RORC Caribbean 600 - A Race Comes of Age

George David's Rambler 100 may have defeated Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard, but Slade was his usual charming self dockside, he even quoted Shakespeare:
"Well we have to suffer the slings and arrows, Rambler is really quick, we made a valiant effort and we enjoyed ourselves, as we always do, that was just a fantastic sail. We had a few issues, which cost us but Rambler sailed impeccably and hardly put a foot wrong, the whole way around the course."
Clarke Murphy, who has joins forces with Mike Slade on ICAP Leopard for this race and the forthcoming Transatlantic Race, was racing on Leopard for the first time and despite the defeat, was wide-eyed about the experience; "Hitting those speeds hour after hour was just amazing, I couldn't have asked for a more exciting sail with a great bunch of guys who are really at the top of their game. Early on, just before Barbuda, we had a major issue with the main and although the crew managed to repair it, the sheet went again, later in the race, putting a small tear in the main, which we had to fix but we are not making any excuses, Rambler showed how quick they were and were deserving winners."
George David's maxi yacht, Rambler 100, crossed the finish line in Antigua in the early hours of Wednesday morning in an elapsed time of 1 day 16 hours 20 minutes and 2 seconds.
Subject to official confirmation, Rambler 100 has broken the monohull race record set by race rival, Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard by nearly four hours.
Two of the world's most impressive racing yachts have been locking horns over 600 miles of high-speed action in a fight to the finish. Competing against each other for the first time and battling it out to snatch the record for the third edition of the RORC Caribbean 600.
The Rambler crew contained the entire compliment of the Puma Ocean Racing team which will be competing in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race, tired but elated, Puma skipper, Kenny Read commented dockside in Antigua:
"That was a lot of fun but hard work for a while, you do something like sail around the world and that is almost easy compared to this, because there is no time to take any sleep, you're taking so many corners and turns but it is also a gorgeous course, it's a dream come true type of event. I am glad we came and that George invited me. Probably the most memorable part of the course was at night with a full moon at the top of St. Maarten, big breeze and massive breaking waves, it was huge fun and really cool, we came out of their doing 26 knots, it has been a real adventure and a this course and Rambler 100 is a whole new dimension for sailing."
George David's maxi yacht, Rambler 100 crossed the finish line in Antigua in the early hours of Wednesday morning in an elapsed time of 1 day 16 hours 20 minutes and 2 seconds.
Rambler 100 has broken the monohull race record set by race rival, Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard by nearly four hours.
Two of the world's most impressive racing yachts have been locking horns over 600 miles of high-speed action in a fight to the finish. Competing against each other for the first time and battling it out to snatch the record for the third edition of the RORC Caribbean 600.
32 other yachts from 15 different nations crossed the start line of the RORC Caribbean 600, off English Harbour in Antigua, Caribbean on February 21st. Most of the fleet is expected to finish over the next 24 hours.