#rorc – Over 50 yachts will be competing for the 5th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 and Irish boats are in with a shout too. The Royal Ocean Racing Club's latest ocean race has proved an irresistible temptation to an international set of yacht owners and crew representing nations from an incredible 28 different countries: Antigua, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, French Southern Territories, Germany, Great Britain, Guadeloupe, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America.

Warm trade winds, Caribbean swell and a challenging course are a fabulous combination and well over 500 sailors are rubbing their hands with relish at the prospect of blasting around 11 Caribbean islands in heavenly sailing conditions.

In the Canting Keel Class Mike Slade's British 100ft Maxi, ICAP Leopard, is back after a substantial refit and is a hot favourite for line honours. If the conditions are right and Leopard's stellar crew perform well, the Maxi could realistically eclipse the course record of 40 Hours, 20 minutes, 2 seconds set by George David's Rambler 100 back in 2011.

However Leopard could face stiff competition just for class honours. Ron O'Hanley's American Cookson 50, Privateer, is back for a third attempt to win the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy. Privateer came third overall in 2010 and had a fantastic race last year before a 10% penalty put them out of the running for the overall title and O'Hanley's crew will consider this year's race as unfinished business.

With 16 confirmed entries from six different countries, the largest class racing in the RORC Caribbean 600 is IRC Zero and among them American Mini Maxi, Bella Mente, can be considered a favourite for the overall trophy. "This will be my first 600 and I have to say I have been looking forward to it for a while," commented Bella Mente's owner, Hap Fauth. "It will be a good test of the crew in offshore conditions, something that we have not done a lot of since the boat was launched last year. We'll have an opportunity to test some new sails and crew coordination but since we have never sailed this race things are a bit unknown but I am optimistic of a podium result."

Also racing in Class Zero the French Maxi, Med Spirit, is a fine example of the international flavour of the RORC Caribbean 600. Racing under the burgee of the Société Nautique de Marseille and owned by Didier Lacombe, the 92-foot racing yacht has been chartered by The Russian Yachting Federation and the crew will include 15 of its members, skippered by Russian round the world sailor, Vladimir Kulinichenko. The CEO of the Russian Sailing Federation, Oscar Konyukhov, will be part of the crew, as well as a host of world-class French sailors from the Vendee Globe and the Figaro Class.

This year's race has nine yachts over 90ft in length and two magnificent schooners will battle it out for the first time offshore. With an overall length of 181 feet the Dykstra designed schooner, Adela, is an impressive sight. However Adela's arch-rival Athos is 203 feet which is the largest yacht competing this year. Adela won the Spirit of Tradition Class in 2012 by some margin but Athos poses a serious threat. No doubt it will be fascinating to watch these two glorious yachts sparring around the 600-mile course.

Whilst the RORC Caribbean 600 has attracted a significant number of high profile yachts, the majority of the competitors attracted to the glorious conditions are Corinthian amateurs, racing in performance cruisers.

Eight yachts from Nautor's Swan will be competing in various classes and also for the Swan Caribbean Challenge Trophy. Colin Buffin's Swan 62, Uxorious IV, returns having had a superb yet agonising race last year. In 2012 Uxorious IV came second in class by an amazing 21 seconds to Amanda Hartley's Swan 56, Clem. This year the largest Swan competing will be Anders Nordquist's beautiful Swan 90, Nefertiti. One of the smaller Swans entered is Patriot, crewed by the British Royal Armoured Corps and skippered by Captain Richard Luckyn-Malone.

In IRC One one of the more unusual entries is Jolt 2, owned by Peter Harrison. The custom 45 foot yacht has been especially designed for short-handed sailing and a crew of just four people will be on board for the 600-mile race.

"Jolt has over 7000nm under her keel since September, and most of those miles, including a transatlantic, have been double-handed, we are racing the 600 with a couple more than that, under duress!" joked Jolt's captain, James Heald. "Peter loves to helm and talk tactics and we are all looking forward to the challenges of sailing fast in big trade wind seas, threading the islands, gazing at stars, all just wearing a pair of shorts."

Liz Lotz, Commodore of Lloyd's Yacht Club, will be taking part in her fourth Caribbean 600 racing on Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka. Skippered by Philippe Falle, the majority of the crew are members of the LLYC. "Leaving cold grey England in February to race in the Caribbean is just fantastic," commented Liz. "When you come over the brow of that hill over looking Falmouth Harbour and see all of the magnificent yachts, it just takes your breath away. The course is just amazing but the social scene is also a great reason to take part; last year's Prizegiving was the best I have ever attended. It didn't matter if you were a world class pro or a Corinthian sailor, everybody shared the buzz of a wonderful race and an unforgettable occasion."

The RORC Caribbean 600 starts 18th February from Antigua.

Now in its third year, the RORC Caribbean 600 has attracted competitors from all over the world and has established itself as one of the 'must do' offshore yacht races of the international racing calendar. One of the main reasons for its popularity is the fantastic sailing conditions as well as the intricate course, weaving through 11 Caribbean islands. The RORC Caribbean 600 is a new style of offshore yacht race, designed to test speed, agility and guile: more like a Formula One racetrack than a traditional windward leeward course.

