25/02/2025
A detailed look into the Caribbean 600
RORC Caribbean 600 – 2025
The 16th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 set sail from Fort Charlotte, Antigua, on February 24, 2025, with 66 yachts tackling the iconic 600-nautical-mile course around 11 Caribbean islands. This year’s race has delivered exhilarating offshore competition, with fresh 16-20 knot trade winds fueling intense battles across all classes.
As the fleet approaches the halfway mark, close duels are unfolding throughout the divisions. The race’s unique route—utilizing the north-south orientation of the islands—creates a dynamic challenge. With steady easterly trade winds, fast planing boats dominate certain sections, while in the more tactical windward-leeward legs, traditional strengths such as waterline length and efficient hull design come into play.
IRC Super Zero – The Battle of the Giants
A perennial showstopper, IRC Super Zero features the fastest monohulls in offshore racing. The Juan K 88 Lucky, skippered by Bryon Ehrhart, is holding a strong lead on the water, with Roy P. Disney’s Volvo 70 Pyewacket 70 and Joost Schuijff’s Farr 100 Leopard 3 in pursuit.
The turbocharged Volvo 70 Pyewacket has been snapping at the heels of the giant maxis, particularly excelling on reaching and downwind legs. However, the real story on corrected time is another optimized Volvo 70, Tschüss, currently leading the class on corrected.
A major shake-up came with the retirement of Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt due to an engine failure. While not impacting its sailing capability, safety concerns led to the decision to withdraw, taking a key contender—and one of the most stunning yachts in the fleet—out of the race.
IRC Zero – Highly Optimized Racing Machines
One of the most competitive classes, IRC Zero is stacked with lightweight, high-performance yachts designed for aggressive offshore racing. At the front, Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 52 Rán and Frédéric Puzin’s Carkeek 54 Daguet 5 are locked in a fierce battle, showcasing the power of modern planing hulls and optimized sail configurations. These boats have thrived in fast downwind conditions while also demonstrating exceptional windward-leeward performance.
Ino Noir, the Carkeek 45, has also been making waves, the baby sister of the three, often matching or leading on corrected time.
Just outside the top three is Final Final, a TP/Pac 52 and former RORC Caribbean 600 winner—proof of just how much yacht design is evolving in recent years.
IRC One – A Hard-Fought Offshore Contest
One of the most exciting battles is playing out in IRC One. While Philippe Frantz’s NMD 43 Albator is performing strongly, an unexpected leader has emerged: the Class40/Mach40 Tquila. Built for downwind trade-wind sailing.
Class 40s are wide, maximizing form stability and sail-carrying power. However, despite typically being less dominant in windward-leeward sections, Tquila has surprised many with its all-around performance.
Just behind, an intriguing race within a race has developed between two radically different designs:
• RP37 Warthog
• Marc Lombard 46 Pata Negra
For those interested in yacht design and IRC racing, this duel is particularly fascinating. Despite similar handicaps, these two boats achieve speed in vastly different ways.
• The Lombard 46 is a powerful, wide design with impressive sail-carrying capacity. It balances planing surfaces for downwind speed with a long hull that minimizes drag when heeled, giving it strong upwind performance.
• The RP37 Warthog follows a narrower, older-school approach, optimized for low wetted area and easily driven performance. However, built from modern carbon composites, it remains light and quick to plane.
On the windier reaching legs, the wider Lombard 46 has an advantage, leveraging its form stability to present more sail. However, in semi-planing downwind conditions, the lightweight RP37 can maximize speed, particularly if the heavier yachts struggle to plane in marginal winds.
Both designs have had chances to shine in different conditions, and this battle will be one to watch in the final days.
IRC Two – Stellar Performances and Notable Contenders
Ross Applebey’s Elan 450 Team Scarlet on Emily is leading the charge in IRC Two, showing both speed and tactical precision. However, one of the biggest surprises is the performance of Momo, a JPK 1030—one of the smallest yachts in the class—consistently challenging larger rivals.
The JPK 1030 represents the cutting edge of small offshore yacht design, combining strong all-around performance with surprising planing ability for its size.
Meanwhile, Team Scarlet, multiple-time victors of this race, benefits from the waterline length and momentum of the Elan 450—a heavier, more traditional offshore yacht. In moderate to strong winds, it thrives, but in light air or fast planing conditions, the JPK 1030 and other modern designs could pose a real threat.
The Final Push
With more than 300 miles still to race, the RORC Caribbean 600 remains one of the most thrilling offshore challenges of the year, pushing crews and boats to their limits.
The next 24 hours will be decisive—who will come out on top?
Follow the official race tracker for live updates: caribbean600.rorc.org.
