Overview
- The internationally entered fleet of 21 boats from 19 nations will race 3,000 nautical miles from Lanzarote to Antigua, with monohulls starting at 1230 GMT off Arrecife and multihulls 10 minutes later.
- Race officer Chris Jackson projects a brisk 10-knot start, a lighter escape from the Canaries, steadier trades offshore and occasional squalls, a pattern likely to keep most boats on the rhumb line.
- MOD70 rivals Argo and Zoulou expect a tight downwind contest for multihull line honours, with navigators preparing for fast match-race style decisions at high speed.
- Baltic 111 Raven begins its first competitive Atlantic campaign as the monohull favourite, with navigator Will Oxley prioritising sea-state management to sustain 25–27 knot performance.
- Top prizes include the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy for overall IRC time, the IMA Transatlantic Trophy for the first maxi and multihull line honours, in a fleet spanning 129-foot superyachts to a 32.7-foot double-handed entry and including student crews such as Berlin’s Walross 4.