As the sunsets over the Caribbean, the competitors in the RORC Caribbean 600 are preparing for their first night at sea. At 1700 local time, the leading boats had rounded the North Sails mark off Barbuda and were power reaching west towards the sunset under spinnaker. It doesn't get a lot better than that!

Setting an incredible pace are John Burnie and his crew on ORMA 60, Region Guadeloupe.  "We are around the North Sails mark power reaching to Nevis, the speedo has barely dropped below 22 knots since we left Barbuda," explained navigator, Nick Lykiardopulo.

In IRC Class Super Zero, Karl Kwok's Beau Geste is setting the pace, well clear of the North Sails mark and heading to Nevis at a cracking pace. Richard Oland's Southern Cross 52, Vela Veloce is second in class, on handicap but on the water the Canadian boat is having a close battle with Danilo Salsi's Swan 90, DSK Pioneer Investments. The two yachts were literally bow-to-bow at the North Sails mark. Third on handicap is James Grundy's Tripp 75, Bella Pita.

"It has been a long time coming,' said Karl Kwok, skipper of Beau Geste. "I was going to come to sail in Antigua 11 years ago but had to miss out. I have been looking forward to this race for some time and as a RORC member, I am very happy to support this race and my club."

Clear blue skies and crystal clear oceans typify the Caribbean and the competitors in the RORC Caribbean 600 were treated to some superb champagne sailing conditions, as they started the only offshore race in these waters. There wasn't a foul weather jacket in sight as the fleet sailed upwind into a warm easterly breeze of 12-15 knots at the start.

Huge swathes of people gathered on Shirley Heights and Fort Charlotte to witness the start of the RORC Caribbean 600. The first boats crossed the start line for the 605 mile race at 12:30 local time. To start an adventure that will take them around 14 Caribbean islands, in what is regarded as probably the best sailor's play ground in the world.

The RORC Racing Manager, Ian Loffhagen got all classes away without incident and the big boat start was extremely competitive with several boats timing their approach, close to perfection.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club wanted to create an international offshore race and hundreds of competitors from 22 different countries are in Antigua, to take part in the RORC Caribbean 600 in association with Antigua Yacht Club.

Antigua has been suffering from a water shortage, it hasn't rained here for some time but today at 07:15 local time, a refreshing squall fell over English Harbour, washing down the boats prior to departure.

In terms of racing, this is quite significant, squalls are like bullets of breeze and using them to your advantage will be a key to improving performance in this race.

The RORC Caribbean 600 Skipper's briefing was well attended. RORC Race Manager, Ian Loffhagen drew attention to certain parts of the course, including an exclusion zone off Montserrat due to ongoing volcanic activity. In attendance were some of the world's leading professional sailors rubbing shoulders with amateur offshore enthusiasts. After the briefing, all of the crews enjoyed a welcome party at Antigua Yacht Club. Sponsored by Lee overlay Partners, the competitors enjoyed a relaxed evening, meeting up with old friends and making some new ones.

Adrian Lee, Chief investment officer for Lee Overlay Partners and winning skipper of the 2009 event addressed the hundreds of competitors. As did the Honourable John McGinley, Minister of Tourism for Antigua and Barbuda, whose witty remarks and warm welcome was much appreciated by the hundreds of crew present. The Honourable Howard Lovell, Minister of Finance for Antigua and Barbuda was also in attendance and enjoyed mingling with guests.

Karl James is one of Antigua's finest sailors having competed in the Laser class for Antigua & Barbuda at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic games. He runs the dinghy sailing centre at the Antigua Yacht Club, coaching locals and visitors to the island.

Karl races with some of the most prestigious yachts and is an expert on local knowledge. "During the past few weeks we have had some unusual weather with the wind coming from all directions." Said Karl. "It is very difficult to say what the conditions will be like come race day but I feel that the wind direction is starting to become consistently from the east south east and will probably stay that way for some time and several weather forecasts are agreeing with this".

The Antigua National Parks conservation area of Fort Charlotte will be used to start the 2010 RORC Caribbean 600. It is named after one of Lord Nelson's commanders and dates back to the 1700s. The Georgian lookout post lies on the east side of English Harbour, high above the 'Pillars of Hercules'. The half moon shaped battlement gives a spectacular vista of Montserrat to the west and Guadeloupe to the south. On a clear day, the view can extend to over 70 miles across the stunning Caribbean Sea.
Recently, the Royal Tot Club of Antigua & Barbuda cleaned up the area around Fort Charlotte making it a delightful place to enjoy the spectacular view. Three locals decided that it would be fitting to erect a flagpole on the look out and Stan Pearson, one of the founders of the RORC Caribbean 600 explains how they arrived at this novel solution:

The RORC office at Antigua Yacht Club is a hive of activity today. The racing team are working hard with the competitors to ensure that the yachts competing in the RORC Caribbean 600 are fully prepared for the race starting in just three days.

