metres. The engine room, which houses the main engine, a 110 hp Volvo D3 diesel, a second diesel engine and the hydraulic system, is located centrally under the cockpit. The latter operates the lifting keel. The winches, backstay, traveller, boom vang, furling system and genoa lifting points are also operated hydraulically.
The "Caro" sails under the flag of the Cayman Islands. Its owner Maximilian Klink is German. He lives in Lucerne/Switzerland, where he holds positions on the boards of directors of several investment companies. He has already taken part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in the past.
Chances of winning the group as well
At the ARC 2013, the "Caro" should not only be the first yacht to cross the finish line in the Line Honours, it will also be almost impossible to take victory in the Racing Division A based on calculated time. Even the Volvo 70 "Monster Project", which had also set out to break the ARC record, can no longer pose a threat to the "Caro". The racer sailing under the British flag is not expected to reach St Lucia until tomorrow evening and has a significantly worse handicap than the "Caro".
The Marten 49 "Capital-Conseil" is currently closest in the Racing Division A. She is currently around 30 hours behind the "Caro", but still has 793 nautical miles to sail - and therefore still has several days to make up time on the new record holder.
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
