Thrilling Battles and Maxi Showdowns
ANTIGUA, Saturday 22 February 2025: The 3rd edition of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series was a spectacular regatta with a total of 35 boats taking part, including for the first time, a maxi class with eight powerful boats revelling in the big conditions. With racing from the 18th – 21st of February, the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series is the perfect prequel to the RORC Caribbean 600, which starts on Monday 24th February.
Overall results for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series can be found on the RORC Caribbean 600 website. LINK.
IRC One
Niklas Zennstrom’s Carkeek 52 Rán scored five straight wins for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series, but the devil in the detail shows that every race was won by fine margins after IRC time correction, and on many occasions on the water. In Race 3, Rán and Frederic Puzin’s Carkeek 54 Daguet 5 were overlapped going through the finish line after two hours of racing. Zennstrom’s Ran was the winner of IRC One as well as the overall winner of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series. Puzin’s Daguet 5 was IRC One Class runner-up. Third place was only decided in the final race, the Antigua 360. James Neville’s Carkeek 45 Ino Noir and Jon Desmond’s PAC 52 Final Final tied on points after the last race with Ino Noir winning on countback.
Niklas Zennström’s Rán has competed in every edition of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series, using it as the perfect warm-up for the RORC Caribbean 600 and a launchpad for their 2025 campaign, which includes the Admiral’s Cup and the Rolex Fastnet Race. The regatta also helps integrate new team members, such as Jenny Gustavsson, a Civil Engineering graduate from Örebro University, Sweden.
This is Jenny’s first regatta on the Carkeek 52 Rán, but she has sailed with most of the crew on the J Class Svea. “I started sailing Optimists on a lake near my home and have never stopped,” said Jenny, who came through the Royal Swedish Yacht Club’s youth programme. “I first saw Rán racing in the Gotland Runt and never imagined I’d be part of the team. It’s incredible, and I’m learning so much. I love the teamwork, not just on the water but in preparing, washing down the boat, and sharing meals. We’re friends as well as a race team.”
Rán has a strong tradition of racing with youth and female sailors. Jenny will be part of the team for next week’s RORC Caribbean 600 and the Admiral’s Cup in July. “The RORC Caribbean 600 is complex, with constant manoeuvres and strategic decisions – I know I’ll learn a lot,” she added. “The Admiral’s Cup is famous in Sweden, but I was only two when it last ran. It’s going to be an incredible experience.”
IRC Maxi Class
The RORC Nelson’s Cup Maxi Series featured eight maxis with six teams making the podium in the six race series. The series was won by Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt, with Karel Komárek’s Wallycento’ V’ staging a remarkable comeback to take second place. Mills 72 Balthasar, with Filip Balcaen at the helm, punched well above her weight, winning two races to place third for the series.
Recordati’s Bullitt only won one race on the way to victory but consistency throughout the series was a key to their success. Komárek’s ’V’ suffered significant water intake in the first race, due to a ballast tank flooding the interior. The shore and race team showed incredible tenacity just to get back out on the racecourse. The Mills 72 showed her potential in the big conditions and like Bullitt, they will be among the favourites for the forthcoming RORC Caribbean 600.
“Antigua is very special, there’s a lot of sailing history here,” commented Bullitt’s Recordati. “The conditions this week have been exceptional; very challenging, to say the least, in terms of the sea state and wind. The courses have been extremely well laid out, the fleet was fantastic, it’s incredible how close the racing was. It’s really been a lot of fun – I would definitely come back.”
IRC Two
The IRC Two Class went right to the wire in the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series. Jim Voss’ RP37 Warthog, skippered by Jules Mitchell and a youth team from Antigua won the Antigua 360 race to win the series on countback. Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox’s J/122 Mojito was runner-up in the series with Philippe Frantz’s NM43 Albator in third. All three teams will be competing in the RORC Caribbean 600.
“We are so proud to win our class for Antigua, especially as we only got the boat out of the shed days before the regatta,” commented Jules Mitchell. “Now, we are setting our sights on the Caribbean 600. The boat has done the race before but this will be the first time as Warthog. Upwind is going to be hard work; we will all be hiking our socks off, but downwind with the A2 up is going to be fantastic!”
“A big thank you to the Antigua Yacht Club and the volunteers that have helped with the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series,” commented RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole. “The entries are the best we have had and we hope that it will grow and grow. We have received plenty of feedback from the competing teams for the next edition.”
The 2026 RORC Nelson’s Cup Series is scheduled to start from Antigua on 17th February preceding the RORC Caribbean 600 which is scheduled to start from Fort Charlotte on February 26th, 2026.
Overall results for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series can be found on the RORC Caribbean 600 website. LINK.
Website: https://caribbean600.rorc.org/
Louay Habib/RORC
#Caribbean600 @rorcracing
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