World on Water Feb 27.26 RORC Caribbean 600 Start and Finish Special Report

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:50:32 +0000

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This is your weekly Global Sailing Highlights show, the World on Water for February 27 2026.

The 2026 RORC Caribbean 600 got underway in spectacular style in Antigua from Fort Charlotte, high above the iconic Pillars of Hercules. At the start of the 17th edition, the international RORC fleet set out for the non-stop 600-mile race around 11 stunning Caribbean islands.

The starting sequence was split into five starts with the Multihull and IRC Monohull entries at the end of the sequence. White caps on the Caribbean surf confirmed at least 15 knots of breeze, but tantalizing shifts and wind lanes produced very tactical decisions from the get-go.

If the opening salvos are any indication, the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600 is set for a full-blooded duel in IRC Zero. The pre-start between Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 52, Rán, and Frédéric Puzin’s Carkeek 54, Daguet 5, was nothing short of electric. Rán seized the early initiative, forcing Daguet 5 into evasive action to avoid being over the line. The pair split tacks seconds from the gun, but quickly converged again beneath the cliffs of Fort Charlotte, pressing all the way inshore in a high-stakes game. With Rán to leeward and Daguet 5 controlling from windward, the tack out was virtually simultaneous, a battle royale is clearly set to continue offshore.

With virtually the entire big boat class committing to the pin end, the start was always going to be a high-stakes confrontation. Mills 72 Balthasar skippered by Louis Balcaen was marginally early and eased sheets a fraction close to the line. Balthasar was quickly overhauled by Remon Vos’ Maxi 100 Black Jack 100. To leeward and a fraction later than Black Jack, the Farr 100 Leopard 3, helmed by Joost Schuijff, hit the line at full pace and squeezed up to windward of Black Jack 100, momentarily back-wind-ing the 100-footer as both charged towards the cliffs of Antigua with little sea room to spare. The early duel continued offshore, with Black Jack 100 rounding the Barbuda mark first, holding a two-minute advantage over Leopard 3.