Yacht Club Marina Bas Du Fort, Guadeloupe
1800 Tuesday 16^th December 2008

The RORC Caribbean 600 was the idea of a group of members based in the Caribbean. The inaugural race will take place on the 23^rd February 2009 starting and finishing in Antigua. The race is already attracting an exciting field of competitors. The seminar is being held to assist the interested french-speaking competitors and will have speakers from the original organising committee explaining aspects of the Offshore Special Regulations, Rules and the Course.

The evening will be hosted by Jean - Michel Marziou - Commodore of the Yacht Club, in association with the Triskell Organisation.

The Speakers

Introduction and Welcome - John Burnie/Jean - Michel Marziou

RORC Caribbean 600 Rules and Regulations - John Duffy

The RORC Caribbean 600 Course - Stan Pearson

Help with interpretation will be supplied by Andrew Dove.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's inaugural RORC Caribbean 600 looks set to stage the first battle between the two 100ft super maxi's Leopard and Speedboat.

Chris Sherlock, boat Captain of Mike Slade's Leopard announced recently: "It is likely that we will be racing against each other for the first time in the RORC Caribbean 600 which starts in Antigua on 23^rd February 2009."

As the event mini-site went live and Pre-Notice of Race became available on-line, interest in the race has been flooding in since the announcement earlier this year by the RORC and Antigua Yacht Club to hold the first ever offshore race to circumnavigate the Caribbean Islands.

The race has attracted great interest from all over the world: George David's maxi yacht Rambler, which won the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race, is joining the battle with Leopard and Speedboat. Peter Harrison's 115ft super yacht Sojana is a definite entry and classic yachts such as the 155ft schooner Windrose and J Class Velsheda also intend to join the race scheduled to fit snugly between other major events in the busy Caribbean racing calendar.

RORC CARIBBEAN 600 - Start: 23rd February 2009

The Royal Ocean Racing Club and Antigua Yacht Club will run the first offshore race to circumnavigate the Caribbean Islands. This exciting new race will be called the RORC Caribbean 600.

Conceived by a group of RORC members living in the Caribbean, the race starts on the 23^rd February 2009 off Fort Charlotte outside English Harbour, Antigua. The course takes the fleet to the north passing a mark off Barbuda, the islands of Nevis, Saba and St Barths, to circle St Martin before heading down to Guadeloupe as the most southerly point, then back up to a mark off Barbuda before returning to finish in Antigua. A total of 605 nautical miles.