Twenty teams from 12 different nations competed in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 3000-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean. Starting from Marina Lanzarote on the 8^th of January 2023, the 9^th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race had near perfect trade wind conditions. Two new race records were set and 75% of the racing yachts took 15 days or less to reach Grenada.

An amazing achievement for the first Two-Handed all-female team to complete the RORC Transatlantic Race! Congratulations to Kate Cope and Claire Dresser on Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist (GBR) after crossing the finish line in Grenada on 29^th January at 02:36:10 UTC, in an elapsed time of 20 days 12hrs 26 mins.

The crew on board Global Yacht Racing’s First 47.7 had a blast racing crossing the Atlantic in just over 17 days (elapsed), arriving in Grenada on Wednesday 25 January. “We made sure this trip we had a halfway party, where we made silly hats, had cupcakes and a good dinner that night. We had a little competition between the watches to see who could get the fastest VMG, and an awful lot of laughing! I’m happier nowhere else than on the ocean. It was great!” said skipper Neil Maher.

On Monday 23rd January, dockside celebrations continued at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada as the Czechia and Slovakia team on Miroslav Jakubcik and Marek Culen’s Akilaria 40 Sabre II finished the RORC Transatlantic Race at 03:18:57 UTC. The smallest boat competing in IRC Zero covered the 3,000nm race in an elapsed time of 14 days 13 hrs 08 mins 57 secs. Co-skippers Miroslav and Marek have raced against each other since childhood, but joined forces for their first transatlantic crossing, joined by crew members Tomas Zima and Ivan Cernosek. 

Five hours later, Laurent Courbin’s First 53 Yagiza (FRA), skippered by Philippe Falle were also welcomed to the dock with an ice-cold beer and warm Grenadian welcome, in the early hours of the morning in Grenada. Congratulations to the team on Yagiza which finished the race in just over 14 days 18 hours. On Tuesday 24th, Lionel Regnier’s 58ft Philippe Briand-designed L'Esprit D'Equipe finished the RORC Transatlantic Race with an elapsed time of 16 days 2 hrs 9 mins and 47 secs. With this crossing, Lionel Régnier has now completed 14 transatlantic races, including winning the OSTAR. His classic yacht L'Esprit D'Equipe also has a pedigree as she was the winner of the 1985 Whitbread Round the World Race. We look forward to seeing her in next month’s RORC Caribbean 600 when the crew will be joined by the winning skipper from the Whitbread, Lionel Péan.

_{The Yagiza crew enjoying the Grenadian dockside hospitality after the race © Arthur Daniel/RORC}

_{L'Esprit D'Equipe arriving in Grenada © Arthur Daniel/RORC} 

The Two-Handed team comprised of father and son, Peter and Duncan Bacon, on their Sun Fast 3300 Sea Bear finished the race on 25th January at 00:31:04 UTC, completing their RORC Transatlantic Race debut in an elapsed time of 16 days 10 hrs 21 mins 04 secs. Peter Bacon had previously competed in the 2019 Transatlantic Race (west to east) with Xp44 Lucy Georgina, winning IRC Racing 2 and notably beating Pata Negra and Teasing Machine after IRC time correction. They are the second Two-Handed team to finish in Grenada, with Purple Mist still to cover 500nm.

_{Peter and Duncan Bacon, the father & son crew of Sea Bear © Arthur Daniel/RORC}

Meanwhile, still at sea, but due to arrive today, EH01 send in their final blog:-

“We’ve got less than 24 hours to run on this amazing adventure, so time for the final blog,” writes Prue Nash from Global Yacht Racing’s First 47.7 EH01, which at time of writing had 44nm to go until the finish in Grenada.

Global Yacht Racing’s British First 47.7 EH01 has been racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club for many years, but this was their first RORC Transatlantic Race. EH01’s Irish skipper, Neil Maher has an international crew from Canada, Germany, Great Britain and the United States.

“Last night was fun; we dropped the kite before a big dark squall cloud and hoisted it again after the squall. Dropped it again for the next squall and then spent the morning under a poled-out headsail in the increased breeze and sea state. Now we are back under our Ullman S4 and the world is looking good again. The poled-out headsail arrangement did manage to give us the highest speed of the trip though - Jasper got 12.79 knots. Sorry Beana, you aren’t the speed queen anymore!

