Irish sailor Conor Corson who won the AZAB Ocean race overall in his Sunfast 3300 Asgard earlier this season, will be racing across the Atlantic this January in the 10th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race.
The 3,000-mile race is expected to feature thrilling battles among the fleet, including IRC racers, high-performance race boats, and two-handed warriors. The MOCRA division, in particular, promises to be hotly contested, with a dazzling array of multihulls vying for glory.
Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the International Maxi Association, and the Yacht Club de France, the race will see the fleet set off from Marina Lanzarote, bound for Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina Grenada. With entries and expressions of interest from Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, the RORC Transatlantic Race is an international affair.
70-foot Trimarans will steal the limelight in the 10th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race sets sail on January 7, 2024 and include Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo Photo: Ultimate Sailing
Four 70-foot trimarans are expected to participate in the race, making it the largest collection in the event's 10-year history. Multihull Record holder Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 is looking to secure a hattrick of Line Honours wins. Soldini will be taking on three MOD70s - Jason Carroll’s Argo, Erik Maris’ Zoulou, and Alexia Barrier’s The Famous Project - whose ultimate ambition is an all-women Jules Verne Record attempt with the Maxi-trimaran Idec Sport.
While the above will be gunning for Multihull Line Honours, the multihull class will also be racing under the MOCRA Rating system. The smallest Multihull entered so far is Clarin Mustad’s Alibi54 Dakota. The IMA Transatlantic Trophy for Monohull Line Honours is expected to be hotly contested by a number of ocean-going Maxis. The largest boat confirmed so far is the 107ft Wally Spirit of Malouen X, skippered by Stephane Neve, which is also in the newly created Superyacht Class for displacement yachts of 24m and over.
Once in the Caribbean, nearly all of the entries will be competing in the RORC Caribbean 600, which is celebrating its 15th edition. The RORC Transatlantic Race also has a Classic Class with details in the Notice of Race, adding to the variety of yachts participating in the event.
Ocean-going Maxis such as the Farr 100 Leopard 3 are set to contest the IMA Transatlantic Trophy in the the RORC Transatlantic Race Photo: International Maxi Association/Studio Borlenghi
Leopard 3, a Farr 100 skippered by Chris Sherlock, is expected to make a return to the RORC Transatlantic Race. The vessel, now under new ownership, has undergone significant changes, including a new deck, rig, and winch package. Despite being a multi-world record-setter, the yacht has some stiff competition this year.
HYPR, skippered by Jens Lindner, is the first of several Volvo 70s and VO65s that have declared their intention to race. Four more are expected to join but have yet to enter the race officially. The winner of the RORC Transatlantic Race is determined by IRC time correction, and smaller entries have at least an equal chance of winning the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy. In the past nine editions, four Maxi yachts have won, but most victories have come from boats between 33 to 54 feet.
The Volvo 70 HYPR will be back in the RORC Transatlantic Race, skippered by Jens Lindner Photo: James Mitchell
New to the race this year is Chris Sheehan's PAC 52 Warrior Won, which has been on a world tour since winning the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600. The American boat has participated in the Rolex Sydney Hobart and the 2023 Rolex Fastnet while in Europe. Its journey back across the Atlantic will continue the loop, with Warrior Won aiming for another crack at the RORC Caribbean 600 in February 2024.
Chris Sheehan's American PAC 52 Warrior Won was an impressive sight as she rounded the Fastnet Rock at dawn in the recent Rolex Fastnet Race Photo: ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo
Andrew & Sam Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra, which won IRC One last year and was second overall in 2019, is one of the monohulls under 50 feet that are expected to race. The father and son co-skippers are anticipated to return with a fully crewed Pata Negra to challenge for the 10th edition.
Winner of IRC One in the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race, ISORA skipper Andrew & Sam Hall’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra Photo: Arthur Daniel
Competing for the first time in the RORC Transatlantic Race are two boats both called Moana. The German Marten 49 Moana, skippered by Hanno Ziehm, and the Dutch J/122 Moana, sailed by Michelle Witsenburg and Frans van Cappelle, are the boats making their debut. Yves Grosjean's new boat, the all-carbon Neo 430 Roma NeoJivaro, raced in the 2022 Rolex Middle Sea Race and is entered for its debut in the RORC Transatlantic Race.
Gavin Howe’s Sunfast 3600 Tigris will be racing in the IRC Two-Handed division of the RORC Transatlantic race with Maggie Adamson Photo: James Tomlinson
Among the monohulls under 40 feet, three teams will also be making their debut in the race. Ed Bell's much-travelled Dawn Treader will race with a full crew. Ross Farrow's Sunfast 3300 Asgard will be racing Two-Handed with Conor Corson. Gavin Howe's Sunfast 3600 Tigris will be racing in IRC Two-Handed with Maggie Adamson, as he has done for the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race and the Rolex Fastnet Race; 2024 will be their fifth season on Tigris.
Gavin Howe, skipper of Tigris, said, “I really enjoy long offshore races, but due to circumstances, including the pandemic lockdown, this will be my first transatlantic race. Ticking off my bucket list for both the RORC Transat and the Caribbean 600 is something I have really wanted to do. Racing downwind for many days can be so rewarding. You adapt to life at sea and get a good rhythm going. Life becomes fairly simple, but it is a very special and privileged environment, I love it. We always race wanting to win, and the Sun Fast 3600 Tigris is a good all-rounder and very robust.
“Good preparation is very important, and then it is about sailing the boat properly and going as fast as you can. Choosing the right Two-Handed partner is so important. Maggie comes from Shetland, and she is on the Lerwick Lifeboat, one of the toughest in Britain. She is also skipper of The Shetlands Tall Ship The Swan, and twice Scottish champion fiddle player. You don’t do things like that casually. We got on from the very first moment, and she has been really committed. A good sailing partner, especially double-handed, is someone you can trust.”
