Leopard 3 Wins Overall IRC Title at 2026 RORC Caribbean 600

Leopard 3, a much-modified Farr 100 owned by Joost Schuijff, claimed the overall IRC title at the 17th RORC Caribbean 600 after the 600-nautical-mile race that started from Fort Charlotte in Antigua and circled 11 Caribbean islands, the series concluding on March 1, 2026. The Royal Ocean Racing Club presented the Overall Winner’s Trophy to Leopard 3, handed over by His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, with the photo credited to Tim Wright/Photoaction.com.

Monohull line honours went to RP100 Black Jack 100, owned by Remon Vos and skippered by Tristan Le Brun, which completed the course in 1 Day 20 Hrs 31 Mins 36 Secs. Black Jack and Leopard 3 contested a prolonged duel, with Black Jack making the decisive move in the final 150 nautical miles and crossing the finish roughly 30 minutes ahead of Leopard 3 on elapsed time.

Despite finishing behind Black Jack on elapsed time, Leopard 3 prevailed on IRC correction to take the overall trophy - her second overall triumph in the RORC Caribbean 600. The campaign was credited to targeted preparation: "The year’s weather conditions suited her strengths, but the modification made to Leopard, and above all meticulous team work were all part of the complete package." Leopard’s identification as a Farr-designed veteran was highlighted across the coverage.

IRC One produced its own close finishes. Bruce Chafee’s RP42 Rikki sealed IRC One class victory, while Xavier Bellouard’s Lift 45 Maxitude took line honours for the class but, after IRC correction, Maxitude corrected out to second place, "just 9 minutes 32 seconds short" of the class winner. Woody Cullen’s Swan 58 WaveWalker completed the IRC One corrected podium in third.

IRC Two was the largest class in the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600 and "proved to be a battle of stamina and steady execution." Grand Soleil 46 Belladonna, campaigned by Richard Dilley (GBR), claimed IRC Two class victory. "For Belladonna owner Richard Dilley, victory in IRC Two was far more than a line in the results. It was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition to compete in the RORC Caribbean 600." Ray Rhinelander’s J/133 Bella J (CAN), skippered by Sarah Nicholson, finished second, while Cox & Dunlop’s J/122 Mojito stood third on corrected time.

The multihull scene was split between line honours and MOCRA-corrected results. MOD70 Argo (USA) took Multihull Line Honours across the course, while the MOCRA-corrected multihull podium saw Ocean 50 Calamity, skippered by Timo Tavio, on top, with Sophia (Marcus Sirota, skippered by Adam Davis) second and Argo listed third on MOCRA-corrected time. The multihull fleet was eleven-strong under the MOCRA rule.

The race also saw drama late in the fleet when Balthasar, showing 14-15 knots while rocketing upwind from Redonda, came to a sudden stop with under 15 miles to go and retired; the crew’s brief statement was, "Sadly, we’ve had to retire." Post-race port photos reportedly made the reason visible, though no formal technical or medical report was published with the race coverage.

Leopard 3’s win under IRC, backed by modifications and meticulous teamwork and sealed with the trophy presentation in Antigua, underlines how targeted boat work and a crew drilled for the Caribbean’s conditions can turn a line-honours deficit into overall success for owners and campaigns planning next season.