J/122 LIQUID honoured at the 10th anniversary of the RORC Caribbean 600
by Pamala Baldwin 27 Feb 2018 01:02 AEDT
22 February 2018
LIQUID during the RORC Caribbean 600 Race © Tim Wright /
www.photoaction.com
On Thursday night at Antigua Yacht Club Pamala Baldwin and her team on the J/122 LIQUID were honoured at the 10th anniversary of the RORC Caribbean 600 to win RORC's Best Caribbean Boat.
Conditions were gruelling over the 600 mile course, presenting the competitors with unexpected and dangerous conditions; constant winds of 25-30 knots, gusts to 41 knots, 4 metre sea states, endless squalls and record low temperatures.
Of the 85 competitors, 40 retired. There was a man overboard, a sinking, a helicopter rescue, about a dozen medical emergencies and endless squalls. Rambler 88 won its class and broke the record in IRC one. The foiling cat Falcon lost its rudder.
Three years ago, Liquid was dismasted 30 seconds before the start and repairs to the rig lasted 11 months. For Pamala Baldwin, an American residing in Antigua, this was an epic turnaround.
Commenting during this perilous yet high adrenaline ordeal, "my team is relentlessly teasing me about offering up cappuccino during a perilous squall with little visibility."
She added, "We were wet 24 hours a day and cold all all ten of us felt physically as if we were in a train wreck, pushing our limits with shear grit, and to think pre-race we opted to fly our cruising sails and not our 3Di's... a blessing.
"My crew was skippered by 33 year old Nico Dillingh from The Hague, Holland - his first race as Skipper this year."
Last season Nico was on the crew and showed solid potential. When the Caribbean regatta season wrapped up, Pamala told Nico if he did Europe's racing season and entered the Fastnet, he was invited to return to Skipper Liquid for the 2018 season. Lymington-based Julian White, age 25 was co-navigator and foredeck and is an up and coming star.
As the season unfolds, Team Liquid is entering the famed Heineken Regatta in Sint Maarten, the St Thomas USVI Regatta, BVI Race Week, Les Voiles de St Barths and wraps up with Antigua Sailing Week.
Baldwin is a 60 year old head-hunter from New Jersey, USA specializing in executive recruitment for remote five star resorts and private island estates worldwide, living her dream.