When the gun goes at Fort Charlotte, Antigua on the 21st February to mark the start of the RORC Caribbean 600, the racing crews will be pumped up with adrenalin to begin a high-speed adventure in arguably the best sailing grounds in the world. Warm breeze, day and night with big waves typify this race, making the central Caribbean a very special place to race.

"This race has it all," said Boogie, the skipper of the Swan 51 Star Chaser: "Lots of wind, no wind, big seas, flat seas, rain and sunshine. Our crew and Star Chaser have enjoyed every part of it and we worked very hard to keep the boat racing as fast as we could. When doing 8.5 almost 10 knots going to windward, you forget about getting soaked on the foredeck and just enjoy the ride!"

The First Corner
Those in the know will stay close to the shore to stay out of the current and get a lift from the shore. Right at the start the fleet should be heading straight for the Pillars of Hercules, giving the spectators along the cliffs, a fantastic bird's eye view of the impressive fleet. The yachts should be bashing to windward, crashing through the surf, before easing sheets, as they approach Green Island to turn the first corner. Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard, who holds the monohull record for the course, summed up his thoughts during the inaugural race. "Any ideas that this race was a holiday jaunt out of Antigua have now been binned! A cracking start into heavy seas soon dispelled any thoughts of an easy trip."

Blast off to Barbuda
After passing Green Island, the racing fleet should accelerate as spinnakers are hoisted on the windward side of Antigua. The fleet should experience the full effects of the Atlantic on a broad reach, delivering a thrilling ride. There are passing opportunities on the approach to the North Sails mark off the south west side of Barbuda, the only laid mark of the race. Gains will be made and lost on this second corner of the track, especially as the yachts set the spinnakers as they sail downwind towards Nevis. For many it will be dusk at this point, with the spinnaker set against the falling sun. It will be a memorable reach across to Nevis.

Dogleg to Saba
As night draws in, much of the fleet will be reaching along the leeward side of St Kitts, enjoying flat water and fluctuating breeze as they progress to Saba island. "To enjoy a fabulous evening sail along the southern coast of Nevis and St Kitts with flat water and 20 knot plus boat speed, is as good as it ever gets,'" said Mike Slade during the 2009 race. "It's undoubtedly one of the best yacht race tracks in the world."

Upwind to the Chicane
After rounding Saba, it is likely that the yachts will be beating for the first time since the upwind leg to Green Island at the start. By now it will be the middle of the night for most of the teams. Theracing yachts will enter the 'chicane' at the top of the course. Rounding St Barts requires caution. It is a lee-shore festooned with rocks and reefs, navigators will really need to be on their toes, as will all of the crew, to keep a watch out for faster boats on a reciprocal course, which have already rounded the top of St Martin and making their way down to Guadeloupe.

Hit the Turbo
Rounding Tintamarre northeast of St.Martin marks the halfway point in the race and the beginning of the longest leg in the course, a 170-mile reach to Guadeloupe. The yachts may well be power reaching, close to top straight-line speed and the crew will be able to settle down and recover from a tough first day. They will be beginning to feel the effects of fatigue, after long periods of concentration and the physical exertion of numerous sail changes.

The rhumb line course passes close to the volcanic island of Montserrat. It is an amazing sight. The volcano erupted again last year and as a result it is probably not a good idea to get too close as the island is still growing.

John Burnie checked in during the last race from the ORMA 60, Region Guadeloupe on the way to setting the multihull record for the race. "It is very rough, unbelievably wet and we were glad to see dawn to bring on the sunshine. 26 knots of boat speed, in ocean swell, just amazing sailing."

Avoiding the Pit Stop
Rounding Guadeloupe adds another tricky twist to the race as the island throws out a huge wind shadow, which can trap yachts that venture too close to the stunning remote cliffs. Also, the shores around the island have several shallow spots festooned with lobster pots. The beat from Les Saintes to La Desirade is the toughest part of the course and rounding La Desirade to the East of Guadeloupe can be extremely rough as the yachts feel the full force of the Atlantic.

Full Throttle Once More
The reward for escaping the clutches of Guadeloupe is to set a spinnaker for Barbuda, typically belting along on a fast reach. Boat speed should be pretty close to red lining and the downwind fun should last all the way to Redonda. But this small island limestone stack rises to nearly 1000ft and is yet another potential windless trap.

Coming in Hot
It is 40 miles upwind to the finish from Redonda and probably the hardest part of the race as the yachts beat to the finish off Falmouth Bay, Antigua. Tired but elated, the crews will enjoy a warm welcome from Antigua Yacht Club, who greets every yacht dockside with a slab of cold beer and three cheers for finishing the RORC Caribbean 600.

America's Cup and round the world helmsman, Gavin Brady was very impressed with the racecourse: "This race has something for everyone, certainly a race course where you have to concentrate all the time. I sailed in shorts and T-shirt the whole race, even though the wind strength got up to 20 knots. That's something you don't say very often after a 600 mile classic." ENDS/....

COURSE RECORDS:
Multihull – 40hr 11min 22sec – ORMA 60, Region Guadeloupe
Monohull – 44hr 5min 14sec – Farr Maxi, ICAP Leopard

Full details of the race, including entries and latest news can be found on the race website. Yachts are fitted with tracking devices so follow the race via: http://caribbean600.rorc.org/