NAVIGATION BRIEFING

Inaugurated in 2009, the RORC Caribbean 600 is a relatively recent addition to the calendar of 600-mile offshore yacht races, adding to the list of established bluewater classics like the Rolex Fastnet and Sydney Hobart races.

- TOM CHENEY

TOM CHENEY ON THE RORC CARIBBEAN 600

Its route, around 11 of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, is one of the most navigationally challenging of the 600-milers.

Starting and finishing in Antigua, the race's 12-leg, figure-eight type route stretches from St Martin in the north to Guadeloupe in the south, weaving a Caribbean course that is as stunning as it is demanding.

The consistent north-easterly tradewinds and the looping nature of the course will exercise every sail in the wardrobe, and rewards boats set up for performance on all points of sail.

There is far more fetching and reaching in this race than in a typical Fastnet or Sydney Hobart, for example. The sheer number of legs and sail changes are also a great challenge for crews and navigators alike.

1 CARIBBEAN 600 START 

The starting line is off Fort Charlotte on the rugged coast of Antigua at the eastern entrance to English Harbour, above the Pillars of Hercules and below Shirley Heights. The first part of the race is an eight-mile beat to Green Island, the easternmost point of Antigua. While the Caribbean 600 doesn't usually attract as many entries as a race like the Rolex Fastnet, this first leg can still be very hectic, as boats battle for the convergence on the left under cliffs and headlands. There are a couple of rocks to look out for here, a particularly noteworthy one at Standfast Point, although this is well charted.

From Green Island you can sail the rhumbline to the inflatable rounding mark off Barbuda while paying attention to the Antiguan reefs. In big seas this might not be the case, and you may want to give the lee shore some more room. Usually this leg is around 090° TWA, but it's risky to try to set reaching sails too early on this leg as there is very little runway to leeward for the first seven miles.