$10,000 // 12 Days
Synopsis
Join us in Antigua for the Caribbean 600, including a week of performance sail training prior to the race itself! This is one of the world's most iconic 600-mile ocean race challenges, along with epic races such as the Fastnet and the Sydney-Hobart. This exciting 600-mile route takes competitors on a spectacular figure-eight course, weaving around 11 of the most beautiful Caribbean Islands. The tropical setting offers the unique challenges of working with ocean currents, beating into trade winds, navigating past lee shores of volcanic islands and surfing downwind on sweeping ocean swells. It truly is one of the most interesting offshore courses to be found anywhere in the world, and so provides an unrivaled race training opportunity.
Click here to watch the RORC Caribbean 600 wrap-up film for the 2023 race.
Note:
We now reserve two spots for women on all of our passages, including races! Learn more here.
The Route
Starting in Antigua, the first leg of the Caribbean 600 takes you on an upwind beat north to leave Barbuda to port. A long downwind spinnaker run takes you south to leave Nevis, St Kitts and Saba to starboard. Another beat upwind takes you past St Barths and around St Maarten, the most northerly island on the route. A fast close reach follows all the way back south to Guadeloupe, where one of the major tactical decisions lies: stay inshore for thermal breezes or keep offshore to avoid the infamous wind hole to the lee of the island? Once you pass the southerly tip of Guadeloupe, a tough beat into the wind, swell and current awaits you as you zig-zag your way around the most easterly island of Desirade. Now the home stretch awaits: a beam reach north to Barbuda, a hop downwind around Redonda and then a final upwind leg to the finish, in time for the closing party and prize-giving on the Friday evening.
Expected Weather Pattern
The quintessential Caribbean weather awaits you. E/NE trade winds will offer the full suite of sail angles, along with big ocean swells and squalls. The sun is as fierce as the conditions are consistent at this time of year, so it will be a hot, sweaty, windy and wet ride! Think swimsuits, sun-hats, and full foulies.
Skippers and Mates
There will be three professional crew members on all our races.
Nikki Henderson will be skippering both the Caribbean 600 and the Middle Sea Race to add some consistency for anyone who wants to sign up for both. She brings with her over a decade of experience building offshore race teams from amateur crews. She has twice taken part in the Caribbean 600, and has spent three racing seasons in the Caribbean so this is familiar territory for her!
Racing typically puts higher demands on the professional crew, so we will be hiring both a first mate and a second mate for this race who have race coaching backgrounds. Note the difference between being a racer, and a race coach!
Words from Nikki:
"To me, racing is a magnifier for sailing and all that it entails: teamwork, leadership, adventure, freedom, exploration, challenge. The sense of spaciousness of any of the passages on Falken and Isbjorn that allow room for the crew to discover the depth and adventure that offshore sailing offers can never be replaced. But it can be complimented. Fall in love with the ocean on a 59° North passage, and then fine tune your skills on a race. That to me, is the perfect package and one I have always wanted to be able to offer people!"
Recommended Experience
We have designed this passage to be accessible for anyone even if you come with no prior racing experience. This is why we include such substantial race training beforehand. Saying that, we recommend that anyone signing up does have some prior offshore sailing experience. This could include a trip with 59° North or equivalent offshore passage. Please note, age is not a limiting factor — a reasonable level of agility and fitness is much more important.
Tentative Itinerary
Feb 12: Join NIKKI onboard the race yacht in Falmouth, Antigua at 17:00. Dinner with the group ashore.
Feb 13-15: Race training and safety briefing, including at least one overnight passage
Feb 16: Antigua 360 — a 52nm 'training race'
Feb 17: Race prep & official Caribbean 600 welcome party
Feb 18: Passage briefing and final safety briefing
Feb 19: Race start! Warning signal 10:50
Feb 23: Official prize-giving
Feb 24: Depart the boat by 10:00
Travel Logistics
Fly into ANU airport in St. John's, Antigua, and take a taxi to Falmouth on the south coast.
Fly out Antigua’s ANU.
As with all our passages, we strongly advise organising the appropriate travel insurance to cover the cost of the trip.
The Yacht
We will be chartering 'race-focused' offshore sailing yachts with full sail wardrobes and all necessary performance equipment to be competitive in offshore races, rather than use the 59° North fleet. The current contender for the Caribbean 600 is a Bruce Farr designed Beneteau First 47.7. The First 47.7 has a good balance between performance, comfort and design. She can be competitive within the IRC rating system [handicap] whilst remaining manageable for a crew of mixed experience.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be offered onboard, however, we recommend that you budget to stay onshore while the boat isn't actually at sea as the interiors won't be quite as comfortable as FALKEN and ISBJORN.
How to Join
To register, complete the Offshore Passage Registration by clicking the 'Sign Up' button above, or at the bottom of the page. You'll be asked to complete the form - make sure you hit submit. Indicate '2024 // RORC Caribbean 600' as your preferred passage.
Once we receive your registration, you'll be sent an invoice for 50% of the balance, due immediately. The final 50% of the balance will be due 60 days prior to the passage date. Terms and conditions are in the registration form, and you'll be asked to agree to them before submitting your deposit. Please read them carefully.
Photo by Tim Wright
Click here to read some of our most frequently asked questions from crew who have sailed with us in the past.