The 2025 RORC Caribbean 600: A battle of legends and rising stars
by Louay Habib/RORC 11 Feb 07:52 GMT
24 February 2025
A battle of legends and rising stars in the 2025 RORC Caribbean 600 © Tim Wright / Photoaction.com
Starting on the 24th of February, the 16th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 has attracted close to 500 sailors from 38 different countries. For the third occasion, the Caribbean's major offshore race is preceded by the inshore regatta, the RORC Nelson's Cup Series, which runs from the 18-21 February.
Over 20 teams are expected, including a record seven Maxis, with a fleet of 24 boats in the 48NM Antigua 360 Race. In total, over 70 boats will be racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club, supported by the Antigua Yacht Club.
The RORC Caribbean 600 offshore race starts three days after the RORC Nelson's Cup Series. The non-stop 600NM race around 11 stunning Caribbean islands is famous for its challenging conditions, unpredictable tactical battles and high-speed thrills. This year's fleet is stacked with returning champions, ambitious newcomers, and an exciting mix of professionals and passionate amateurs. From high-tech ocean racers and multihulls, through cruiser/races and timeless classic yachts, the 2025 edition is set to be a spectacle.
Entry list available here.
Returning champions: A clash of titans
Capable of ripping around the course at over 20 knots of boat speed, IRC Super Zero features a cast of 11 Maxis. Returning to defend their titles for both Monohull Line Honours and the overall win under IRC is the Farr 100 Leopard 3 (MON), skippered by Joost Schuijff. This will be Leopard 3's 10th RORC Caribbean 600, having been one of the race's founding entries, setting the original record in 2009. With a legacy of speed and offshore dominance, Leopard 3 will be aiming high for the RORC Caribbean 600.
"We will be using the Nelson's Cup as the warm up again; it was very beneficial last year. You can't reproduce that in training," commented Leopard's Chris Sherlock. "The '600 has always held a special place for Leopard. We know our way around the course very well and we have a great team as usual, but I can't remember a Maxi entry this deep in competition. It's going to be a very hard-fought race; each boat is going to have its strong points at different parts of the course and in different wind strengths. Lucky is a really quick boat with a top crew. Leopard's sweet spot is off the breeze in 15-20 knots of wind, anything over that and the Volvo 70s and Lucky are hard to keep in check. It's going to be full on. There are only three spots on the class podium for five very well sailed big boats."
A top contender for Monohull Line Honours is Bryon Ehrhart's Juan K 88 Lucky (USA) that has just set a new race record in the RORC Transatlantic Race, completing the Lanzarote-Grenada route in under eight days. Racing with a stellar crew, Lucky will be one of the most formidable contenders in the fleet. The Juan K 88 Lucky has a shorter waterline length than Leopard 3, however in 2018, as George David's Rambler (USA), the boat set the Monohull Race Record of 37 hours, 41 minutes, 45 seconds.
Past champions racing this year include Roy P. Disney's Pyewacket 70 (USA). The turbo-charged Volvo 70 won the race in 2023, but this time, Disney himself will be on board, backed-up by a crew stacked with offshore racing legends. Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, will be racing and was in fine form winning the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race overall under IRC. This will be Zugel's first RORC Caribbean 600, but not for the boat or the professional crew. Formerly as David & Peter Askew's Wizard (USA), the boat was the overall winner in 2019.
Andrea Recordati's Wally 93 Bullitt (ITA) is a newcomer to the RORC Caribbean 600, but the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race winner has a world-class crew and is capable of challenging for both Monohull Line Honours and the overall win under IRC. Belgian round the world sailor, Louis Balcean will be at the helm of Maxi 72 Balthasar for the race and statistically Balthasar has more than a fighting chance of overall victory under IRC. A Maxi72 has won the race overall four times in past editions, more than any other design
IRC Zero - Razors in the wind
One of the tightest battles in 2024 was in the highly competitive IRC Zero class, where Niklas Zennström's Carkeek 52 Rán (SWE) secured victory by a razor-thin margin of three minutes after time correction. As Zennström's team prepares to defend its title, they acknowledge the target on their back.
"Plenty of boats will look at us as the benchmark," says Tim Powell, a key strategist on Rán. He acknowledges the challenges ahead: "Time will tell us who comes out on top, but competing in the Nelson's Cup Series beforehand against our competition is great preparation for the big offshore."
Rán's rivals for both the IRC Zero and overall win are not in short supply. Frederic Puzin's newly launched Carkeek 54 Daguet 6 (FRA) is an absolute weapon. Jon Desmond's PAC52 Final Final (USA) was the overall race winner as Warrior Won in 2022, and James Neville's Carkeek 45 Ino Noir (GBR) was a class winner in the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race. Andrew Berdon's new boat is the JV52 Summer Storm (USA), as Outsider, the boat was the overall winner in 2020.
Wide-open battle for Multihull Line Honours
The ten-strong multihull fleet features three ORC 50s and this year's largest multihull, ORC 57 Avel Vaez (FRA), skippered by Yves Nerisson. With the absence of the MOD70s, Multihull Line Honours is wide open this year. All of the Ocean 50s are capable of taking the winner's gun, as well as Marc Guillemot's MG5 Wellness Training (FRA), which was third in class for the 2022 Route du Rhum.
