ISORA J122 Mojito is dominating with Back-to-Back Wins in IRC Two of this week's RORC Nelson Cup Series in Antigua, a warm-up for next week's RORC Caribbean 600 Race.
The second day of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series was again blessed with superb conditions off the South Coast of Antigua, with 20 knots of trade winds pumping in for exhilarating racing for three IRC classes.
In race three, Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox’s Mojito scored their first race win. Having come runner-up in the two previous races, Mojito corrected out to beat the Antiguan youth team on Jim Voss’ RP37 Warthog by 59 seconds. Third, after IRC time correction, was Philippe Frantz’s NM43 Albator.
As regular Afloat readers know, the potent J122E cruiser-racer Scottish 'El Gran Senor' from the Clyde Cruising Club was renamed Mojito under the new ownership of Dunlop and Cox when she embarked on her 2024 summer season.
Mojito took another bullet in Race Four to complete a perfect day on the water. Warthog was second by just 14 seconds after time correction, and Albator were once again third. Mojito now leads the class for the regatta by two points from Warthog, with Albator in third.
Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox’s J/122 Mojito is an amateur team of friends from Wales and Ireland that race out of the Pwllheli Sailing Club, the heart of sailing in Wales.
“We had a few drinks at the ISORA Annual Dinner and came up with the idea to bring the team and the boat to Antigua for this regatta and the RORC Caribbean 600. It seemed a crazy idea at the time but here we are and we are absolutely loving it!” commented Peter Dunlop.
Vicky Cox started racing about 15 years ago and drives the boat for the team. “Peter and I raced with Andrew & Sam Hall’s Pata Negra in the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600, and we have always wanted to come back, especially now that there is the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series, which gives us a two-week programme. We only got the boat off the ship a few days ago, and we are thrilled to be doing well against great competition like Warthog and Albator. We have the IRC Welsh National Championship from the 2nd to the 4th of May this year. I can guarantee anybody coming will have as warm a welcome as we have received in Antigua.”
