RORC Caribbean 600
This year's RORC Caribbean 600 was characterised by photo finishes. Here's our pick of the highlights...
PHOTOS ARTHUR DANIEL/TIM WRIGHT/RORC
F
52
irst to grab the headlines was a battle of the giants that went down to the wire in this year’s hotly contested RORC Caribbean 600. A trio of 70ft tris chased each other in a record-breaking dash from Antigua and around the beautiful Leeward Islands, the winner sailing into the history books with a new multihull race record of just 29 hours, 38 minutes and 44 seconds. Incredibly, at the end of this super-charged battle just two minutes, 13 seconds MAY 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
Close quarters separated first and second, with the winner decided in the final few miles of the 600nm race. Scooping that top prize was Jason Carroll’s Argo - third time lucky for the boat, which had been runner up in this now-iconic race twice before. They overhauled Giovanni Soldini’s Multi70 Maserati in a fierce tacking duel in the closing stages of the race, while Peter Cunningham’s Powerplay – the early race leader – settled for third. Jason Carroll described the race as “an emotional rollercoaster” and the finish as “awesome”, adding, it was “so exciting for the whole crew, this was an opportunity not just to sail fast but to flex your sailing skills.” He also acknowledged the strength of competitor Maserati, saying “they sailed a great race.”
ABOVE
IRC1 and 2 after the start: Peter Lewis' J/121 Whistler chases Christopher Daniel's J/122 Juno
RIGHT, TOP
Jason Carroll's MOD70 Argo flies past rival Maserati on the way to multihull line honours
RIGHT, INSET
Jason Carroll (left) lifts the trophy together with Brian Thompson
Team triumph
In the early hours of the following morning, the ClubSwan 125 Skorpios, skippered by Fernando Echavarri, crossed the finish line in Antigua to take monohull line honours with an elapsed time of 1 day, 16 hours, 39 minutes and 51 seconds. Less than an hour later, the 100ft super maxi Comanche followed under skipper Mitch Booth. The two boats had raced within sight of one another for the entirety of the race. There was a possibility that Comanche had done enough for the overall win; however, a storming performance by Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior Won saw the USA flagged boat seal the overall win on corrected time. For Sheehan and his crew, it was
