_{Overall winner of the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race - Olivier Magre's French Class40 Palanad 3 © Ed Gifford/RORC}

Congratulations to Olivier Magre and his crew on French Class40 Palanad 3 as the overall winner of the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race. Palanad 3 has posted the best elapsed time under IRC to win the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy. Palanad 3 is the seventh winner of the antique sterling silver trophy and the first Class40 to do so. Antoine Carpentier’s Class40 Redman, also a Mach 40.4, was second overall under IRC.

Listen to Luke Berry talking about using the RORC Transat as a training race before the start Here: https://youtu.be/Z5s9JInlC2U

“I am so happy to have won overall; it is a magnificent trophy!” smiled Olivier Magre. “This is a perfect race for Class40 because it is relatively shorter than other transatlantic races and the timing is perfect to join other events such as the RORC Caribbean 600. I am sure that in the future if we have a number of Class40s it would be a beautiful race and we have the added attraction of challenging bigger boats as well. I think mixing Class40s with other boats under IRC is a good thing because it increases the challenge and the performance required.”

_{Tim & Mayumi Knight celebrate in Antigua after finishing the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race © Helen Spooner/RORC}

Tim and Mayumi Knight, racing Pogo 12.50 Kai, crossed the Antigua finish line of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 13:50 UTC (30 January) in an elapsed time of 21 days, 2 hours, 50 mins and 07 secs. With all boats accounted for, the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race has come to an end. As Kai crossed the finish line outside Nelson’s Dockyard, Benedikt Clauberg’s Kali came out to greet them and guide them to their berth.

“680 mile into the race we had a problem with the rig so we have been nursing the boat for 2,000 miles,” commented Tim Knight. “However, compared to the horrible time people have been having with the pandemic, we were in paradise. It was wonderful to see Kali when we finished and we had an amazing welcome in Falmouth Marina. Thank you so much to the RORC; Mayumi and I are very grateful, especially having Tim (Thubron) being so helpful throughout the race."

_{Enjoying a cold beer in Antigua after finishing the RORC Transatlantic Race: Sebastien Saulnier (R) and Christophe Affolter (L) racing Sun Fast 3300 Moshimoshi © Helen Spooner/RORC}

Sebastien Saulnier’s Sun Fast 3300 Moshimoshi crossed the finish line of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 20:12 UTC in an elapsed time of 15 days, 9 hours, 12 mins and 20 secs. Racing with Christophe Affolter, Moshimoshi is the first team to finish the race in IRC Two-Handed. Two years ago, Sebastien and Christophe started to put together the project to race double handed across the Atlantic. The pair were elated to finish the 2,735-mile race from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote to Antigua, West Indies.

_{Antoine Carpentier and team on Class40 Redman finished the RORC Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time of 10 days, 18 hours, 24 mins and 13 secs. Redman Crew: L-R: Pierre Lacaze, Arnaud Aubry, Pablo Santurde, Antoine Carpentier © Helen Spooner/RORC}

Antoine Carpentier’s Class40 Redman crossed the finish line of the 7^th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 04:24 UTC in an elapsed time of 10 days, 18 hours, 24 mins and 13 secs. Despite finishing after Olivier Magre’s Class40 Palanad 3, Redman’s time was still exceptional. Make no mistake, this was a heavyweight contest between two of the world’s best Class40 sailors, both racing fourth generation Mach 40s. Antoine Carpentier has been racing Class40s for 14 years, winning the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre and class in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race.

“This is an amazing race for a Class40,” commented Antoine Carpentier. “It is a great course for me to prepare for the Route du Rhum because the race is almost the same from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. Interestingly, in this race we had a big problem with seaweed on the rudders, so we are thinking about how to deal with that.

_{Celebrations on board Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon after winning the IMA Trophy and Monohull Line Honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race - Finishing in an elapsed time of 9 days, 18 hours, 53 mins and 40 secs © Ed Gifford/RORC}

Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon crossed the finish line of the 7^th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 04:53 UTC in an elapsed time of 9 days, 18 hours, 53 mins and 40 secs. Green Dragon wins the IMA Trophy and takes Monohull Line Honours for the RORC Transatlantic Race. Olivier Magre’s Class40 Palanad 3 was less than five hours behind completing the 2735-mile race in a phenomenal elapsed time of 10 days, 1 hour, 43 mins and 18 secs. For the moment, Palanad 3 have scored the best corrected time under IRC for the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy.

