Conor Fogerty’s Sunfast 3600 Bam! is currently showing best of the Irish still racing in the RORC Caribbbean 600 after this afternoon’s start off Antigua writes W M Nixon. The new “Sailor of the Year” is leading in Class 3 and 19th overall while reaching fast in a northwesterly direction in the fresh easterly wind towards the first mark at Barbuda.
The phrase “still racing” is of some relevance to the Irish contingent, as Adrian Lee’s Cookson 50 Lee Overlay Partners returned to port without crossing the starting line, while the Maxi CQS, with Cork’s David Kenefick in a key role, also appears to have turned and headed back to port.
On record pace, George David's American Maxi Rambler 88 and the IRC Zero & Superyacht fleet at the start of the RORC Caribbean 600 off Fort Charlotte in Antigua today Photo: RORC/Tim Wright
The initial beat along Antigua’s southeast coast saw quite an element of sorting-out in the fleet. And as beating is not the strongest suit for the IRC 46 Pata Negra chartered by Michael Wright of Howth, initially she was showing as well down the fleet. But now with sheets freed, the Marc Lombard design is starting to make much better knots, and is lying 4th in IRC 1.
At the head of the fleet, as expected George David’s Rambler 88 is leading the mono-hulls on the water. But she still has some work to do to get up to a performance which will match his record-making race in 2011 with Rambler 100, the boat which - in August of the same year - was to part company with her keel at the Fastnet Rock.
Race tracker: here
