Seventy-five boats are entered for the RORC Caribbean 600 which starts on 21st of February in Antigua. The bulk of the astonishing fleet will be racing under IRC for overall victory and the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy. Over 700 sailors from 32 different nations will take on the thrilling race in the deep mid-winter of the Northern Hemisphere. The beauty of the course is matched by the beast of conditions; trade winds and ocean swell create an exhilarating blast in tropical air around 11 islands in the Caribbean.


Dmitry Rybolovlev’s Club Swan 125 Skorpios

Dmitry Rybolovlev’s ClubSwan 125 Skorpios (MON), sailed by Fernando Echavarri, and the VPLP/Verdier 100 Comanche (CAY) skippered by Mitch Booth are favourites for Monohull Line Honours. Both Maxis are very capable of beating the Monohull Race Record set in 2018 by George David’s Rambler 88 (37 hours, 41 minutes, 45 seconds). The wild card for Line Honours is the Farr 100 Leopard skippered by Chris Sherlock. Leopard took Line Honours in the very first edition and it is great to see the famous boat back in Antigua. Comanche and Skorpios have only raced each other once before with Comanche taking the spoils in the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Fifteen Maxis will race in IRC Zero, just one less than the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. For the RORC Caribbean 600 six Volvo 70s and three VO65s will be racing in IRC Super Zero. The fastest on IRC Rating is the Volvo 70 L4 Trifork (DEN) sailed by Jens Dolmer, with Joern Larsen at the helm. Tactician Bouwe Bekking commented that L4 Trifork’s primary goal is to be the first Volvo 70 to finish the race. Competition in the Volvo 70s will come from Johannes Schwarz’s Ocean Breeze with a crew from the Yacht Club Sopot in Poland and Il Mostro (CAN) skippered by Gilles Barbot of Atlas Ocean Racing. 


Mills 68 Prospector

The two lowest rated boats in IRC Super Zero are the Mills 68 Prospector (USA), sailed by Shelter Island Transatlantic Partners and taking part in their third race. Richard Tolkien at the helm of his Open 60 Rosalba (GBR) will be taking part in his first RORC Caribbean 600.


Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior Won

The top five boats on IRC Rating could produce the closest contest in the 75-strong fleet. Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior Won (USA), class winner in the 2021 Transpac, has a crack-crew including Stu Bannatyne from New Zealand and Canada’s Richard Clarke. From Lake Michigan Illinois, Kate & Jim Murray’s Pac52 Callisto (USA) is the highest rated boat in IRC Zero. 


Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster

With 19 teams, IRC Zero is the largest class in the RORC Caribbean 600. The competition within the class is set to be red hot. Watch out for the battle of the two French Ker 46s; Dominique Tian’s Tonnerre de Glen and Frederic Puzin’s Daguet 3. Adrian Lee, winning skipper for the first edition with his Cookson 50 will be taking part in his sixth race in Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners II (IRL). Adrian’s twin teenage children, Dasha and Alexander will be racing on board.


Jacques Pelletier’s Milon 41 L’Ange de Milon

Two British JPK 1180s will be among the favorites in IRC One. Tom Kneen’s Sunrise (GBR) swept the board in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, winning the world’s biggest offshore race overall. Ed Bell's JPK Dawn Treader (GBR) was out of luck in the Rolex Fastnet Race, retiring with a broken mast. Both boats were shipped across the Atlantic to take part in what will be their first race in the Caribbean.

The top two rated boats in IRC One features a match-up between two Pogo 12.50s. 

A dozen teams will be competing in IRC Two, including Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster (GBR) has won class at the RORC Caribbean 600 a record six times. 

Nine Class40s will be taking part this year. The pocket-rocket 40-footers have always featured since the first race in 2009, with some exceptionally close finishes throughout the years.

Credits: Rick Tomlinson; Tim Wright/Photoaction.com; Team Skorpios/RORC

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