RORC members Niall Dowling and Michael Boyd are taking their performance in the Class 40, 40 Degrees very seriously. This morning they left English Harbour for a proper shake down and will be spending the night at sea, getting acquainted with the boat.

Danilo Salsi's Swan 90, DSK Pioneer Investments, has arrived and the crew is busy preparing the boat for the race. Amongst the crew is round the world sailor, Lucas Brun. Principle helmsman, Andrea Casale, took time to explain some changes to the magnificent Swan. " We are very happy with the design of the boat but we have removed the bow sprit and have made our spinnakers smaller. DSK Pioneer Investments is a very powerful boat but we have found that the new configuration does not effect our downwind speed but does reduce the loads and our rating under IRC."

Final preparations are under way for the second edition of the RORC Caribbean 600. With just five days left before the start, the crew and organisers of the race are making ready for the only offshore race in some of the best sailing grounds, anywhere in the world.

Competing boats are arriving at the Antigua Yacht Club, nestled in Falmouth Harbour. Outside the safe haven, the Trade Winds and Atlantic swell are as constant as ever. They will provide the competitors with fast sailing conditions as the fleet, rips up the course around the central Caribbean.

Whilst the RORC Caribbean 600 is a proper Category 3 offshore race however T-shirts and shorts will be the dress code for hundreds of sailors, in a highly diverse international fleet.

Last night, the ORMA 60, speed machine, Region Guadeloupe arrived in Antigua and the ocean going trimaran will be looking to better the multi-hull record they set last year, as John Burnie explains:

"We have virtually the same crew as last year and we have sailed the boat here from Curacao, about 1000 miles south west of Antigua, so this time we have a bit more experience. We have set ourselves a target of finishing the race by midnight Tuesday and I believe that we can improve on our record run last year and although it will be tough, an elapsed time of 36 hours is achievable."

Whilst Region Guadeloupe is favourite to be first home, Karl Kowk's high-tech 80ft carbon fibre flyer, Beau Geste should not be far behind and will be looking to better ICAP Leopard's monohull record of 44 hours 5 minutes 14 seconds.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club is pleased to announce that Lee Overlay Partners have become an official supporter of the RORC Caribbean 600.

"Offshore racing is a perfect showcase for the values that are fundamental to Lee Overlay Partners; skill, technology, experience, team work and a lot of persistence," commented Adrian Lee, Chief Investment Officer for Lee Overlay Partners.

"I want to showcase active currency management globally while we race the best offshore races in the world and what better way to do that than to support the RORC Caribbean 600. I have been looking forward to this race ever since we finished the last one, it's a fantastic event, a race like no other and Lee Overlay Partners are delighted to support it."

Adrian Lee's Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners, won the inaugural RORC Caribbean 600 and is back to defend the title. The 2nd RORC Caribbean 600 starts on the 22nd of February in Antigua, the race course is approximately 600 nautical miles and the competitors will enjoy sublime sailing conditions around 14 Caribbean islands.

To find out more about Lee Overlay Partners, visit the website http://www.leeoverlayoffshore.com

BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association) are delighted to take part in one of the Caribbean's most impressive offshore races on the 22^nd of February 2010. As the only all-amputee crew in the race, this promises to be a huge challenge.

The RORC Caribbean 600 is an exciting 605 nautical mile yacht race, which has been set up by The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and Antigua Yacht Club. The race starts in Antigua and will take the BLESMA crew north of the Caribbean, passing a mark off Barbuda, the islands of Nevis, Saba and St Barths, to circle St Maarten before heading down to Guadeloupe and finishing in Antigua.

Ondeck, the UK's fastest growing charter, events and sea school company, has a strong relationship and provided long-term support to the charity BLESMA. They have previously assisted the crew of eighteen sailors, who have all lost limbs serving in armed forces, to sail the Atlantic and take part in the world famous Rolex Fastnet race onboard one of their matched fleet of Farr 65's, named Spirit of Juno.