Thrilling Finishes for 2023 RORC Races in the Caribbean
Caroline Blatter 24 Feb 2023 Antigua / Lanzarote / Grenada / Canary Islands / Caribbean & Central America / Regattas & Cruising Rallies / About/General Information
MOD70 Zoulou Wins RORC Caribbean 600 Multihull Line Honors Race in an Epic Finish.
After sailing for more than 30 hours and reaching speeds of nearly 40 knots, the MOD70 Zoulou skippered by Erik Maris from France secured the Multihull Line Honours victory in the 2023 RORC Caribbean 600 race by a mere 11 seconds, on 22nd February 2023!
Zoulou finished the 600-mile course in just under 31 hours, while Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA) came in second place, just like they did the previous year, after yet another photo-finish.
Image courtesy of RORC Caribbean 600
Zoulou's crew consisted of Erik Maris, Ned Collier Wakefield, Thierry Fouchier, Loick Peyron, Bruno Jeanjean, Bruno Mourniac, and Thomas Le Breton. Despite leading until midnight on the first day, Zoulou lost to Maserati when the latter was fast on their foils heading down to Guadeloupe. However, Maserati encountered a setback on the penultimate leg when they got lost under a cloud, just as Zoulou had experienced during the RORC Transatlantic Race.
The two boats battled it out and exchanged leads many times on the leg to Redonda, making for an exhilarating race. The last leg was particularly challenging, as the wind speed and direction were unpredictable, but Zoulou eventually passed Maserati to win the race.
"That was an incredible race with such a close finish," Maris said after the race. "It was as close as it gets; an incredible finish and great fun." The win was part of Zoulou's plan to compete in all RORC races, with the Rolex Fastnet Race set to be their next challenge.
Pyewacket 70 (USA) announced as Overall Winner 14th RORC Caribbean 600
Image courtesy of RORC - James Tomlinson
“We are super-excited about winning overall,” commented skipper Ben Mitchell.
Pyewacket 70 Crew: Ben Mitchell, Peter Isler, Tony Mutter, Brad Jackson, Brian Janney, Daryl Wislang, David Tank, Jan Majer, Mark Callahan, Matt Mialik, Robbie Kane, Rodney Daniel, Tristan Louwrens.
The RORC Caribbean 600 is one of the most challenging offshore races in the world, and this year's race lived up to its reputation as the multihull boats battled it out in intense conditions. The race covers a 600-mile course around 11 Caribbean islands, with a diverse range of conditions and challenges, making it a true test of both sailors and boats.
The 2023 Race attracted seventy boats racing under IRC, Class40 and MOCRA Rules, with crew from 30 different countries!
Giovanni Soldini's Maserati set a new Multihull Transatlantic Record
Image courtesy of RORC / Arthur Daniel
Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Friday 13th January 2023 at 19:46:26 UTC, setting a new Multihull Race Record for the RORC Transatlantic Race of 05 days 05 hours 46 mins 26 secs!
A truly phenomenal achievement for this charismatic Italian Captain and Maserati's Crew: Giovanni Soldini, Guido Broggi, Matteo Soldini, Oliver Herrera Perez, Francesco Pedol, Lucas Valenza-Troubat and Francesco Malingri.
Twenty teams from 12 different nations competed in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 3000-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean. Starting from Marina Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, on the 8th of January 2023, the 9th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race had near perfect trade wind conditions. Two new race records were set and 75% of the racing yachts took 15 days or less to reach Grenada!
Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 smashed the six-year-old race record by an incredible 17 hours. Averaging over 25 knots across the Atlantic, Maserati’s top speed was a blistering 37 knots. Maserati’s victory did not come easy, the team was challenged all the way by Frank Slootman’s American MOD70 Snowflake (USA), skippered by Gavin Brady, and earlier in the race by MOD70 Zoulou (FRA), sailed by Erik Maris, who have now claimed Multihull Line Honours in the Caribbean 600 this week.
The Swan 115 Jasi (SWE), skippered by Toby Clarke, finished the Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time of 9 days 14 hrs 43 mins 37 secs. Jasi’s time is the quickest by a displacement Supermaxi in the history of the race, beating the previous record by 15 hours (2018 - Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s My Song)!
“The RORC Transatlantic has been very much a bucket list race for the owner and some of his friends,” commented Toby Clarke. “It was key for us to integrate them into the crew so that they feel very much part of it rather than just a ride across the Atlantic, and they've done exactly that. At times they've been in full control of the boat, trimming both sails with the owner driving- who's done exceptionally well.”
For the RORC 2023 Race Programme around the world
