RORC Nelson’s Cup Series Ready to Sparkle

RORC Nelson’s Cup Series-Leopard 3 © Alex Turnbull

Racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Antigua kicks off at 1100 local time on Tuesday 18th February. The first day of racing for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series will feature short course racing for 21 boats racing in three IRC Classes, including an eight -strong IRC Maxi Class. On Friday 21st February, the climax for the RORC Nelson’s Cup will be the 48-mile Antigua 360 which has attracted an even bigger fleet of at least 30 boats, with multihulls and local boats taking up the challenge of racing around Antigua. The stand-alone RORC Caribbean 600 Race will start on Monday 24th February.

RORC Nelson’s Cup Entry List

Lucky © Sailing Energy/Calero Marinas

IRC Maxi

Eight powerful Maxis will be racing under IRC with close battles expected right through the fleet. The IRC Maxi Class will also have an additional day of racing on Thursday 20th February. At the top of the IRC rating is Bryon Ehrhart’s Juan K 88 Lucky which has just set the new monohull record for the RORC Transatlantic Race. Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Chris Sherlock, with Joost Schuijff at the helm, is back in action after a refit. Their last inshore regatta was in Porto Cervo, winning the Maxi 1 World Championship in September 2024. After IRC time correction, Lucky gives Leopard 131 seconds each hour of racing. Leopard won the big boat class in last year’s RORC Nelson’s Cup Series.

Two Wally Centos will be sparring around the race course with almost identical IRC ratings. Karel Komarek’s V is skippered by Volvo Ocean Race winner Jackson Bouttell. While Chris Flowers will be at the helm of Galateia, skippered by Mike Atkinson. Navigator on Galateia is Volvo Ocean Race winner Simon Fisher who commented: “The whole team is looking forward to some great racing. We are expecting about 16-20 knots of breeze with a two metre sea state, which would be great conditions for all the boats, especially the Maxis.”

Deep Blue chasing Leopard 3 © Arthur Daniel/RORC

Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85 Deep Blue is back for the second year for the RORC Nelson’s Cup and has an IRC rating close to a debutant to the regatta in Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt. The two smallest Maxis in the race are both from the design board of Mark Mills. Filip Balcaen’s Mills 72 Balthasar and Jean Philippe Blanpain’s Mills 62 Leaps and Bounds will both be racing in the RORC Caribbean 600. Both boats were designed with IRC optimisation and can c. Certainly give the bigger Maxis a run for their money after time correction.

Rán © Alex Turnbull

IRC One

All of the boats racing in IRC One for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series will be competing in the forthcoming RORC Caribbean 600. At the top of the IRC Rating band are Niklas Zennstrom’s Carkeek 52 Rán which will be defending their RORC Nelson’s Cup Series win. However, this year sees the Antiguan debut for Frederic Puzin’s Carkeek 54 Daguet 5, which has a higher IRC rating than Rán, giving the champions 58 seconds for every hour of racing. Jon Desmond’s PAC 52 Final Final will enjoy an IRC time allowance on both Rán and Daguet 5. The PAC 52 is a new boat for Desmond and to some extent a new crew. “The Nelson’s Cup will be a first opportunity to see how we blend together as a team, working out what we should and shouldn’t do,” commented Final Final’s tactician Cameron Appleton.

James Neville’s Carkeek 45 Ino Noir returns to racing after coming third overall and first in class for the RORC Transatlantic Race. While Ino Noir rates lower than all, bar the youth team on HSVs JV52 Haspa Hamburg. Ino Noir will receive 56 seconds in IRC time allowance from Daguet 5, every hour of racing.

IRC Two

The largest class in the RORC Nelson’s Cup, with nine boats entered from seven different countries. Three Antiguan boats will be proudly flying the flag of the host nation, including Carlo Falcone with his legendary Caccia Alla Volpe, Bernie Evan-Wong’s 1963 Cal 40 Huey Too and rising stars of Antigua racing RP37 Warthog , skippered by Jules Mitchell. The biggest boat and highest IRC rating in the class is the Oyster 825 Viva La Vida, owned by Barry Parkin. Philippe Frantz NM43 Albator has a stellar crew including Rolex Fastnet Race winner Alexis Loison.

Follow the third edition of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series with live results and full media coverage on: www.caribbean600.rorc.org