2019 Caribbean 600

On Monday 18th February 2019, 76 yachts from 21 countries started the RORC Caribbean 600 on the offshore upwind start line to sea of Fort Charlotte, one of the entrance headlands to English Harbour on the south coast of Antigua. With a constant 20 to 25 knot ESE trade wind blowing all day and night, the only lulls on the race course are in the lee of the mountainous islands, in which the course rounds 11 islands and 1 rounding mark to complete the course.

Due to the 080-130 true wind direction, this years’ RORC Caribbean 600 course consisted of 160 NM upwind, 130 NM downwind and 310 NM reaching, creating a fantastic all-round yacht race to test all levels of crew. This year’s first leg was a bash into the 20-25 knot trade wind up to Man O War Point on the eastern side of Antigua where we were able to bear away onto the FR0 for the 30 NM reach to the Norths Sails mark off Barbuda. Whilst still mid fleet in our division, we accomplished a gybe peel from the FR0 to the A2 in 18 knots of breeze, when the A2 blew out just as we sheeted it on. Unfortunately for Triple Lindy, this was the beginning of letting the fleet go. We managed to hoist the A3/4 for the 50-mile run and reach around Nevis. The island of Nevis was where Admiral Nelson’s estranged wife grew up before meeting the Admiral of the fleet at the age of 18.

We hung onto the A3/4 past with the gusts around Nevis and St Kitts before peeling back to the FR0 for the reach into Saba, an active volcanic island. From Saba, we had a 35 NM beat up around the eastern shore of St Barth, which is were a lock strop on or jib snapped, so this took us a little more time to get the sail back in the air. This was a gruelling leg for the team, as it is all in open water and was constant 25 knots of wind, so everybody was on deck for 5 hours going into the run down around St Maarten.

We had a major mishap during this run in the dark and wiped out three stanchions on one side of the boat during a gybe, so our biggest loss was accumulated here while making the starboard side of the yacht sea worthy again, which took almost the whole length of St Maarten to achieve.

The next 32 mile upwind beat was from St Maarten past Tintamarre to St Barth where we could bear away and sail with the whisker pole and GS for the 135 NM leg down to Gaudeloupe, where the largest lull of the whole race sits. We got back to within 3 NM of White Rhino (Carkeek 47) during this lull, but the boys were sucked into a false sense of security and we got too close, so lost the same distance back.

Once we rounded Les Saintes at the southern end of Gaudeloupe, our kiwi crew member said something along the lines of, “watch out for fish traps around here”. Within 10 seconds, we caught one around the keel, in which we got lucky and backed off the line and cleared it within 5 minutes of scratching our heads and trying to keep Giancarlo on board, who wanted to dive in and cut the rope. We then had to set ourselves up for a gruelling 50 NM beat to Pointe du Grande Abaque at the eastern tip of Gaudeloupe. The water is quite shallow and with wind against tide for this leg, it is a well know leg to be a boat breaker, but we got around unscathed, albeit soaking wet!

After Pointe du Grande Abaque, we had a 90 NM whisker pole reach back to the North Sails mark off Barbuda before a 40 NM run down to Redonda. Redonda is a one man island, who is locally known as the, “King of Redonda”. You do not see anything as you are rounding Redonda at night time, until you are in the lee of the island where you see the Kings tiny boat in the anchorage and his one light on his one wharf. It really is an island of “ones”. Possibly one goat too!

Finally, the 35NM beat to the finish, which is back at the start line. Not much to report on this leg for us, apart from the cover of the mainsail halyard stripping while putting a reef in!

Triple Lindy’s 2019 RORC Caribbean 600 – Plenty on dot com.

The race record was ultimately broken by Giovanni Soldini’s foiling trimaran Masarati, with the Askew brothers’ Wizard winning monohull line honours and IRC overall.

We based Triple Lindy at Sir Hugh Bailey’s Catamaran Marina and Boatyard, in which she is still there on the hardstand. These guys are great and I cannot compliment the level of service enough, considering we were on an island in the middle of nowhere. If anyone was to go to Antigua with their yacht for cruising or racing, I highly recommend the Catamaran Marina and Boatyard, which the Catamaran Hotel is convenient being next door.

RORC and the Antigua Yacht Club (AYC) do a great job running the event, with crew member text messages coming in the whole week prior, a safety audit spot check completed professionally and the media being spread between the yachts throughout the week. Helen Spooner and the team at the AYC are always ready to help or suggest any logistics for island movements. The AYC has a great youth program, in which most of the competitors make donations to the youth program to thank the AYC for their assistance.

The Triple Lindy team found the Antiguans very hospitable, including Joe’s favourite Mumzy Burgers on the side of the road heading up to the main crew house.

The 12^th RORC Caribbean 600 is due to start on 24^th February 2020, with the event being held every February there-after.