2026 RORC Caribbean 600 - IRC One Report
by Louay Habib / RORC 27 Feb 05:41 PST
27 February 2026
IRC One victory in the RORC Caribbean 600 for Bruce Chafee's RP42 Rikki (USA) © Tim Wright / RORC
IRC One delivered one of the closest corrected-time battles of the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600. After nearly three days of relentless trade wind racing, the outcome hinged until the final gruelling beat to Antigua from Redonda.
Bruce Chafee's RP42 Rikki (USA) crossed the line in an elapsed time of 2 days 21 hours 51 minutes 30 seconds, and her corrected time under IRC sealed victory.
Xavier Bellouard's Lift 45 Maxitude (FRA) took line honours for the class, but corrected out to second place, just 9 minutes 32 seconds short after 600 demanding miles. Third place went to Woody Cullen's Swan 58 WaveWalker (USA), completing the race in 3 days 00 hours 30 minutes 11 seconds elapsed.
In classic Caribbean 600 fashion, IRC One was decided by precision, not just pace, setting the stage for reflections from the winning team on Rikki and their closest challengers aboard Maxitude.
Rikki - Preparation, precision and pure team spirit
Victory in IRC One did not come easily for Rikki, and for navigator Suzy Leech the race carried a weight of expectation long before the start gun fired.
"This is my first time doing the RORC Caribbean 600," she explains, admitting that one section of the course loomed large in her mind. "I'd heard so much about it that I was a little bit worried about it, especially behind Guadeloupe. Literally, I think the whole race I was worried about that one leg."
When Rikki emerged ahead after threading that notorious stretch, the relief was palpable. "We actually were able to escape on a great puff and left our competition literally miles behind us. I actually took a nice breath in, like, we survived."
Leech credits not only her own experience but the collective knowledge of those who came before. "There's been a lot of great people that have helped us make the right decisions and go the right way. So not just us, it's everybody that's helped before."
Preparation was central to that success. Bruce Chaffee, Rikki's skipper, points to a long runway leading into the race. "There's a lot of preparation that started either before the RORC Nelson's Cup Series or maybe two years ago when we first came to the '600. The RORC Nelson's Cup was a great proving ground for our preparation. Things went smoothly, and that was a great start for us."
The depth of the IRC One fleet added intensity. "We're fortunate enough to have one of the bigger classes in our 42-foot-ish size," Chaffee says. "We're here for the competition. In both the Nelson's Cup and the '600, it was great to have a bunch of boats to fight with and we knew what we were stacked up against."
For Leech, racing against elite navigators, like Alexis Loison on Maxitude was both intimidating and motivating. "Every single day I learn something new. If I haven't learned something new, then it's a waste of a day," she says. The RORC Nelson's Cup proved invaluable: "We got the calibrations down almost spot on. Having that ability to go out there and really race the boat was really important."
She admits that sometimes it paid to glance around the racecourse. "It's not bad to be back in the fleet just a little bit to check out what the bigger boats in front of you were doing."
For Chaffee, one word defines the Rikki programme. "Team. It is the number one word for Rikki. My primary job is to bring the team, bring the boat, bring the resources. To give them the tools they need to perform together and create the culture for them to perform together."
The result is a crew that thrives on competition. "We are dinghy sailors at heart, and we love pushing the boat as a real sailor does. I couldn't be happier or prouder that the team pulled it together." Leach adds with a smile, "And we never stopped laughing. Oh my God, it's so much fun."
Behind the scenes, the commitment is substantial. Chaffee describes the logistics of shipping the boat from Rhode Island in freezing temperatures, organising housing, food and support in Antigua. Both are quick to praise the race organisation and volunteers, describing the experience as seamless and professional from start to finish.
"It's a huge outlay," he says. "So for things to work well and smoothly is what we expect because we put so much out. The RORC are recognised for that and it is so important."
From meticulous preparation to a perfectly timed puff off Guadeloupe, Rikki's IRC One victory was built on precision, resilience and above all the team.
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