Phaedo 3 leads the charge

Powerful fleet sets sail in the RORC Caribbean 600

Lloyd Thornburg's newly acquired MOD 70 Phaedo3 led the 66 strong fleet of yachts away on this, the seventh running of the RORC Caribbean 600.

The start took place in a 15 knot easterly with the course taking the boats first to the turning mark at Green Island before bearing away towards Barbuda. 

Phaedo3, formerly Michel Desjoyeaux's Foncia and with the double Vendee Globe winner and Brian Thompson on board, initially got off to a conservative start with Petro Jonker's cruising catamaran Quality Time crossing the line first. But by Green Island Phaedo3 was blasting through the surf at well over 30 knots, the lime-green trimaran reaching Barbuda in less than two hours, well ahead of record pace and at the time eight miles ahead of Peter Aschenbrenner's Irens 63 trimaran, Paradox.

Phaedo³ at the start of the RORC Caribbean 600 from Ocean Images on Vimeo.

In the second start, between IRC Two and Three there were 19 starters. Ed Fishwick's Sunfast 3600 Redshift, skippered by British match racing champion turned Figaro sailor, Nick Cherry, got a great start at the pin-end with Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster at the inner distance mark. Andy Middleton's First 47.7 EH01 and Scarlet Oyster were the first yachts in IRC Two to reach Green Island and it is likely that they will remain in a neck-and-neck fight for the duration of the race.

In IRC Three, Peter Scholfield's HOD 35 Zarafa was leading on the water at Green Island, but it was the talented doublehanders on Louis-Marie Dussere's JPK 10.10 Raging Bee that led the class on corrected time.

Jonathan Bamberger's Canadian J/145 Spitfire and Joseph Robillard's S&S 68 Black Watch got the best start among the 15 boats in IRC One. However, Jose Diego-Arozamena's Farr 72 Maximizer revelled in the upwind start to lead on the water at Green Island. James Blakemore's Swan 53 Music had a great leg to Green Island and was leading after time correction.

The penultimate start featured 21 yachts racing in IRC Zero and Canting Keel, arguably the best offshore race boat line-up ever seen in the Caribbean. A competitive start saw Piet Vroon's newly acquired Ker 51 Tonnerre 4 win the pin, while Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer won the island shore end. Leopard, chartered for the race by Chris Bake, of Team Aqua RC44 fame, also had a great start, controlling the boats to leeward heading for the Pillars of Hercules.

Hap Fauth's Maxi 72, Bella Mente rounded Green Island first in the IRC Zero class, but all eyes were on George David's new Juan K-designed Rambler 88. George David's speed machine could well break her owner's monohull course record - at Barbuda Rambler 88 was almost five miles ahead of Rambler 100's record pace.

Two of the world's most magnificent schooners were last to start. Athos and Adela started their match race even before the gun had gone this battle of the titan classics will continue throughout the race. Athos won the pre-start in some style, chasing Adela downwind and away from the line, before rounding up onto the breeze and crossing the line over a boatlength ahead of her rival. However, Adela was far better suited to the beat up to Green Island and led as the two schooners continued towards Barbuda.

Liquid, Pamala C Baldwin's J/122 and Quality Time, Petro Jonker's Du Toit 51 catamaran retired at the start following boat damage.