Offshore: Canadian Richard Clarke leads Warrior Won to RORC 600 win

March 2, 2022

The overall winner of the 13th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 is Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior One (USA) – image © Robert Hajduk

Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior Won was the overall winner, lifting the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy for the best corrected time under IRC.

“Tactically, the RORC Caribbean 600 rates as one of the hardest in the world. It is like a heavyweight boxing match; the lefts and the rights just keep coming at you and you wait for that knockout punch. At any moment you can park up, no lead is safe until the very end,” commented Warrior Won’s tactician, Richard Clarke.

 Richard Clarke, Tactician on Warrior Won © Arthur Daniel/RORC

Clarke, Tactician on Warrior Won is a four-time Olympian for Canada and a Volvo Ocean Race winner: “A race like the Caribbean 600 is short but complicated, it’s short enough that you can push really, really hard, but you have to manage fatigue. On Warrior Won with a fixed keel you have to keep as many bodies on the rail as you can. The basic aspects are keeping the boat at maximum speed with the right combination of sails up. As a tactical race the ‘600 rates as one the hardest in the world because there are so many islands to round and the tactics vary according to the time of day. Add fickle trade winds and squally clouds into the mix, I equate this to going ten rounds in a boxing match, where the left and the right and the combinations just keep coming at you. Sometimes you have to play offence or defence, because at any moment you can park-up, so no lead is safe until you finish.”

 

An huge return to action

The 2022 RORC Caribbean 600 attracted 74 teams with 738 sailors from 32 different nations. The Caribbean classic is back with the most impressive fleet in the 14-year history of the race. Moderate trade winds faded to a lighter breeze during the five days of the race, but that did not stop Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo setting a new multihull race record in a thrilling finish with Giovanni Soldini’s Multi 70 Maserati. There was sizzling competition right through all the IRC Classes and the Class40 Division. ClubSwan 125 Skorpios, skippered by Fernando Echavarri, took Monohull Line Honours after a terrific battle with the VPLP/ Verdier 100 Comanche, skippered by Mitch Booth.

The Warrior Won team  © Arthur Daniel/RORC

PREVIOUS WINNERS: RORC CARIBBEAN 600 TROPHY – IRC OVERALL

2022 – Christopher Sheehan, Pac52, Warrior

2021 – Cancelled due to pandemic

2020 – Tilmar Hansen, TP52, Outsider (GER)

2019 – David and Peter Askew, Wizard, Volvo 70 (USA)

2018 – George David, Rambler 88, Maxi (USA)

2017 – Hap Fauth, Bella Mente, JV72 (USA)

2016 – George Sakellaris, Maxi 72, Proteus (USA)

2015 – Hap Fauth, JV72, Bella Mente (USA)

2014 – George Sakellaris, RP72, Shockwave (USA)

2013 – Ron O’Hanley, Privateer, Cookson 50 (USA)

2012 – Niklas Zennström’s JV72, Rán (GBR)

2011 – George David, Rambler 100, JK 100 (USA)

2010 – Karl C L Kwok, Beau Geste, Farr 80 (HKG)

2009 – Adrian Lee, Lee Overlay Partners, Cookson 50 (IRL)