Two of this year's multihull entries for the RORC Caribbean 600 raced to the Caribbean in the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race; Thierry Roger's Perros-Guirec (FRA) and Aldo Fumagalli's Picomole (ITA) will be making their race debut. Greg Johnson's Dazcat 1495 Sula Bassana has taken an unconventional route into the race. Johnson just bought the boat in Cape Town and is sailing it home to Canada. Since the timing aligned perfectly, he decided to stop in Antigua for the RORC Caribbean 600. Guy Chester's much travelled 45ft trimaran Oceans Tribute (AUS) is a long way from home. In recent years, Chester sailed the Crowther 46 from New Zealand to Antigua virtually single-handed and has been racing in the Caribbean ever since.
Winners on different boats
Chris Sheehan, who won the 2022 race as skipper of Warrior Won has taken a different approach by chartering Class40 Tquila (GBR), a cutting-edge scow-bow Manuard design. Tquila was second overall under IRC for the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race. Four teams will be competing in the Class40 division this year.
British sailor Ross Applebey has won his class on eight occasions, arguably the most successful skipper in the history of the RORC Caribbean 600. Normally Applebey races his Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, which is the current RORC Yacht of the Year, However, this year Applebey will be at the helm of Elan 450 Team Scarlet on Emily (GBR).
Caribbean 600 classics
The Mariela Classic Trophy is awarded to the first classic yacht over 40 years old racing in CSA. Launched in 1963, Bernie Evan-Wong's Cal 40 Huey Too (ANT) is the oldest boat in the race and Bernie has competed in all 15 previous editions of the RORC Caribbean 600. As the lowest rated boat in the race, Huey Too is unlikely to take Line Honours, but Bernie's crew suggests a story awaits after the '600. Racing with Bernie will be Yacht Master Instructor Peter Hopps, who has done nearly every race, and former J/70 Corinthian World Champion Ian Wilson, who is ticking off his bucket list before retirement!
First-time classic entries to the race with high expectations are Sebastian Gylling's Swan 51 Eira (FIN), launched in 1981. Also from Finland, the 1982 Swan 651 Spirit of Helsinki (FIN) will be skippered by Jouko Kallio. Spirit of Helsinki just completed the RORC Transatlantic Race. Michael Cullen's S&S Swan 47 Sassafras (CAN) is also racing for the first time. The Clipper 60 Bluejay of Portsmouth, launched in 1980, returns after racing last year but this time skippered by Patrick vd Zijden with a crew of nine from Great Britain, Germany and the United States. Kialoa III (USA) will bring a historic charm to the event. The Sparkman & Stephens 79, launched in 1974, once dominated the Maxi circuit and held the Sydney-Hobart record for years. Now under the command of Lennart Davidsson, Kialoa III is ready to write a new chapter.
A race for all: From offshore veterans to rising stars
One of the most inspiring aspects of the RORC Caribbean 600 is the range of boats and sailors competing. From high-tech speed machines to well-loved cruiser/racers and classics; the race attracts a truly diverse fleet raced by sailors ranging from octogenarians like Bob Manchester, skipper of J/133 Vamoose (USA), to teenagers such as Isaac Wood on First 47.7 Kali (CH), who is just 17 years old.
Farr 65 Celeste of Solent (GBR) is chartered to RORC Vice Commodore Derek Shakespeare. The crew is a team of RORC veterans, including former RORC Admiral, Mike Greville and RORC Season's Points Champion Richard Palmer. Shakespeare's team has decades of experience and a love for the sport that shines through.
RORC Commodore Deb Fish will be racing on the Pogo 44 Tostaky, skippered by Rob Craigie. The pair racing Rob's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino have won the RORC Season's Points Championship for the past two seasons. The Tostaky crew is completed by RORC Griffin Chair Jim Driver and RORC member Alastair Bisson.
JV52 Haspa Hamburg (GER), owned by the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt (HVS) is continuing its tradition of training young sailors. In the recent RORC Transatlantic Race, Haspa Hamburg had nine crew members under 30, showcasing the importance of youth engagement in offshore sailing.
Similarly, Sail Racing Academy is fielding multiple entries, including First 40 Venturoso (GBR) skippered by Charlie Warhurst, who started as a Gap Year participant in the academy before progressing to skipper. "We have a mix of seasoned offshore racers and first-timers," says Anne Morgan, the team's COO. "The goal is to embrace the challenge, enjoy the adventure, and build lifelong memories.
Another young skipper making waves is Matic Vrecko, a 24-year-old Slovenian sailor who sailed solo across the Atlantic from Gibraltar to Antigua aboard his family's Elan 450, Karpo (SLO). Now leading a team of seven, Matic and his team is the first Slovenian entry in the history of the race.
The heart of the RORC Caribbean 600
Since the first race in 2009, the RORC Caribbean 600 has been supported by the Antigua Yacht Club. The race is lovingly known for welcoming every boat home with an army of volunteers operating a 24-7 watch system for arrivals.
"The RORC Caribbean 600 has invaluable support from the Antigua Yacht Club, plus the Antiguan yachting community," commented Race Director Steve Cole. "From operating the finish line day and night, to making sure every boat gets a warm welcome when they arrive back in Antigua. The RORC Caribbean 600 experience is not just about the spectacular and challenging race course, the volunteers play a vital role for which we are very grateful."
The 2025 RORC Caribbean 600 is part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's extensive centenary programme, celebrating 100 years of racing.
Find out more at caribbean600.rorc.org