“The finish is so close now, we can smell the showers - we really, really need one! Also, a cold beer, burgers, the pool and internet! We’ve received emails from our friends across the fleet who have finished already and have enjoyed hearing about some exciting spinnaker blow outs. Cannot wait to see everyone in Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina for beers!,” concludes Prue, before sending a list of notables from the crossing:-

• Sleeping bags lost - 1. It’s somewhere on this boat, but no one had found Jeremy’s sleeping bag
• Tanks of water used – 3
• Tanks of fuel used for charging our batteries - 1. The solar panels have worked really well in keeping us topped up all day
• Gas Bottles - 1.25
• Spinnaker hoists in the last 24 hours – 3
• Anti-wrap nets that have got wrapped – 1
• Shaves on the trip - 4. 1 for Jasper, 3 for Jeremy. Rest of the guys are happily growing beards
• Best Joke of the trip - Frank for the ‘Chicken goes to the library’ joke

See you in Grenada today!

Much Love

Neil, Prue, Jasper, Jenn, Sam, Frank, Jeremy, Paul, Beana and Christina

_{The EHO1 crew before the start in Lanzarote © James Mitchell}

Marie Tabarly’s 73ft ketch Pen Duick VI (FRA) finished the RORC Transatlantic Race on Sunday 22^nd January in an elapsed time of 13 days 19 hours 33 mins 53 secs. Proudly displaying the flag of the Yacht Club de France, the Pen Duick crew of 12 are the youngest in the race and also have 50% women sailors on board. Pen Duick VI will next be competing in the new RORC organised Nelson’s Cup Series in Antigua in February.

“The Pen Duick crew has been selected for the 2023 Ocean Globe Race and this is our first race together. There is no better way to cross the Atlantic than to race,” commented Marie Tabarly. “For me, as long as I am at sea, I am happy, but this was not perfect conditions for Pen Duick. This boat likes to go upwind in heavy weather rather than downwind in light conditions, which we had for this race. However, it was very interesting for us to have the sensation and to work on the sail plan that we would like for the Ocean Globe Race.

“Pen Duick has a young crew, and there are not many boats like her. There is no school to race a boat like her. To gybe we need 11 people; we need to work together, stick together and have the vision of what is going on. Pen Duick is a heavy, powerful boat and you have to sail her in a very classical way which requires focus as well as spirit from the team. Having a team that can work together is much more important than if they are technically experienced.”

Celebrating after the finish in Grenada. Proudly displaying the flag of the Yacht Club de France, the Pen Duick crew of 12 were the youngest in the race © Arthur Daniel/RORC

Enjoying a cold beer on arrival © Arthur Daniel/RORC

Pata Negra win IRC One
Father and son owners, Andrew and Sam Hall were racing Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR) for the second time in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Pata Negra finished the race on Sunday 22^nd January in an elapsed time of 13 days 23 hours 45 mins 13 secs. Pata Negra was greeted dockside by the RORC Finish team, and with cold beers from Port Louis Marina. In 2022, Pata Negra was fourth in class and took over 15 days. This year, Pata Negra has won IRC One and completed the race in just under 14 days. Andrew Hall is the oldest competitor in this year’s race and Sam one of the youngest skippers.

“We saw a fishing boat about 50 miles off Barbados and they came and waved to us. It’s always exciting when you see another human being after 3,000 miles of just seeing the crew on Pata Negra,” commented Andrew Hall.  “I think that Sam and I are very lucky that we both like to do the same thing. I don’t know how many years I have got left, but we would like to be back next year. We are learning more and more about the boat; we are getting her going quicker and coming up with new ideas. Next for Pata Negra will be the RORC Caribbean 600 and then the boat will be on charter for other Caribbean regattas. Pata Negra will then return to the UK, take part in a few RORC races and then the Rolex Fastnet Race this summer, and we are looking forward to that.”

Pata Negra has won IRC One and completed the RORC Transatlantic Race in just under 14 days © Arthur Daniel/RORC

Father and son owners - Andrew and Sam Hall were racing Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR) for the second time in the RORC Transatlantic Race © Arthur Daniel/RORC

“We had a lot more wind than last year. Once we left the Canary Islands we put the kite up and we have had some awesome sailing,” commented Sam Hall. “Fast sailing with white water and just shy of 29 knots of boat speed at times. This was all you could dream of for 14 days: just astounding. A great race and a great team, but the fields of sargassum weed were a bit of a hinderance at times. We had to take the kite down on numerous intervals then back the boat to clear the rudders. Sailing with my dad is great, but like any father and son we have our moments. However, we love each other and have raced across the Atlantic together twice, which is a special achievement. To share that with a special crew has been fantastic. Winning our class is a great achievement and definitely progress from last year; maybe we can build on that and be even better next year.”

Six teams are still racing in the RORC Transatlantic Race. For full coverage, including race updates and stories from the teams, follow the Royal Ocean Racing Club on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. For regular updates including satellite tracking go to: www.rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Pata Negra was welcomed to the dock with cold beers by Marina Manager Zara Tremlett © Arthur Daniel/RORC