Black Jack 100 outpaces Leopard 3 to claim 2026 Caribbean 600 Line Honours
by Bart Salemans 25 Feb 07:45 PST
25 February 2026
Leopard seen from Black Jack - 2026 RORC Caribbean 600 © Bram van Spengen / Black Jack 100
RP100 Black Jack 100, of Dutch owner Remon Vos and skippered by Frenchmen Tristan Le Brun, has secured Monohull Line Honours in the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600, completing the 600-nautical-mile classic in an impressive elapsed time of 1 Day 20 Hrs 31 Mins and 36 Secs.
In a fiercely contested edition of the offshore race, Black Jack 100 engaged in a prolonged duel with Leopard 3 of Dutch owner Joost Schuijff. The decisive move came only in the closing stages, with Black Jack 100 stretching ahead in the final 150 nautical miles to ultimately cross the finish line approximately 30 minutes in front.
"It was our first race of the season, and we are really happy to continue the momentum from last year by starting again with line honours," said Black Jack 100's Dutch co-skipper Jelmer van Beek. "We finished half an hour ahead of Leopard 3, which makes us very proud. In a race like this, line honours is always our primary goal."
Skipper Tristan Le Brun described the race as both tactical and demanding: "It was a challenging race. We sailed around about eleven islands, which brought constant manoeuvres, complex routing decisions and plenty of strategic choices. It was a long battle with Leopard 3, and we were only able to break away in the final part of the race. In the last 150 miles, we managed to extend our lead and secure the win."
The RORC Caribbean 600, renowned for its spectacular course weaving around the islands of the Caribbean, once again delivered intense competition and testing conditions for the international fleet.
The full Black Jack 100 crew for the 2026 edition comprised: Remon Vos, Tristan Le Brun, Bruce Clark, Clément Cron, Edwin De Laat, Guillaume Berenger, Harley Spreadbury-Key, Jelmer van Beek, Jorden Van Rooijen, Martin Kirketerp Ibsen, Matiu Te Hau, Max Deckers, Robin Jacobs, Rokas Milevicius, Romain Testa, Rutger Vos, Shane Hughes, Sofian Bouvet, Thierry Fouchier and Bram van Spengen.
With Monohull Line Honours secured in Antigua, Black Jack 100 has laid down an early-season marker and reinforced her reputation as one of the most formidable offshore racing yachts on the international circuit.