J/Teams Silver in epic Caribbean 600 Race
by J-Boats 28 Feb 20:21 PST
Spectacular Start in Paradise - 2025 RORC Caribbean 600 © Tim Wright / Photoaction.com
The 16th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 started on Monday 24th February, 2025. Starting and finishing in Antigua, the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 600.0nm race goes around eleven spectacular, picturesque Caribbean islands. The race sends the teams around a mostly reaching course using eleven of the stunning islands in the Caribbean as turning marks. Those so-called "turning marks" include the spectacular, mountainous islands such as Nevis, Saba, St. Barths, St. Maarten, Tintamarre, Guadeloupe, Iles des Saintes, and La Desirade.
The 2025 edition of the race didn't disappoint, with windy days & nights for most of the race; excepting, of course, the usual massive wind hole off Guadeloupe's southwest coast on the leeward side of the island. The half-dozen J/Teams that tackled this challenging race performed well and, in some cases, garrnered silverware!
IRC 1 Division
This seventeen-boat fleet was dominated by custom offshore racers. Nevertheless, the two J/133s ended up neck-and-neck in the final results. Bob Manchester's VAMOOSE from Barrington YC in Barrington, Rhode Island took 6th place, while Sarah Nicholson & Ray Rhinelander's BELLA J from Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia took 7th place. Continuing the successive string of finishes was Peter Lewis's J/121 WHISTLER from Barbados.
IRC 2 Division
As the largest fleet in the race, the eighteen teams experienced a real "dogfight" all the way around the 600.0nm race track! The twin J/122s were within sight of eachother the entire race! In the end, it was Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox's MOJITO from Pwllheli Sailing Club in Wales, United Kingdom that took the silver medal! Just 15 minutes back on corrected time to take the bronze medal was Nikki & Nicola Henderson racing EL OCASO.
CHS Division
This twenty-one boat fleet saw an across-the-board domination by J/Teams in the top eight places- occupying five of them! Top dog was the J/122 MOJITO winning the bronze medal. They were followed by the J/122 EL OCASO in fourth place, the J/133 VAMOOSE in fifth place, the J/133 BELLA J in seventh place, and the J/121 WHISTLER in eighth place!
Follow the RORC Caribbean 600 Race here: www.caribbean600.rorc.org.