It was a nail-biter to the very end writes W M Nixon. It was around half an hour before midnight local time last night off the south coast of Antigua when the lights of Conor Fogerty’s Sunfast 3600 finally appeared out of the velvet dark of the Caribbean night to cross the finishing line in the tenth RORC Caribbean 600.

After a final boat-breaking, man-breaking 35 mile beat into the strong nor’easters from the last turn at the little island of Redonda. the Howth skipper and his completely amateur crew had got to the finish and secured his second Caribbean 600 win in Class 3, the other being in 2016.

By doing so, in a race which very emphatically favoured big professionally-sailed boats, he corrected into 13th overall, well ahead of any boat of comparable size. He also corrected into one place ahead of clubmate Michael Wright in the IRC 46 Pata Negra, who nevertheless was firmly ensconced in second overall in Class 1.

And in 16th overall was Irish-American Kevin McLaughlin’s J/44 Spice, her crew including the National YC’s Will Byrne and Chris Raymond, and she in turn was securely placed in 3rd overall in Class 1. Class places of 1,2, and 3 for Irish hopes. Not a bad trawl for a big boat race dominated by pros.

We’ll have a fuller analysis of it in tomorrow’s “Sailing on Saturday”, meanwhile here’s the Race Tracker again here.