Green Dragon becomes the seventh boat to win the International Maxi Association’s IMA Trophy. Whilst this year’s race is a different route, Green Dragon is the first monohull to complete the RORC Transatlantic Race in under 10 days. The Secretary General of the IMA, Andrew McIrvine commented: “Congratulations and best wishes from the IMA to Johannes and the Green Dragon team. We are sorry not to able to greet you, as we would have in more usual times, but we hope you enjoyed the race.”

_{Crossing the finish line in Antigua at full speed - Multihull Line Honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race for Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella © Ed Gifford/RORC}

Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella crossed the finish line of the 7^th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 13:33 UTC in an elapsed time of 9 days, 3 hours, 33 mins and 19 secs.

Racing Two-Handed across the Atlantic in under 10 days is a remarkable achievement. Rayon Vert crossed the finish line at full speed, surfing in the Caribbean swell. Helen Spooner, who has organised the volunteers for every edition of the RORC Caribbean 600, greeted the pair with the assistance of the Antigua & Barbuda Coastguard. Oren and Alex were all smiles, receiving ice cold beers after finishing the 2,735-mile race from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

_{Luke Berry on Olivier Magre’s Class40 Palanad 3 reports in from the RORC Transatlantic Race and the perils of Sargassum seaweed @luke_berry_sailing/@palanad3_sailingteam - RORC YouTube - https://youtu.be/cmIsrUeq1Bo}

The RORC Transatlantic Race reaches an exciting stage on the ninth day with the leading boats closing in on the finish line in Antigua. Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella was under 400 miles from the finish and expected to take Multihull Line Honours on Monday 18th January. Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon is leading the race for Monohull Line Honours and was approximately 500 miles from Antigua.

Olivier Magre’s Class40 Palanad 3 was just 60 miles behind Green Dragon and is expected to finish the 2,735 nautical mile race in just over 10 days - lightning-quick for a 40-footer. “The boat is going fast!” commented Palanad 3’s Luke Berry. “The only problem we have is the seaweed. We clean the rudder after a gybe, but have also resorted to taking the kite down and trying to sail backwards. All is good, so we mustn’t complain!”

On the seventh day of the RORC Transatlantic Race the leading boats were approximately 1,000 miles from the finish in Antigua. All of the boats have encountered thrilling downwind conditions in solid ENE trade winds, creating superb oceanic racing conditions.

The Mid-Atlantic battle is led by Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella, which is 1,038 miles from the finish. Olivier Magre’s Class40 Palanad 3 is the leading monohull with 1,097 miles to go. However, Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon is closing the gap and is now just 10n miles behind Palanad 3. Antoine Carpentier’s Class40 Redman is also closing in on the monohull leader and the most southerly boat of the fleet.

_{Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella is halfway and leading the fleet in the RORC Transatlantic Race © James Mitchell/RORC}

On the fifth day of the RORC Transatlantic Race all of the competing yachts are fully offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Life on board will have found a rhythm to the corkscrew motion of surfing downwind for days on end. Oren Nataf’s Multi50 Trimaran Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella is leading the fleet and they will be celebrating having crossed the halfway mark in the 2,735-mile race from Lanzarote to the Caribbean. Rayon Vert’s skipper Pella is very much at home in the Atlantic. The Spaniard has won both the Route du Rhum and the Transat Jacques Vabre.

_{Black Pearl IRC56 © James Mitchell/RORC}

Day Two Report - 10 January 2021

The IRC56 Black Pearl, sailed by Stefan Jentzsch, contacted the RORC Race Management Team at 11:30 UTC on 10th January to report that Black Pearl is retiring from the race and heading back to Lanzarote. All are well on board. Black Pearl was approximately 20 miles west of the island of El Hierro, some 250 miles from Lanzarote. The RORC Race Team and Marina Puerto Calero will be standing by should Black Pearl require any assistance.