The panel for the RORC Transatlantic Race Press Conference. L-R: Héctor Fernández of the Lanzarote Tourist Board, Olivier Pecoux - Vice President, Yacht Club de France, Andrew McIrvine - Secretary General International Maxi Association, Jeremy Wilton - CEO, RORC and José Juan Calero - MD Calero Marinas © RORC/James Mitchell
A press conference was held at Marina Lanzarote on the eve of the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race. In attendance for the organisers were: José Juan Calero - Managing Director Calero Marinas, Héctor Fernández - Lanzarote Tourist Board, Jeremy Wilton - CEO Royal Ocean Racing Club, Andrew McIrvine - Secretary General International Maxi Association and Olivier Pecoux - Vice President, Yacht Club de France.
Quotes from the sailors attending:
Brian Thompson
Tactician for Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo
“It's going to be a fantastic competition between four boats for Multihull Line Honours. The winner will be the team that manages these powerful boats, especially in the rough conditions, and the one that takes the best route. This year the trade winds are not as normal as they should be, so for the record we will have to wait and see. It is always exciting to race across the Atlantic; it hasn't got any smaller or any easier!”
Above: Brian Thompson will be sailing on board MOD 70 Argo © RORC/James Mitchell
Below: Bouwe Bekking will be principal helm and strategist on board VO70 Trifork © RORC/James Mitchell
Bouwe Bekking
Principal helmsman and strategist for Volvo 70 L4 Trifork
“If you want to know why Lanzarote is such a great place to start a race across the Atlantic just look out the window, the temperature is great, the conditions are fantastic, and you need breeze for these races. Lanzarote has great facilities, and the people here are real experts in lots of areas. Racing across the Atlantic is becoming more popular, it is an incredible experience, and this race is a great way to start a campaign.”
Comanche's bowman Willy Altadill takes questions © RORC/James Mitchell
Willy Altadill
Bowman for Comanche VPLP Maxi
“Every child dreams of racing on a boat like Comanche and it has brought me responsibility and experience. It's not easy to race on Comanche, but it's amazing to get a chance to race on a boat like this with a world-class crew.”
Diogo Cayolla
Crew on board Comanche
“This will be my first Atlantic race on Comanche and I'm really looking forward to it. Comanche is a big powerful boat and it likes the wind. We do have a record in mind and that is going to be our biggest goal for the race.”
Above: Diogo Cayolla, sailing on board the 100ft Comanche © RORC/James Mitchell
Below: Martin Westcott, skipper of S&S 57 Equinoccio © RORC/James Mitchell
Martin Westcott
Skipper of Chilean S&S Swan 57 Equinoccio
“Lanzarote is a special place for me as it was where I did my first race. The beautiful architecture, the wonderful people; we always have a great time in Lanzarote.”
Richard Palmer and Jeremy Waitt
Co-skippers of JPK 10.10 Jangada - Racing doublehanded
Richard Palmer: “We are a small boat in a big ocean and looking at the weather we're going to be in big waves, and our light boat gets rocked around much more than the larger entries. The biggest challenge for us is fatigue. With only two of us on board, staying awake is one of the biggest tests.”
Jeremy Waitt: “Our biggest strength is that we have raced thousands of miles together, including this race, and in light winds we think we could take an advantage compared to the big boats. The bigger boats will tend to get much faster into new weather systems and that can be a disadvantage. For Jangada, the weather tends to come to us, so keeping out of rough weather is much harder.”
Previous overall winners of the RORC Transatlantic Race in 2019, doublehanded entry Richard Palmer and Jeremy Waitt on board Jangada © RORC/James Mitchell
