NORTH CLIENTS WIN LINE HONORS AT 2017 CARIBBEAN 600
This year was the ninth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 with the largest offshore fleet the event has ever seen; 70 yachts, over 900 sailors representing 24 different countries. The most exhilarating fleet, with some of the most amazing boats built for speed, ready to sail in the most beautiful place on earth. The competition level was high, and the spirits were willing and able to make this year the best year we’ve seen in the history of the C600. North clients had a strong showing amongst the fleet in some of the fastest boats on the racecourse. The MOD70’s Phaedo 3 and Maserati came out hot from the start with one goal in mind: to break the current record. Flying along the water anywhere between 15-20 kts is ideal Caribbean sailing. While falling short of record speed, Lloyd Thornburg’s Phaedo 3 edged out Maserati to take Line Honours in the Multihull Class.
Most of the fleet were quite close during the entire week of sailing, having just a difference of one nm between them for most of the time which kept the racing tight, and staying in the pressure even more important. On Wednesday, Feb. 22nd, North client George David on Rambler 88 finished the Caribbean 600 at 11 hrs 56 mins 17 secs taking his third Monohull Line Honours. David continues to hold the race record from 2011 with his Rambler 100.
In their debut Caribbean 600, Anders Nordquist’s Swan 115, Shamanna won the Superyacht Class. While light wind and difficult conditions for most of the race, Shamanna saw 20 knots on their way down to Guadeloupe, giving the boat a chance to show what she was made for. For a Swan 115, 8-10 knts can prove a bit frustrating at times, pushing the team to focus on more tactical decisions. The upside is Nordquist’s team was able to take in the Caribbean scenery, which included dolphins and whales!
Congratulations to all North powered victories at the Caribbean 600.
Redshift El Osaco IRC 2, CSA 2
Taz* – IRC 1
Sleep X – IRC 3
Phor-ty* – Class 40
*Partial inventory
“Every year, I get reminded how insane a race this is and after this race, our navigator Miles Seddon said to me that we have turned the insanity up again this year. You never get used to this race – hanging on reaching at 36 knots, it is just incredible. All of our team had to dig so deep and we love Antigua and had an amazing reception.” – Lloyd Thornburg
“This year the race was not as tough as previous years, but it is far from a Caribbean holiday. We had to make a lot of sail changes which is very grueling on the crew. This boat is like a Volvo 70 on steroids; it has unlimited power and in these conditions the helm is still relatively easy to handle and there is a lot of water coming over the bow, but we don’t go up there!” – Brad Butterworth
“On the way down to Guadeloupe we had almost 20 knots, so we were really happy to experience the conditions that the boat was built for. The crew have been racing together since 2012 and they are a fantastic team. We know each other very well; the communication is good and the atmosphere is great. It was an excellent race.” – Anders Nordquist
