Shipping straight to the Caribbean from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race will be Comanche, Jim & Kristy Hinze Clark’s American 100ft VPLP/Verdier designed Maxi, which rightly claims to be the fastest monohull in the world for her 24-hour record run (2015 Transatlantic Race, 618.01 nm, averaging 25.75 knots). Comanche races with as many as 29 crew, led by Kenny Read, who was on board George David’s Rambler 100 to set the RORC Caribbean 600 course record in 2011 (40 hours 20 mins 02 secs). Given the right conditions, Comanche is very capable of breaking Rambler 100’s record.
Joining Comanche in IRC Canting Keel, will be Bouwe Bekking’s Dutch Volvo Ocean 65, Team Brunel. This will be the first occasion that the one design round the world yacht has taken part in the RORC Caribbean 600.
In 2015, Lloyd Thornburg’s American MOD 70, Phaedo3 set the RORC Caribbean 600 multihull record in 33 hours, 35 minutes and 30 seconds and will be returning after racing in the RORC Transatlantic Race this November.
Tony Lawson’s MOD 70, Concise 10 skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield will match Phaedo3 for straight line speed. Peter Aschenbrenner’s Nigel Irens 63, Paradox will struggle to keep up with the larger, lighter rivals, but Paradox has beaten both yachts under the MOCRA rating rule for the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
The 2016 RORC Caribbean 600 will be the first four-boat offshore-showdown in the history of the Maxi 72 Class. Hap Fauth’s JV72, Bella Mente lifted the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy in 2015, having scored the best corrected time under IRC. Bella Mente will be joined by Peter Ogden’s Jethou, Jan-Henrik Kisteit’s Momo and George Sakellaris’ Proteus (ex-Ran V). — Louay Habib
0 Comments