RORC Transatlantic Race

The ninth edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race starts from Marina Lanzarote on Sunday 8th January, supported by Calero Marinas, the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France.

Crews are in final preparation for the 3,000-mile race to Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada, with navigators and tacticians studying the latest weather data. While they almost unanimously agree that the 2023 race has the potential to be the quickest on record, the important factors and strategy differ throughout the diverse fleet.

The largest boat in this year’s RORC Transatlantic Race is the Swan 115 Supermaxi Jasi. Navigator Tom Robinson has prepared for the race with a very detailed look at historic weather data for the route.

Three high performance trimarans will be in a high-speed battle for Multihull Line Honours. While all three were originally MOD70 one-designs, they have all been optimised. Maserati Multi70 has a full foiling package, Snowflake has an additional two-metres of rig, and Zoulou is equipped with C-Foils at mid-ships for additional lift. Ned Collier Wakefield is one of the most experienced MOD70 drivers in the race and will be part of the formidable crew on Zoulou which is ramping up for a thrilling 3,000 mile shoot-out.

Peter Bacon is racing Sun Fast 3300 Sea Bear in IRC Two-Handed with his son Duncan. As one of the smallest boats in the race, Sea Bear’s weather outlook, as well as strategy differs from the faster boats. However, Sea Bear can win the race overall under IRC, just as Richard Palmer’s Jangada did in 2019, racing with Jeremy Waitt.

For more information: rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Race Tracker: rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking/2023-fleet-tracking.html